Neo-Concept International Group Holdings Limited (NCI) Risk Analysis

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Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

Neo-Concept International Group Holdings Limited disclosed 44 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Neo-Concept International Group Holdings Limited reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution

25% Finance & Corporate

20% Production

18% Legal & Regulatory

18% Ability to Sell

11% Macro & Political

7% Tech & Innovation

Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

Neo-Concept International Group Holdings Limited Risk Factors

New Risk (0)

Risk Changed (0)

Risk Removed (0)

No changes from previous report

The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q4, 2023

Main Risk Category

Finance & Corporate

With 11 Risks

Finance & Corporate

With 11 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

0Risks added

0Risks removed

0Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

0Risks added

0Risks removed

0Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

Number of Risk Changed

S&P 500 Average: 3

See the risk highlights of Neo-Concept International Group Holdings Limited in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 44

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 11/44 (25%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights4 | 9.1%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

Although the audit report included in this report is prepared by U.S. auditors who are currently inspected by the PCAOB, there is no guarantee that future audit reports will be prepared by auditors inspected by the PCAOB and, as such, in the future, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. Furthermore, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCAA if the SEC subsequently determines our audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and as a result, U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq, may determine to delist our securities. Furthermore, on December 23, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted, which amended the HFCAA by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer's securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time before the securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted.

As an auditor of companies that are registered with the SEC and publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, our auditor is required under 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. The PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese government authorities. Currently, our U.S. auditor is inspected by the PCAOB, and we have no operations in mainland China. However, if there is significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China and Hong Kong, companies operating in Hong Kong like us may face similar regulatory risks as those operated in PRC and we cannot assure you that our auditor's work will continue to be able to be inspected by the PCAOB. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside mainland China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors' audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in mainland China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating auditors' audits and their quality control procedures. As a result, if there is any component of our auditor's work papers become located in mainland China in the future, such work papers will not be subject to inspection by the PCAOB. As a result, investors would be deprived of such PCAOB inspections, which could result in limitations or restrictions to our access of the U.S. capital markets. As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular mainland China's, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress which, if passed, would require the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate the audit work performed by a foreign public accounting firm completely. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges ("EQUITABLE") Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq, of issuers included on the SEC's list for three consecutive years. It is unclear if this proposed legislation will be enacted. Furthermore, there have been recent deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCAA, which includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor's local jurisdiction. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HFCAA on December 2, 2020, and the HFCAA was signed into law on December 18, 2020. Additionally, in July 2020, the U.S. President's Working Group on Financial Markets issued recommendations for actions that can be taken by the executive branch, the SEC, the PCAOB or other federal agencies and department with respect to Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges and their audit firms, in an effort to protect investors in the United States. In response, on November 23, 2020, the SEC issued guidance highlighting certain risks (and their implications to U.S. investors) associated with investments in China-based issuers and summarizing enhanced disclosures the SEC recommends China-based issuers make regarding such risks. On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements in the HFCAA. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate. We will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies us as having a "non-inspection" year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. The final amendments require any identified registrant to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that the registrant is not owned or controlled by a government entity in the public accounting firm's foreign jurisdiction, and also require, among other things, disclosure in the registrant's annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and government influence on, such registrants. Under the HFCAA, our securities may be prohibited from trading on the Nasdaq or other U.S. stock exchanges if our auditor is not inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our Ordinary Shares being delisted. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the AHFCAA, which was enacted on December 23, 2022, amending the HFCAA to require the SEC to prohibit an issuer's securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus, reducing the time before our Ordinary Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted. On December 29, 2022, legislation titled "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023" (the "Consolidated Appropriations Act"), was signed into law by President Biden. The Consolidated Appropriations Act contained, among other things, an identical provision to AHFCAA, which reduces the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two. On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCAA, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether the Board is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB's Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions ("Commission-Identified Issuers"). The final amendments require Commission-Identified Issuers to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that, if true, it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in the public accounting firm's foreign jurisdiction. The amendments also require that a Commission-Identified Issuer that is a "foreign issuer," as defined in Exchange Act Rule 3b-4, provide certain additional disclosures in its annual report for itself and any of its consolidated foreign operating entities. Further, the release provides notice regarding the procedures the SEC has established to identify issuers and to impose trading prohibitions on the securities of certain Commission-Identified Issuers, as required by the HFCAA. The SEC will identify Commission-Identified Issuers for fiscal years beginning after December 18, 2020. A Commission-Identified Issuer will be required to comply with the submission and disclosure requirements in the annual report for each year in which it was identified. If a registrant is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer based on its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, the registrant will be required to comply with the submission or disclosure requirements in its annual report filing covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. The final amendments became effective on January 10, 2022. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in Mainland China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions. The PCAOB made its determinations pursuant to PCAOB Rule 6100, which provides a framework for how the PCAOB fulfills its responsibilities under the HFCAA. The report further listed in its Appendix A and Appendix B, Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Mainland China Determination and Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Hong Kong Determination, respectively. Our auditor, WWC, P.C. is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and did not appear as part of the report under the lists in its appendix A or appendix B. On August 26, 2022, the CSRC, the MOF, and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the "Protocol") to allow the PCAOB to inspect and investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, consistent with the HFCAA, and the PCAOB will be required to reassess its determinations by the end of 2022. 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 announced that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely in 2022. The PCAOB Board vacated its previous 2021 determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainties and depends on a number of factors out of our and our auditor's control. The PCAOB continues to demand complete access in mainland China and Hong Kong moving forward and is making plans to resume regular inspections in early 2023 and beyond, as well as to continue pursuing ongoing investigations and initiate new investigations as needed. The PCAOB has also indicated that it will act immediately to consider the need to issue new determinations with the HFCAA if needed. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect and investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in China in 2023 and beyond, or if we fail to, among others, meet the PCAOB's requirements, including retaining a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB determines it is able to inspect and investigate completely, we will be identified as a "Commission-identified Issuer," and upon the expiration of the applicable years of non-inspection under the HFCAA and relevant regulations, the Ordinary Shares will be delisted and will not be permitted for trading over the counter. Such a delisting or prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase the Ordinary Shares, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of the Ordinary Shares. Moreover, the HFCAA or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected. Such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects. The SEC is assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCAA, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements described above. Future developments in respect of increasing U.S. regulatory access to audit information are uncertain, as the legislative developments are subject to the legislative process and the regulatory developments are subject to the rule-making process and other administrative procedures. While the CSRC, the MOF and the PCAOB have entered into the SOP Agreements regarding the inspection of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in mainland China, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with requirements imposed by U.S. regulators if there is significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China and Hong Kong, or if any component of our auditor's work papers become located in mainland China in the future. Delisting of our Ordinary Shares would force holders of our Ordinary Shares to sell their Ordinary Shares. The market price of our Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected as a result of anticipated negative impacts of these executive or legislative actions upon, regardless of whether these executive or legislative actions are implemented and regardless of our actual operating performance.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

We may have conflicts of interest with our Controlling Shareholder, because of our Controlling Shareholder's controlling ownership interest in our Company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on terms favorable to us.

