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.

PaySign disclosed 28 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. PaySign reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution

39% Finance & Corporate

21% Tech & Innovation

14% Legal & Regulatory

14% Production

7% Ability to Sell

4% Macro & Political

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

2020

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

PaySign 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

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

1Risks added

1Risks removed

0Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

1Risks added

1Risks removed

0Risks changed

Since Dec 2023

Number of Risk Changed

-2

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

-2

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

See the risk highlights of PaySign 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 28

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 11/28 (39%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights5 | 17.9%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

Additional equity or debt financing may be dilutive to existing stockholders or impose terms that are unfavorable to us or our existing stockholders.

We may raise capital in order to provide working capital for our expansion into other products and services using our payments platform. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders will experience dilution. Debt financing, if available, may involve arrangements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Any debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms, such as liquidation and other preferences that are not favorable to us or our current stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies and products or grant unfavorable license terms.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

Our stock price is volatile and you may not be able to sell your shares at a price higher than what was paid.

The market for our common stock is highly volatile. In 2023, our stock price fluctuated between $1.69 and $3.98. The trading price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to, among other things, quarterly variations in operating and financial results, announcements of technological innovations or new products by our competitors or us, changes in prices of our products and services or our competitors' products and services, changes in product mix, or changes in our revenue and revenue growth rates.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3

If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they publish negative evaluations of our common stock, the trading price of our common stock could decline.

We expect that the trading price for our common stock will be affected by any research or reports that securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who may elect to cover us or our business downgrade their evaluations of our common stock, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the market for our common stock, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4

Concentration of ownership among our existing directors, executive officers and principal stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.

Our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5% of our total shares of common stock outstanding and their respective affiliates, in the aggregate, beneficially own, as of March 22, 2023, approximately 52% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders will be able to exercise a controlling influence over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, and will have significant influence over our management and policies for the foreseeable future. Some of these persons or entities may have interests that are different from yours. For example, these stockholders may support proposals and actions with which you may disagree or which are not in your interests. The concentration of ownership could delay or prevent a change in control of our company or otherwise discourage a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of our company, which in turn could reduce the price of our common stock. In addition, these stockholders, some of which have representatives sitting on our board of directors (the "Board"), could use their voting control to maintain our existing management and directors in office, delay or prevent changes of control of our company, or support or reject other management and Board proposals that are subject to stockholder approval, such as amendments to our employee stock plans and approvals of significant financing transactions.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5

Our stock price could decline due to the large number of outstanding shares of our common stock eligible for future sale.

We have 52,968,374 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 22, 2023, assuming no exercise of outstanding options or unvested restricted stock awards. None of the shares of common stock are subject to any lock-up agreements, and all are eligible for sale, subject to registration under the Securities Act and in some cases to volume and other restrictions imposed by Rule 144. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or even the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. These sales could also make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 14.3%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

We incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company. We may not have sufficient personnel for our financial reporting responsibilities, which may result in the untimely close of our books and records and delays in the preparation of financial statements and related disclosures.

As a registered public company, we have experienced an increase in legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), as well as new rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, has imposed various requirements on public companies, including requiring changes in corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations have increased our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, three putative class action lawsuits were filed against us, which could require our management to devote significant time to defending. See "Item 3. Legal Proceedings" for additional information. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify additional deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC and other regulatory authorities.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

Our operating results may fluctuate in the future, which could cause our stock price to decline.

Our quarterly and annual results of operations may fluctuate in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. If our results of operations fall below the expectations of investors or any securities analysts who follow our common stock, the trading price of our common stock could decline substantially. Fluctuations in our quarterly or annual results of operations may be due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to: - the timing and volume of purchases, use and reloads of our prepaid cards and related products and services;- the timing and success of new product or service introductions by us or our competitors;- seasonality in the purchase or use of our products and services;- reductions in the level of interchange rates that can be charged;- fluctuations in customer retention rates;- changes in the mix of products and services that we sell;- changes in the mix of retail distributors through which we sell our products and services;- the timing of commencement, renegotiation or termination of relationships with significant third-party service providers;- changes in our or our competitors' pricing policies or sales terms;- the timing of commencement and termination of major advertising campaigns;- the timing of costs related to the development or acquisition of complementary businesses;- the timing of costs of any major litigation to which we are a party;- the amount and timing of operating costs related to the maintenance and expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;- our ability to control costs, including third-party service provider costs;- volatility in the trading price of our common stock, which may lead to higher stock-based compensation expenses or fluctuations in the valuations of vesting equity; and - changes in the regulatory environment affecting the banking or electronic payments industries generally or prepaid financial services specifically.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain any earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, you will likely receive a return on your investment in our common stock only if the market price of our common stock increases.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4