Our Controlling Shareholder beneficially owns 71.5% of our outstanding ordinary shares and total voting power. Accordingly, our Controlling Shareholder may have significant influence in determining the outcome of any corporate actions or other matters that require shareholder approval, such as mergers, consolidations, change of our name, and amendments of our memorandum and articles of association. The concentration of ownership and voting power may cause transactions to occur in a way that may not be beneficial to you as a holder of our Ordinary Shares and may prevent us from doing transactions that would be beneficial to you. Conflicts of interest may arise between our Controlling Shareholder and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships. Potential conflicts of interest that we have identified include the following: - New customer acquisition. Because both we and NCH, an affiliated company under the common control of our Controlling Shareholder, are engaged in providing apparel solutions services, this potential conflict of interest may limit our ability to attract new clients who are existing customers of NCH therefore impairing our ability to expand our market share which may not be in the best interest of our shareholders. - Employee recruiting and retention. Because both we and NCH, which is an affiliated company under the common control of our Controlling Shareholder, are engaged in providing apparel solutions services out of Hong Kong, we may compete with our Controlling Shareholder in the hiring of new employees. We entered into an Agreement and have a non-solicitation arrangement that restricts NCH from hiring any of our employees. - Our board members or executive officers may have conflicts of interest. Our chairlady of the board and chief executive officer, Ms. Eva Yuk Yin Siu and our director, Ms. Man Chi Wai, are also directors in other companies, which include but are not limited to NCH, and engage in businesses such as (i) apparel solution services for customers based in China, North America and Europe, (ii) textile and garment manufacturing, (iii) retail sales of apparel products in China and (iv) other non-apparel related businesses such as retail and wholesale of food and beverages. As a result, they may not have sufficient capacity to perform their duties in NCI. These overlapping relationships could create or appear to create conflicts of interest when these persons are faced with decisions with potentially different implications for our Controlling Shareholder and us. - Non-competition arrangements with our Controlling Shareholder. We entered into an Exclusive Territory and Non-Competition Agreement with Neo-Concept (BVI) Limited, the holding company of NCH and other subsidiaries engaged in a competing business with our Company, under which Neo-Concept (BVI) Limited agrees not to compete with us in any territories that we operate in, except for owning non-controlling equity interest in any company competing with us and that they can continue to service existing clients during a transitional period. - Developing business relationships with our NCH's competitors. So long as our Controlling Shareholder remains as our controlling shareholder, we may be limited in our ability to do business with NCH's competitors, such as other contract manufacturers. This may limit our ability to conduct our services for the best interests of NCI and our other shareholders.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3

Our Controlling Shareholder's relationship with Neo-Concepts (BVI) Limited may result in strategic business decisions that favor our Controlling Shareholder rather than the interests of our other shareholders.

Although our company is a stand-alone company, we expect to operate, for as long as our Controlling Shareholder is our controlling shareholder, as an affiliate of Neo-Concept (BVI) Limited. Our Controlling Shareholder may from time to time make strategic decisions that it believes are in the best interests of Neo-Concept (BVI) Limited as a whole, including our Company. These decisions may be different from the decision that we would have made on our own. Our Controlling Shareholder's decisions with respect to us or our business may be resolved in ways that favor our Controlling Shareholder, which may not coincide with the interests of our other shareholders. We may not be able to resolve any potential conflicts, and even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with a non-controlling shareholder. Even if both parties seek to transact business on terms intended to approximate those that could have been achieved among unaffiliated parties, this may not succeed in practice.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4

Our Controlling Shareholder has significant voting power and may take actions that may not be in the best interests of other shareholders.

Our Controlling Shareholder, owns 71.5% of the total issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares, representing 71.5% of the total voting power. Because the Controlling Shareholder will control a majority of our outstanding voting power, we will be a "controlled company" under corporate governance rules for NASDAQ-listed companies. Therefore, the Controlling Shareholder will be able to exert significant control over our management and affairs requiring shareholder approval, including approval of significant corporate transactions. Since the Controlling Shareholder is also a Controlling Shareholder of NCH, which is in direct competition with our business in certain regions and creates potential conflicts of interest, this concentration of ownership may not be in the best interests of all of our shareholders.

Accounting & Financial Operations2 | 4.5%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

Our lack of effective internal controls over financial reporting may affect our ability to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud which may affect the market for and price of our Ordinary Shares.

Our independent registered public accounting firm is currently not required to conduct an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. In the course of auditing our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2023, our management has not received from our independent registered public accounting firm any report regarding deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting. As a small-scale company, we are in the process of establishing and improving our internal controls. Upon our independent registered public accounting firm's suggestions, with the development of our business and the increase of our financial personnel, we will improve our internal control management. We have implemented measures designed to improve our internal control over financial reporting to address the underlying causes of these material weaknesses, including appointment of independent Directors and establishment of an audit committee aiming to strengthen corporate governance. We will be subject to the requirement that we maintain internal controls and that management perform periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal controls. Effective internal control over financial reporting is important to prevent fraud. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the market for and trading price of our Ordinary Shares, may be materially and adversely affected if we do not have effective internal controls. We may not discover any problems in a timely manner and in such an event our shareholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. The absence of internal controls over financial reporting may inhibit investors from purchasing our Ordinary Shares and may make it more difficult for us to raise funds in debt or equity financing. Additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies may be identified in the future. If we identify such issues or if we are unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements, our stock price may decline, and we may be unable to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

We recorded net current liabilities and a total deficit for three years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, and may continue to record net current liabilities and a total deficit in the foreseeable future, which can expose us to liquidity risks.

We had net current liabilities of HKD6,088,795 (US$779,524), HKD61,288,133 (US$7,855,942) and HKD75,547,697 as of December 31, 2023,2022 and 2021, respectively. We also had total deficits of HKD2,386,810 (US$305,572), HKD60,675,596 (US$7,777,427) and HKD75,590,274 as of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Although we recorded net income of HKD4,414,733 (US$565,202), HKD12,400,516 (US$1,589,505) and HKD5,450,515 for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to generate net income in the future. We anticipate that our operating cost and expenses will increase in the foreseeable future as we continue to grow our business. Our efforts to grow our business may prove more costly than we currently anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue sufficiently to offset these higher expenses. We cannot assure you that we will not incur net current liabilities in the future. A net current liabilities position can expose us to the risk of shortfalls in liquidity, in which case our ability to raise funds, obtain bank loans and declare and pay dividends will be materially and adversely affected. Our profitability and liquidity position is dependent on, among other factors, our ability to grow our business and extend our product offering to existing customers and expand our customer base. Any material decrease in our service fees would have a substantial impact on our margin. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, our net income may decline, or we may incur net losses in the future and be unable to achieve or maintain profitability and improve our liquidity position.

Debt & Financing4 | 9.1%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to protect us from potential losses.

We may not be fully insured for our losses under our current insurance policies in place. We do not maintain any business interruption or key person life insurance. Our trade credit insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses in the event of non-payment. There are certain types of losses, such as from war, acts of terrorism and certain natural disasters, for which we cannot obtain insurance at a reasonable cost, or at all. If any of these occurs, it may result in us incurring substantial losses and the diversion of our resources, which are not covered by our insurance. It may in turn materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Debt & Financing - Risk 2

We may be unable to obtain sufficient funding on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

The future expansion of our business may require us to incur additional borrowings and diversify sources of funding. Whether we are able to raise additional capital at costs acceptable to us depends on the financial success of our current business and the successful implementation of our key strategic initiatives. This may be affected by various financial, economic and market conditions and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If we are unable to obtain sufficient banking facilities on acceptable terms to meet our operational and expansion demands, this may put strains on our cash flow and our ability to successfully implement our expansion plans.

Debt & Financing - Risk 3

We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing requirements, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

NCI is a holding company, and we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our subsidiaries for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and to service any debt we may incur. If any one of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. There are no statutory prohibitions in the Cayman Islands on the granting of financial assistance by a company to another person for the purchase of, or subscription for, its own, its holding company's or a subsidiary's shares. Therefore, a company may provide financial assistance provided the directors of the company, when proposing to grant such financial assistance, discharge their duties of care and act in good faith, for a proper purpose and in the interests of the company. Such assistance should be on an arm's-length basis. Subject to a solvency test, as prescribed in the Companies Act, and the provisions, if any, of the company's memorandum and articles of association, a company may pay dividends and distributions out of its share premium account. In addition, based upon English case law which is likely to be persuasive in the Cayman Islands, dividends may be paid out of profits. The Cayman Islands does not impose a withholding tax on payments of dividends to shareholders in the Cayman Islands. Under Hong Kong law, dividends could only be paid out of distributable profits (that is, accumulated realized profits less accumulated realized losses) or other distributable reserves, as permitted under Hong Kong law. Dividends cannot be paid out of share capital. There are no restrictions or limitation under the laws of Hong Kong imposed on the conversion of HK dollar into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of Hong Kong, nor there is any restriction on foreign exchange to transfer cash between NCI and its subsidiaries, across borders and to U.S investors, nor there is any restrictions and limitations to distribute earnings from our business and subsidiaries to NCI and U.S. investors and amounts owed. Under the current practice of the Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong, no tax is payable in Hong Kong in respect of dividends paid by us. According to the BVI Business Companies Act 2004 (as amended), a British Virgin Islands company may make dividends distribution to the extent that immediately after the distribution, the value of the company's assets exceeds its liabilities and that such company is able to pay its debts as they fall due. Under UK law, no dividend can be paid by a UK company unless (i) the company has sufficient profits available for distribution under the provisions of the UK Companies Act 2006 (as amended) and accounting principles generally accepted in the United Kingdom, and (ii) any applicable restriction(s) or requirement(s) set out in the company's constitution have been complied with. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

Debt & Financing - Risk 4

Our transactions with NCH may be less favorable to us than similar agreements negotiated with unaffiliated third parties.

During the three years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we entered into a series of transactions with an affiliated company under the control of our Controlling Shareholder, NCH. These transactions include engaging NCH as a contract manufacturer to produce certain apparel products for our customers. The terms of such transactions may be less favorable to us than would be the case if they were negotiated with unaffiliated third parties. Because we will be a "controlled company" the terms of such future transactions will be reviewed by the Audit Committee to ensure that they will not be less favorable to us than would be the case if they were negotiated with unaffiliated third parties. Moreover, so long as we are under the control of the Controlling Shareholder, their influence may make it difficult for us to bring a legal claim against NCH in the event of contractual breach, notwithstanding our contractual rights under the transactions and other agreements we may enter into with NCH or other affiliated companies under the control of our Controlling Shareholder from time to time.

Corporate Activity and Growth1 | 2.3%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

We may be unable to successfully implement our future business plans and objectives.

Our success is dependent on, among other things, our proper and timely execution of our future business plans. Our future business plans may be hindered by factors beyond our control, such as competition within the industry we operate, our ability to cope with high exposure to financial risk, operational risk, market risk and credit risk as our business and customer base expands and our ability to provide, maintain and improve the level of human and other resources in servicing our customers. As such, we cannot assure that our future business plans will materialize, or that our objectives will be accomplished fully or partially, or our business strategies will generate the intended benefits to us as initially contemplated. If we fail to implement our business development strategies successfully, our business performance, financial condition and future prospects and growth could be materially and adversely affected. We may in the future pursue acquisitions and joint ventures as part of our growth strategy. Any future acquisition or joint venture may result in exposure to potential liabilities of the acquired companies and significant transaction costs, and also may present new risks associated with entering additional markets or offering new products or services and integrating the acquired companies or newly established joint ventures. Moreover, we may not have sufficient management, financial and other resources to integrate companies we acquire or to successfully operate joint ventures, and we may be unable to profitably operate our expanded company structure. Additionally, any new business that we may acquire or joint ventures we may form, once integrated with our existing operations, may not produce expected or intended results.

Production

Total Risks: 9/44 (20%)Above Sector Average

Manufacturing2 | 4.5%

Manufacturing - Risk 1

Inconsistent quality control may adversely affect our reputation and customer relationships.

Our customers have specific requirements for their apparel products, and these requirements could change from one carton to another, even for the same types of products with the same design. We rely on our internal quality control personnel to inspect the finished goods and rectify any defectiveness so that the goods can be delivered to our customers in a form that would meet their quality expectations. If we fail to meet the specifications of our customers, we may not be able to monitor the quality of our suppliers at all times. For apparel products that do not satisfy the quality standards or our customers' specifications, we may be forced to provide products to our customers on a delayed basis or cancel their order, our reputation in the industry and customer relationships would be adversely affected, and we may suffer from loss of sales and be exposed to commercial claims.

Manufacturing - Risk 2

Our focus on using sustainable materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and supply chain practices may increase our cost of doing business and hinder our growth.

We are dedicated to prioritizing sustainable materials, an environmentally friendly supply chain, and manufacturing processes that collectively limit our environmental footprint. As our business expands, it may be increasingly challenging to cost-effectively secure enough sustainably sourced materials to support our growth and achieve our sustainability goals while also achieving and maintaining profitability. In addition, our ability to expand into new product categories or expand our existing product mix with our core customers depends in part on our ability to identify new sustainable materials that are suitable for our products. Our inability to source materials that meet our sustainability requirements in sufficient volumes could result in slower growth, increased costs, and/or lower net profits. Additionally, as our business expands, we may not be able to identify suppliers and manufacturers with business practices that reflect our commitment to sustainability, which may harm our ability to expand our supply chain to meet the expected growth of our business. If any of these factors prevent us from meeting our sustainability goals or increase the carbon footprint of any our products, then it could have an adverse effect on our brand, reputation, results of operations, and financial condition.

Employment / Personnel3 | 6.8%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

Labor or other disruptions at ports or our suppliers or manufacturers may adversely affect our business.

Our business depends on our ability to source and distribute products in a timely and cost-effective manner. As a result, we rely on the free flow of goods through open and operational ports worldwide and on a consistent basis from our suppliers and manufacturer. Labor disputes and disruptions at various ports or at our suppliers or manufacturer could create significant risks for our business, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, decreased operations, lockouts, strikes or other disruptions during our peak importing or manufacturing seasons. For example, COVID-19 has resulted in delays and disruptions at ports due to workforce decreases, shipping backlogs and capacity constraints, container shortages and other disruptions. This has resulted, and may continue to result, in slower than planned deliveries of inventory and delayed sales to customers. If we experience significant delays or disruption in receiving and distributing our products, this could have an adverse effect on our business, potentially resulting in cancelled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages, increased expense (including air freight) to deliver our products and reduced net revenues and net income or higher net loss.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 2

We are dependent on our key executives, management team and professional staff.

We have a team of experienced and competent management who is responsible for overseeing financial condition and performance, allocating and budgeting human resources and formulating business strategies. For example, each of Ms. Eva Yuk Yin Siu and Ms. Man Chi Wai, the founders of Operating Subsidiaries, has over 30 years of experience in the fashion garment industry. Leveraging on their experience and network in the industry, we have been successfully expanding our client base and source of deals and transactions. However, we cannot assure you that we can retain the services of our key executives, personnel and members of our management team and find suitable replacements if any of them terminates his or her engagement with us, given the intense competition for experienced and competent personnel in the industry. Apart from our senior management, we also rely on our professional staff in different business operations to implement our business strategies, provide quality services to clients, manage our compliance and risks, identify and capture business opportunities, maintain relationship with clients and procure new clients. Loss of our professional staff and failure to recruit replacement will materially and adversely affect our business operations.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 3

Our directors and officers may allocate their time to other businesses, thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs.

Our directors and officers are not required to commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and their other businesses. Our directors and officers are engaged in several other business endeavors and may commit themselves to other entities. Our directors and officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to the Company's affairs. If the other business affairs of our directors and officers require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to the affairs of the Company, which could have a negative impact on our ability to operate efficiently. In particular, Ms. Siu and Ms. Wai are affiliated with other entities, namely NCH, engaged in business activities similar to those conducted by us. Due to their existing affiliations, Ms. Siu and Ms. Wai may have fiduciary obligations to present potential business opportunities to those entities before presenting them to us, which could cause additional conflicts of interest. We cannot assure you that these conflicts will be resolved in our favor. You should refer to the section of this report entitled "Management - Conflicts of Interest/Duties of Directors." for a detailed discussion of our directors' other business affairs.

Supply Chain3 | 6.8%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

Customers may choose to do business with suppliers directly through online platforms.

Our customers pay for our services to leverage our industry knowledge, market connections and logistics management capability. However, it has been increasingly common for brand owners and retailers to place their orders directly to manufacturers through online platforms. If we are unable to provide other value-added services such as product design and development, production management and logistics management to our customers, we face the risk of losing our existing customers, especially those with the confidence and savviness to order apparel products online. With the internet becoming more common in the current economic environment, market demand for our services may decrease.

Supply Chain - Risk 2

Our reliance on suppliers to produce our products could cause problems in our supply chain.

We do not manufacture our products or the raw materials for them and rely instead on suppliers. We have no long-term contracts with any of our suppliers or manufacturing sources for the production of our fabrics and garments, and we compete with other companies for production. If we experience significant increased demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier, we may be unable to locate additional manufacturing capacity on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or we may be unable to locate any supplier or manufacturer with sufficient capacity to meet our customer's requirements or to fill our orders in a timely manner. Even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing, we may encounter delays in production 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. Delays related to supplier changes could also arise due to an increase in shipping times if new suppliers are located farther away from our markets or from other participants in the supply chain. Any delays, interruption, or increased costs in manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower net revenue and income from operations both in the short and long term.

Supply Chain - Risk 3

We rely on two principal suppliers for supplies of raw materials, manufacturing services and logistics services.

The apparel products sold or sourced by us during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2022 and 2021, were mainly produced by two contract manufacturers, one of which is our affiliated company. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 our two contract manufacturers together accounted for 93.9%, 80.1% and 100% of our total purchases, respectively. We engage contract manufacturer on an individual project basis and rely on third party service providers for services including sourcing of materials and provision of logistics services for the finished goods. We do not enter into any long-term contracts with our suppliers, and the terms of services provided by them may be susceptible to fluctuations with regard to pricing, timing and quality. Business relationships with our key suppliers could deteriorate, and existing procurement arrangements could change without advance notice. Increases in raw material prices resulting in higher procurement costs being incurred by our contract manufacturer, may be passed onto us as part of the overall production service costs. Recent inflationary pressures have affected the procurement cost of certain raw materials used in our apparel products. While we have not faced any shortages or significant increases in prices that would have a material adverse effect on our operations, we have had to enact measures to mitigate fluctuations in the price of our key raw materials. These measures include, but are not limited to, placing bulk orders for a portion of our raw material requirements based on projections and sales estimates ahead of the production season and incorporating alternative materials into our products or modifying specifications of product designs. However, our ability to implement such measures are limited and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully mitigate fluctuations or increases in the price of raw materials. We might have to accept substantial increment in price, or a substantial reduction of quantities supplied in some cases, especially when we are unable to locate alternative suppliers in a timely manner and/or on comparable commercial terms. In addition, we are not able to ensure our suppliers' compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Failure on the part of any of our suppliers to comply with applicable laws and regulations may damage our corporate image, and adversely affect our customer relationships.

Costs1 | 2.3%

Costs - Risk 1

Our profit margin may be adversely affected by the increasing costs of raw materials and labor.

Changes in the costs of raw materials or labor indirectly affect our cost structure. We utilize third-party contract manufacturers to produce all of our apparel products. Any increase in production costs, including procurement costs for raw materials and increases in labor costs, may be passed on to us, while we may not be able to pass on all or any part of the subsequent increase in costs to our customers, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial performance. We do not enter into long-term contracts with our suppliers. We usually enter into fixed-price contracts with our suppliers, including those for raw materials concurrently with our acceptance of each customer order, but in some cases a short time gap may be inevitable. In cases where we outsource procurement of raw materials to our contract manufacturers, rising raw material costs may be passed onto us by our contract manufacturers and put pressure on our profit margin. Any increase in the wage of workers in the apparel manufacturing industry and capital expenditures to enhance working conditions could increase the operating costs of our suppliers causing them to increase our contract prices. If we are not able to control our costs and/or pass on such additional costs to our customers or allocate such production work to other suppliers of similar quality at comparable terms, our profit margin could decrease, and we could record losses in some of our projects.

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 8/44 (18%)Above Sector Average

Regulation6 | 13.6%

Regulation - Risk 1

The enactment in the U.S. of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (the "UFLPA") and similar pending legislation in the territories in which our subsidiaries operate could have material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

The UFLPA prohibits on the importation of goods into the United States manufactured wholly or in part with forced labor in the PRC, especially from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region ("Xinjiang"). It establishes a rebuttable presumption that the importation of any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in Xinjiang are not entitled to entry to the U.S. and requires the importer of record to comply with specified conditions and, by clear and convincing evidence, that the goods, wares, articles, or merchandise were not produced using forced labor. Our contract manufacturers are located in the PRC, and whereas 84% of Chinese cotton comes from Xinjiang. Governments in the other territories where the company operates (the UK, the EU and Canada) are advancing similar measures to address the risk of goods produced from forced labor from any country from entering the global supply chains in order to ensure that their businesses are not complicit in forced labor in Xinjiang, there is an extraordinarily high risk that the yarn, textiles, and garments made with Chinese cotton are tainted with forced and prison labor. Violations of the UFLPA can empower U.S. Customs and Border Protection to detain, exclude or seize goods and assess monetary penalties. The failure of the Company's supply chain management system to rebut the presumption that its products are tainted with forced or prison labor could materially and adversely affect our business operations, financial position, and results of operations.

Regulation - Risk 2

The Hong Kong legal system embodies uncertainties which could limit the legal protections available to Our Operating Subsidiaries.

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region ("SAR") of the PRC. Following British colonial rule from 1842 to 1997, China assumed sovereignty under the "one country, two systems" principle. The Hong Kong SAR's constitutional document, the Basic Law, ensures that the current political situation will remain in effect for 50 years. Hong Kong has enjoyed the freedom to function with a high degree of autonomy for its affairs, including currencies, immigration and customs operations, and its independent judiciary system and parliamentary system. On July 14, 2020, the United States signed an executive order to end the special status enjoyed by Hong Kong post-1997. As the autonomy currently enjoyed may be compromised, it could potentially impact Hong Kong's common law legal system and may, in turn, bring about uncertainty in, for example, the enforcement of our contractual rights. This could, in turn, materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Additionally, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in Hong Kong may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. Accordingly, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the Hong Kong legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the pre-emption of local regulations by national laws. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us, including our ability to enforce our agreements with our clients.

Regulation - Risk 3

If the Chinese government chooses to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China based issuers, such action may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer Ordinary Shares to investors and cause the value of our Ordinary Shares to significantly decline or be worthless.

Recent statements by the Chinese government have indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investments in China-based issuers. On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a document to crack down on illegal activities in the securities market and promote the high-quality development of the capital market, which, among other things, requires the relevant governmental authorities to strengthen cross-border oversight of law-enforcement and judicial cooperation, to enhance supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, and to establish and improve the system of extraterritorial application of the PRC securities laws. Furthermore, on December 28, 2021, the CAC jointly with the relevant authorities published the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021), or the "Review Measures 2021", which took effect on February 15, 2022, and replaced the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2020) issued on April 13, 2020. Review Measures 2021 stipulates that operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services, and online platform operators carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, shall conduct a cybersecurity review, and any online platform operator who controls more than one million users' personal information must apply for a cybersecurity review by the cybersecurity review office if it seeks to be listed in a foreign country. Based on a set of Q&As published on the official website of the State Cipher Code Administration in connection with the issuance of the Review Measures 2021, an official of the said administration indicated that an online platform operator should apply for a cybersecurity review prior to the submission of its listing application with non-PRC securities regulators. Moreover, the CAC released the draft of the Regulations on Network Data Security Management in November 2021 for public consultation, which among other things, stipulates that a data processor listed overseas must conduct an annual data security review by itself or by engaging a data security service provider and submit the annual data security review report for the previous year to the municipal cybersecurity department before January 31 of the following year. Given the recency of the issuance of the Review Measures 2021 and the pending effectiveness of the Regulations on Network Data Security Management, there is a general lack of guidance and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to their interpretation and implementation. It remains unclear whether a Hong Kong company shall be subject to the Review Measures 2021. But we believe our HK subsidiary is neither a "critical information infrastructure" operator nor an online platform operator as defined in the Review Measures 2021, that are required to file for cybersecurity review before listing in the U.S., because (i) Neo-Concept HK is incorporated and operating in Hong Kong and the Review Measures 2021 remains unclear whether it shall be applied to a Hong Kong company; (ii) Neo-Concept HK operates without any subsidiary or VIE structure in mainland China; (iii) as of date of this report, Neo-Concept HK has not collected and stored any personal information of PRC individual client; and (vi) as of the date of this report, Neo-Concept HK has not been informed by any PRC governmental authority of any requirement that it files for a cybersecurity review. However, there remains significant uncertainty in the interpretation and enforcement of relevant PRC cybersecurity laws and regulations. If Neo-Concept HK is deemed an "operator of critical information infrastructure" or an "online platform operator" as defined in the Review Measures 2021, Neo-Concept HK's operation and the listing of our Ordinary Shares in the U.S. could be subject to CAC's cybersecurity review in the future. On February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. On the same date of the issuance of the Trial Measures, the CSRC circulated No. 1 to No. 5 Supporting Guidance Rules, the Notes on the Trial Measures, the Notice on Administration Arrangements for the Filing of Overseas Listings by Domestic Enterprises and the relevant CSRC Answers to Reporter Questions on the official website of the CSRC, or collectively, the Guidance Rules and Notice. The Trial Measures, together with the Guidance Rules and Notice, reiterate the basic supervision principles as reflected in the Draft Overseas Listing Regulations by providing substantially the same requirements for filings of overseas offering and listing by domestic companies, yet made the following updates compared to the Draft Overseas Listing Regulations: (a) further clarification of the circumstances prohibiting overseas issuance and listing; (b) further clarification of the standard of indirect overseas listing under the principle of substance over form, and (c) adding more details of filing procedures and requirements by setting different filing requirements for different types of overseas offering and listing. Pursuant to the Trial Measures, the Guidance Rules and Notice, domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, should fulfill the filing procedure and report relevant information to the CSRC within three working days following its submission of initial public offerings or listing application. On December 28, 2021, the CAC jointly with the relevant authorities formally published Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021) which took effect on February 15, 2022 and replaced the former Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2020) issued on April 13, 2020. Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021) stipulates that operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services, and online platform operators carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, shall conduct a cybersecurity review, and any online platform operator who controls more than one million users' personal information must go through a cybersecurity review by the cybersecurity review office if it seeks to be listed in a foreign country. The Company understands that as of the date of this report, the Group has no operations in Mainland China and is not required to complete filing procedures with the CSRC pursuant to the requirements of the Trial Measures. While the Group has no current operations in Mainland China, should we have any future operations in Mainland China and should we (i) fail to receive or maintain such permissions or approvals, (ii) inadvertently conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and require us to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, we may face sanctions by the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China (the "CAC") or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may also impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, as well as limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operations in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from our IPO or other offerings into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business as well as the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. We may be required to restructure our operations to comply with such regulations or potentially cease operations in the PRC entirely. The CSRC, the CAC or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt our future offerings before settlement and delivery of our Ordinary Shares. In addition, if the CSRC, the CAC or other regulatory PRC agencies later promulgate new rules requiring that we obtain their approvals for our offerings, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any action taken by the PRC government could significantly limit or completely hinder our operations in the PRC and our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. As of the date of this report, neither NCI nor any of our subsidiaries are required to obtain any permission or approval from Hong Kong authorities to operate our business. Based on management's internal assessment that the Company and its subsidiaries currently have no material operations in the PRC, the Management understands that as of the date of this report, the Company is not required to obtain any permissions or approvals from PRC authorities before listing in the U.S. and to issue our Ordinary Shares to foreign investors, including the CAC or the CSRC because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like our IPO are subject to this regulation; and (ii) the Company operates in Hong Kong and is not included in the categories of industries and companies whose foreign securities offerings are subject to review by the CSRC or the CAC. We also understand that NCA, Neo-Concept HK and Neo-Concept UK are not required to obtain any permissions or approvals from any Chinese authorities to operate their businesses as of the date of this report. No permissions or approvals have been applied for by the Company or denied by any relevant authorities. However, uncertainties still exist, due to the possibility that laws, regulations, or policies in the PRC could change rapidly in the future. In the event that (i) the PRC government expanded the categories of industries and companies whose foreign securities offerings are subject to review by the CSRC or the CAC that we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals; or (ii) we inadvertently concluded that relevant permissions or approvals were not required or that we did not receive or maintain relevant permissions or approvals required, any action taken by the PRC government could significantly limit or completely hinder our operations in Hong Kong and our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless.

Regulation - Risk 4

Our key operations are in Hong Kong. However, due to long arm provisions under the current PRC laws and regulations, the Chinese government may exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our Ordinary Shares. Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the Chinese government may also be quick with little advance notice and our assertions and beliefs of the risk imposed by the PRC legal and regulatory system cannot be certain.

NCI is a holding company, and we conduct our operations in Hong Kong through our operating subsidiary, Neo-Concept HK. As at the date of this report, we are not materially affected by recent statements by the Chinese Government indicating an intention to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. However, due to long arm provisions in the current PRC laws and regulations, there remains regulatory uncertainty with respect to the implementation and interpretation of laws in China as they may affect Hong Kong. The PRC government may choose to exercise additional oversight and discretion over Hong Kong, and the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the Chinese government to which we are subject may change rapidly with little advance notice to us or our shareholders. As a result, the application, interpretation, and enforcement of new and existing laws and regulations in the PRC and our assertions and beliefs of the risk imposed by the PRC legal and regulatory system are by their very nature uncertain. In addition, these PRC laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied inconsistently by different agencies or authorities, which may result in inconsistency with our current policies and practices. New laws, regulations, and other government directives in the PRC may also be costly to comply with, and such compliance or any associated inquiries or investigations or any other government actions may: - delay or impede our development;- result in negative publicity or increase our operating costs;- require significant management time and attention; and - subject us to remedies, administrative penalties and even criminal liabilities that may harm our business, including fines assessed for our current or historical operations, or demands or orders that we modify or even cease our business practices. We are aware that recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in certain areas in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using a VIE structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. Since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon the PRC legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond or what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, or what the potential impact that any such modified or new laws and regulations would have on our daily business operation, the ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. or other foreign exchange. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time and may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, which may result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our Ordinary Shares. The promulgation of new laws or regulations, or the new interpretation of existing laws and regulations, in each case, that restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact our ability to conduct our business could require us to change certain aspects of our business to ensure compliance, decrease demand for our services, reduce revenues, increase costs, require us to obtain more licenses, permits, approvals or certificates, or subject us to additional liabilities. To the extent any new or more stringent measures are implemented, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected, and the value of our Ordinary Shares could decrease or become worthless.

Regulation - Risk 5

The enactment of the Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the "Hong Kong National Security Law") could impact our Hong Kong subsidiary, which represents substantially all of our business.

On June 30, 2020, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People's Congress adopted the Hong Kong National Security Law. This law defines the duties and government bodies of the Hong Kong National Security Law for safeguarding national security and four categories of offenses - secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security - and their corresponding penalties. On July 14, 2020, the former U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, or HKAA, into law, authorizing the U.S. administration to impose blocking sanctions against individuals and entities who are determined to have materially contributed to the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy. On August 7, 2020, the U.S. government imposed HKAA-authorized sanctions on eleven individuals, including former HKSAR chief executive Carrie Lam. On October 14, 2020, the U.S. State Department submitted to relevant committees of Congress the report required under HKAA, identifying persons materially contributing to "the failure of the Government of China to meet its obligations under the Joint Declaration or the Basic Law." The HKAA further authorizes secondary sanctions, including the imposition of blocking sanctions, against foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct a significant transaction with foreign persons sanctioned under this authority. The imposition of sanctions may directly affect the foreign financial institutions as well as any third parties or customers dealing with any foreign financial institution that is targeted. It is difficult to predict the full impact of the Hong Kong National Security Law and HKAA on Hong Kong and companies located in Hong Kong, which represents substantially all of our business. If our subsidiaries are determined to be in violation of the Hong Kong National Security Law or the HKAA by competent authorities, our business operations, financial position, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Regulation - Risk 6

The recent joint statement by the SEC, proposed rule changes submitted by Nasdaq, and an act passed by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies. These developments could add uncertainties to our future offerings, business operations, share price and reputation.

U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China (including in Hong Kong) have been the subject of intense scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China, reiterating past SEC and PCAOB statements on matters including the difficulty associated with inspecting accounting firms and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets and the difficulty of bringing and enforcing SEC, Department of Justice and other U.S. regulatory actions, including in instances of fraud, in emerging markets generally. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCAA, which includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor's local jurisdiction. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HFCAA on December 2, 2020, and the HFCAA was signed into law on December 18, 2020. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, enacted on December 23, 2022, amending the HFCAA to require the SEC to prohibit an issuer's securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time before our Ordinary Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted. On May 21, 2021, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a "Restrictive Market", (ii) prohibit Restrictive Market companies from directly listing on Nasdaq Capital Market, and only permit them to list on Nasdaq Global Select or Nasdaq Global Market in connection with a direct listing and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company's auditors. As a result of these scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed Chinese companies sharply decreased in value and, in some cases, has become virtually worthless. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this sector-wide scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity will have on us, our future offerings, business and our share price. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend our company. This situation will be costly and time consuming and distract our management from developing our growth. If such allegations are not proven to be groundless, we and our business operations will be severely affected and you could sustain a significant decline in the value of our share.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 2.3%

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1

We or our Operating Subsidiaries may be subject to litigation, arbitration, or other legal proceeding risk.

We or our Operating Subsidiaries may be subject to arbitration claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of our business. As of the date of this report, neither we nor our Operating Subsidiaries are a party to, or are aware of any threat of, any legal proceeding that, in the opinion of our management, is likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operations. Actions brought against us may result in settlements, awards, injunctions, fines, penalties, and other results adverse to us. A substantial judgment, settlement, fine or penalty could be material to our operating results or cash flows for a particular period, depending on our results for that period, or could cause us significant reputational harm, which could harm our business prospects.

Environmental / Social1 | 2.3%

Environmental / Social - Risk 1

Global climate change and related legal and regulatory developments could negatively affect our business, results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition

The effects of climate change resulting from increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as droughts, heat waves, flooding, wildfires, increased storm severity, sea level rise, and power outages or shortages, particularly in certain regions in which we operate, may materially adversely impact our business. China, where a significant portion of our manufacturing operations are conducted through contract manufacturers, is presently undergoing the worst heat wave in 60 years while also contending with a prolonged drought drying up reservoirs and crippling hydropower stations. This has resulted in power shortages and factories having to cease or limit their production operations. While the Company has not experienced any disruptions in the operations of its contract manufactures, any such disruptions could have a material adverse effect on its business, operations, liquidity, and financial condition.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 8/44 (18%)Above Sector Average

Competition2 | 4.5%

Competition - Risk 1

We face keen competition from other players in the market.

The apparel supply chain services industry in Hong Kong and the apparel retail industry in the UK has a large number of participants, which makes the industry highly fragmented and competitive. We compete with other companies on the basis of service quality and pricing. Some of our competitors may have more variety of services, greater pricing flexibility, better in house technology, stronger brand recognition, longer operating history and a more established customer base. As a result, these competitors may have greater credibility with our potential customers in our target market segments. They may have greater resources to support their service and product offerings, such as better in-house technology infrastructure, stronger brand and pricing flexibility. Unless we remain competitive, we may face increasing pricing pressure and gradual loss of our orders and customers.

Competition - Risk 2

Our business is in direct competition with NCH, an affiliated company.

NCH also operates as a comprehensive apparel solutions services provider in North America and Europe principally. As such, NCH is in direct competition with our business in such regions. To address this, we entered into an Exclusive Territory and Non-Competition Agreement ("Agreement") with Neo-Concept (BVI) Limited, Ample Excellence Limited and Splendid Vibe Limited (collectively the "Parent Group"), the holding companies of NCH and other subsidiaries under the common control of our Controlling Shareholder. Under the Agreement we entered into with the Parent Group, we have agreed that during the non-competition period (which will end on the later of (1) two years after the first date when our Controlling Shareholder ceases to own in aggregate at least 20% of the voting power of our then outstanding securities and (2) the fifth anniversary of the completion of the Company's IPO) that the Parent Group and its subsidiaries, including NCH but excluding NCI Group) (the "Neo Concept Group"), will not compete with our Company in the businesses currently conducted by us through our Operating Subsidiaries in North America and Europe namely, in the businesses of apparel solution services in the UK, Europe and North America (the "Protected Territories") and retail sale of apparel products. However, since we are in the process of and have not yet obtained all of the certifications required by certain clients to guarantee that their raw material sourcing meets international standards we have agreed that the Neo Concept Group shall continue to service its existing portfolio of customers in the Protected Territories that require the additional certifications provided that once NCI Group obtains and provides documentation that the necessary certifications required by a Portfolio Customer have been secured, Neo Concept Group will use its best endeavors to transfer within 45 days the Portfolio Customers to NCI Group. In the event that Neo Concept Group is unable, unsuccessful or a Portfolio Customer is unwilling to transfer its account to NCI Group, then NCI Group shall be entitled to receive the economic benefit inuring to Neo Concept Group from that Portfolio Customer as measured by a royalty of 10% of all sales and services by Neo Concept Group to that Portfolio Customer. As of the date of this report, we have a total of twenty customers which we provide apparel solution services to, each of which are not current clients of NCH and are therefore protected under the terms of the Agreement. Under the terms of the Agreement, we retain the right to sell to any of NCH's existing portfolio of customers. However, so long as our Controlling Shareholder continue to control us, we may not be able to bring a legal claim against NCH in the event of contractual breach, notwithstanding our contractual rights under the Agreement described above and other inter-company transactions entered into from time to time.

Demand2 | 4.5%

Demand - Risk 1

We face risks associated with seasonal fluctuations in demand.

Our sales of finished garment products are generally highest from August to December, and we expect to continue to experience seasonal fluctuations. Therefore, our operating results for a certain period within a calendar year, or between any interim periods, may not correctly indicate our performance for the entire calendar year. Prospective investors should be aware of this seasonal fluctuation when making any comparison of our operating results.

Demand - Risk 2

We may be unable to timely and accurately respond to changes in fashion trends and consumer preferences.

We are a provider of one-stop apparel solution services, and we offer in-house product design services to our customers. We also engage in the retail sales of apparel products to consumers. We must stay abreast of emerging consumer preferences and anticipate product trends that will appeal to existing and potential consumers. We believe that our success is, to an important extent, attributable to the ability of our design and product development personnel to design apparel products that are responsive to changes in consumer preferences. Due to the highly subjective nature of the fashion trends and the rapid change in fashion trends for apparels as well as the preferences of our customers and consumers, we may be unable to capture or predict the future fashion trend and continue to develop appealing designs for our customers. If we fail to capture, predict, or respond timely to changes in market preferences and introduce appealing and commercially viable apparel designs in a timely manner, our customers may choose to work with our competitors with market-sensitive designs or purchase products from our competitors.

Sales & Marketing2 | 4.5%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

We rely on one major customer, and if we fail to attract new customers, retain existing customers, or maintain or increase sales to customers, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and growth prospects will be harmed.

We rely on one major customer which contributed approximately 71.3%, 91.4% and 94.5% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We do not have long-term agreements with any of our top five customers and their purchases are made on an order-by-order basis. Our business with our customers has been, and we expect it will continue to be, conducted based on the actual orders received from time to time. Our customers are not obligated in any way to continue placing orders with us at the same or increasing levels, or at all. Our customers level of demand for our apparel products may fluctuate significantly from period to period. Such fluctuation is attributable mainly to changes in customer demand, including their business strategies, operational needs, product portfolio and interpretation of fashion trends. The loss of our principal customer, or if we are unable to attract new customers or if our existing customers decrease their spending on the products we offer, fail to make repeat purchases of our products, will harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and growth prospects.

Sales & Marketing - Risk 2

We are exposed to credit risks of our customers.

We are exposed to credit risks of our customers. We do not have access to all the information necessary to form a comprehensive view on the creditworthiness. The complete financial and operational conditions of customers are not always available to us, and we may not be in any position to obtain such information. As a result, if any of our major customers experience any financial difficulty and fail to settle the outstanding amounts due to us in accordance with the agreed credit terms, our working capital position may be adversely affected.

Brand / Reputation2 | 4.5%

Brand / Reputation - Risk 1

Any negative publicity about our products or services could harm our business and reputation and could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

An integral part of our value is our reputation as a sustainable and ethical brand and our customers expect a high standard from our products and services. Our ability to maintain this value and the reputation of our business is key to our continued success. Despite our commitment to product innovation, quality, and sustainability and our continuing investment in design (including materials), and quality control, we cannot assure you that our suppliers and manufacturers will adhere to the same commitment. Negative publicity regarding our suppliers or manufacturers could also adversely affect our reputation and sales and could force us to identify and engage alternative suppliers or manufacturers. Any actions or any negative publicity about us may adversely affect consumer perception of our brand, our products and our services. Any incidents involving our company, our suppliers or manufacturers, or the products we sell, could erode the trust and confidence of our customers, and damage the strength of our brand, especially if such incidents result in adverse publicity, governmental investigations, product recalls or litigation.

Brand / Reputation - Risk 2

If we become subject to the recent scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed China-based companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and/or defend the matter which could harm our business operations, any future offerings and our reputation and could result in a loss of your investment in our ordinary shares, in particular if such matter cannot be addressed and resolved favorably.

During the last several years, U.S. listed public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies. Much of the scrutiny has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, lack of effective internal controls over financial reporting and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, the publicly traded stock of many U.S.-listed Chinese companies that have been the subject of such scrutiny has sharply decreased in value. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and/or SEC enforcement actions that are conducting internal and/or external investigations into the allegations. If we become the subject of any such scrutiny, whether any allegations are true or not, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend the Company. Such investigations or allegations would be costly and time-consuming and likely would distract our management from our normal business and could result in our reputation being harmed. Our stock price could decline because of such allegations, even if the allegations are false.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 5/44 (11%)Above Sector Average

Economy & Political Environment2 | 4.5%

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1

There are political risks associated with conducting business in Hong Kong.

Any adverse economic, social and/or political conditions, material social unrest, strike, riot, civil disturbance, or disobedience, as well as significant natural disasters, may affect the market may adversely affect the business operations of the Company. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the PRC and the basic policies of the PRC regarding Hong Kong are reflected in the Basic Law, namely, Hong Kong's constitutional document, which provides Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy and executive, legislative and independent judicial powers, including that of final adjudication under the principle of "one country, two systems". However, there is no assurance that there will not be any changes in the economic, political, and legal environment in Hong Kong in the future. Since our operation is based in Hong Kong, any change of such political arrangements may pose immediate threat to the stability of the economy in Hong Kong, thereby directly and adversely affecting our results of operations and financial positions. Under the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong is exclusively in charge of its internal affairs and external relations while the government of the PRC is responsible for its foreign affairs and defense. As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions. Based on certain recent development including the Hong Kong National Security Law issued by the Standing Committee of the PRC National People's Congress in June 2020, the U.S. State Department has indicated that the United States no longer considers Hong Kong to have significant autonomy from China and at the time President Trump signed an executive order and Hong Kong Autonomy Act, or HKAA, to remove Hong Kong's preferential trade status and to authorize the U.S. administration to impose blocking sanctions against individuals and entities who are determined to have materially contributed to the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy. The United States may impose the same tariffs and other trade restrictions on exports from Hong Kong that it places on goods from mainland China. These and other recent actions may represent an escalation in political and trade tensions involving the U.S., China, and Hong Kong, which could potentially harm our business. Given the relatively small geographical size of Hong Kong, any of such incidents may have a widespread effect on our business operations, which could in turn adversely and materially affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. It is difficult to predict the full impact of the HKAA on Hong Kong and companies with operations in Hong Kong like us. Furthermore, legislative, or administrative actions in respect of China-U.S. relations could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of our Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected.

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2

A severe or prolonged downturn in the global economy, whether caused by economic or political instability, could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The recent global market and economic crisis stemming from COVID-19 resulted in recessions occurring in most major economies. Continued concerns about the systemic impact of potential long-term and wide-spread recession, energy costs, geopolitical issues, sovereign debt issues, COVID-19 and new variants thereof and the availability and cost of credit have contributed to increased market volatility and diminished expectations for economic growth around the world. The difficult economic outlook has negatively affected businesses and consumer confidence and contributed to significant volatility. There is continuing uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies that have been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world's leading economies, including Hong Kong's. There have also been concerns over unrest in several geographic areas, which may result in significant market volatility. Any prolonged slowdown in the global and/or Hong Kong economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs. The business of our Operating Subsidiaries is substantially concentrated in North America where one customer in Canada accounted for approximately 71.3%, 91.4% and 94.5% of our revenues for the years ended December 31,2023, 2022 and 2021 and is therefore heavily dependent on the North American economy. Economic conditions in North America are sensitive to global economic conditions. If there is any significant decline in the North American economy and we are unable to generate business in other geographic locations, our revenue, profitability, and business prospects will be materially affected. Also, major market disruptions and adverse changes in market conditions and uncertainty in the regulatory climate worldwide may adversely affect our business and industry or impair our ability to borrow or make any future financial arrangements. The war in Ukraine has affected global economic markets, and the uncertain resolution of this conflict could result in protracted and/or severe damage to the global economy. Russia's military interventions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursion and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could affect our client's business and our business, even though we do not have any direct exposure to Russia or the adjoining geographic regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions, and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or resulting sanctions may magnify the impact of other risks described in this section. We cannot predict the progress or outcome of the situation in Ukraine, as the conflict and governmental reactions are rapidly developing and beyond their control. Prolonged unrest, intensified military activities, or more extensive sanctions impacting the region could have a material adverse effect on the global economy, and such effect could in turn have a material adverse effect on the operations, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and business outlook of our business.

Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 2.3%

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1

A sustained outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Since late December 2019, the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus, later named COVID-19, spread rapidly throughout China and later to the rest of the world. On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a PHEIC, and later on March 11, 2020, a global pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak has led governments across the globe to impose a series of measures intended to contain its spread, including border closures, travel bans, quarantine measures, social distancing, and restrictions on business operations and large gatherings. While the spread of COVID-19 was substantially controlled in 2021, several variants of COVID-19 have emerged in different parts of the world and restrictions were re-imposed from time to time in certain cities to combat sporadic outbreaks. For instance, in early 2022, there was an uptick in cases in Shanghai, China, caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. The outbreak in Shanghai spread to many other provinces and cities in China, where the contract manufacturers we use to produce all of our products are located. Travel restrictions and other limitations were imposed in various places across China in response to these new cases. Given the rapidly expanding nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that COVID-19 has impacted and will likely continue to impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition. This outbreak of COVID-19 has caused companies like us and our business partners to implement temporary adjustments to work schedules and travel plans, mandating employees to work from home and collaborate remotely. As a result, we may have experienced lower efficiency and productivity, internally and externally, which may adversely affect our service quality. Moreover, our business depends on our employees. If any of our employees has contracted or is suspected of having contracted COVID-19, these employees will be required to be quarantined and they could pass it to other of our employees, potentially resulting in severe disruption to our business. Furthermore, our results of operations have been severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Due to the instability of global financial markets and other economic and financial challenges brought about by COVID-19, our businesses and clients have been adversely affected by travel restrictions preventing travel from and to Hong Kong. More broadly, the COVID-19 outbreak threatens global economies and has caused significant market volatility and declines in general economic activities. This may have severely dampened the confidence in global markets and potential clients. Any future impact on our results of operations will depend on, to a large extent, future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by government authorities and other entities to contain the spread or treat its impact, almost all of which are beyond our control. Given the general slowdown in economic conditions globally, volatility in the capital markets as well as the general negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the apparel solutions services market, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the growth rate we have experienced or projected. We will continue to closely monitor the situation throughout 2023 and beyond.

Capital Markets2 | 4.5%

Capital Markets - Risk 1

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

Our revenues and expenses will be denominated predominantly in Hong Kong dollars. Although the exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar to the U.S. dollar has been pegged since 1983, we cannot assure you that the Hong Kong dollar will remain pegged to the U.S. dollar. Any significant fluctuations in the exchange rates between Hong Kong dollars to U.S. dollars may have a material adverse effect on our revenue and financial condition. We have not used any forward contracts, futures, swaps or currency borrowings to hedge our exposure to foreign currency risk.

Capital Markets - Risk 2

Changes in international trade policies, trade disputes, barriers to trade, or the emergence of a trade war may dampen growth in markets where the majority of our customers reside.

Political events, international trade disputes, and other business interruptions could harm or disrupt international commerce and the global economy and could have a material adverse effect on us and our customers, our service providers, and our other partners. International trade disputes could result in tariffs and other protectionist measures which may materially and adversely affect our business. Tariffs could increase the cost of the services and products which could affect customers' investment decisions. In addition, political uncertainty surrounding international trade disputes and the potential of their escalation to trade war and global recession could have a negative effect on customer confidence, which could materially and adversely affect our business. We may have also access to fewer business opportunities, and our operations may be negatively impacted as a result. In addition, the current and future actions, or escalations by either the United States or China that affect trade relations may cause global economic turmoil and potentially have a negative impact on our markets, our business, or our results of operations, as well as the financial condition of our clients, and we cannot provide any assurances as to whether such actions will occur or the form that they may take.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 3/44 (7%)Below Sector Average

Trade Secrets1 | 2.3%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

We cannot guarantee that our right to use the brand "les 100 ciels" trademark will not be revoked and the loss of or our failure to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

We are currently licensed to use the brand name "les 100 ciels" trademark from affiliate companies of our Controlling Shareholder under a fixed term license agreement valid until December 31, 2026, with an option to renew for a further period of five years. However, we cannot guarantee that such license would not be revoked in the future and the loss of such licenses or inability to use these brands would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations. In addition, intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in the countries in which we operate where laws or law enforcement practices may not protect our intellectual property rights as fully as in the United States, and it may be more difficult for us to successfully challenge the use of our intellectual property rights by other parties in these countries. For instance, some of our trademark or trade dress applications may not be approved by the applicable governmental authorities because they are determined to lack sufficient distinctiveness, and, even if approved, may be challenged by third parties for this same reason. If we fail to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could be diminished, and our competitive position may suffer.

Technology2 | 4.5%

Technology - Risk 1

Our services depend on the reliability of computer systems maintained by us and our outsourcing vendors and the ability to implement, maintain and upgrade our information technology and security measures.

Our services depend on the reliability of computer systems maintained by us and our outsourcing vendors to operate efficiently and reliably at all times. Certain emergencies or contingencies could occur, such as a natural disaster or a significant power outage, which could temporarily shut down our facilities and computer systems. Further, our Operating Subsidiaries' servers may be subject to computer viruses, hacking, vandalism, physical or electronic break-ins and other disruptions, which could lead to a loss of data. In addition, if the technological and operational platforms and capabilities become outdated, we will be at a disadvantage when competing with our competitors. In addition, our failure to back up our data and information in a timely manner may cause material disruption of our business operation and may therefore adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Technology - Risk 2

Our internal control system may become ineffective or inadequate.

We rely on our internal control system to ensure effective business operations. We have established, maintained and relied on an internal control system comprising a series of policies and procedures. There is no assurance that the internal control system in place will prove at all times adequate and effective to deal with all the possible risks given the fast changing financial and regulatory environment in which we operate. We cannot assure that our internal control system has no deficiencies or inherent limitations, or that it can fully prevent us from our employee misconduct. Such deficiencies or inherent limitations may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?

Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.

They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.

It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.

How do companies disclose their risk factors?

Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.

Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.

Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.

According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.

How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?

Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.

You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.

Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.

A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.

What are all the risk factor categories?

TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.

1. Financial & Corporate

Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.

2. Legal & Regulatory

Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.

3. Production

Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.

4. Technology & Innovation

Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.

5. Ability to Sell

Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.

6. Macro & Political

Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.