We may have deficiencies or weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner, decrease investor confidence in our Company, and reduce the value of our common stock.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act and based upon the criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Management is also responsible for reporting on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Deficiencies or weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that are not promptly identified and remediated may adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner, decrease investor confidence in our Company, and reduce the value of our common stock. Although we believe we have taken appropriate actions to remediate previously reported control deficiencies that we have identified and to strengthen our internal control over financial reporting, we cannot assure you that we will not discover other deficiencies or weaknesses in the future.

Debt & Financing1 | 3.6%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

The soundness of other institutions and companies could adversely affect us.

Our ability to engage in loading and purchasing transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and failure of other institutions and companies, our card issuing banks and distributors that carry our prepaid card products. As such, we have exposure to many different industries and counterparties. As a result, defaults by, or even questions or rumors about, one or more of these institutions or companies could lead to losses or defaults by us or other institutions. Losses related to these defaults or failures could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Corporate Activity and Growth1 | 3.6%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

We may be unable to grow our business in future periods, and if our revenue growth slows, or our revenues decline further, our business and financial conditions could be adversely affected.

Our growth rates may decline in the future. There can be no assurance that we will be able to grow our business in future periods. In the near term, our growth depends in significant part on our ability, among other things, to enter new markets and to continue to attract new clients, and to retain our current clientele. Our growth also depends on our ability to develop and market other prepaid card products that can utilize the Paysign platform. As the prepaid financial services industry continues to develop, our competitors may be able to offer products and services that are, or that are perceived to be, substantially similar to or better than ours. This may force us to compete on the basis of price and to expend significant marketing, product development and other resources in order to remain competitive. Even if we are successful at increasing our operating revenues through our various initiatives and strategies, we will experience an inevitable decline in growth rates as our operating revenues increase to higher levels and we may also experience a decline in margins. If our operating revenue growth rates slow materially or decline, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 6/28 (21%)Above Sector Average

Innovation / R&D1 | 3.6%

Innovation / R&D - Risk 1

If we do not respond to rapid technological change or changes in industry standards, our products and services could become obsolete and we could lose our customers.

If competitors introduce new products and services, or if new industry standards and practices emerge, our existing product and service offerings, technology and systems may become obsolete. Further, if we fail to adopt or develop new technologies or to adapt our products and services to emerging industry standards, we may lose current and future customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The electronic commerce industry is changing rapidly. To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the functionality and features of our products, services and technologies.

Trade Secrets1 | 3.6%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

We may not be able to successfully manage our intellectual property or may be subject to infringement claims.

In the rapidly developing legal framework, we rely on a combination of contractual rights and copyright, trademark and trade secret laws to establish and protect our proprietary technology. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property or may develop software or technology competitive to us. Our competitors may independently develop similar technology, duplicate our products or services or design around our intellectual property rights. We may have to litigate to enforce and protect our intellectual property rights, trade secrets and know-how or to determine their scope, validity or enforceability, which is expensive and could cause a diversion of resources and may not prove successful. The loss of intellectual property protection or the inability to secure or enforce intellectual property protection could harm our business and ability to compete. We may also be subject to costly litigation in the event our products and technology infringe upon another party's proprietary rights. Third parties may have, or may eventually be issued, patents that would be infringed by our products or technology. Any of these third parties could make a claim of infringement against us with respect to our products or technology. We may also be subject to claims by third parties for breach of copyright, trademark or license usage rights. Any such claims and any resulting litigation could subject us to significant liability for damages. An adverse determination in any litigation of this type could require us to design around a third party's patent or to license alternative technology from another party. In addition, litigation is time consuming and expensive to defend and could result in the diversion of the time and attention of our management and employees. Any claim from third parties may result in limitations on our ability to use the intellectual property subject to these claims. As of the date of this filing, we had not received any notice or claim of infringement from any party.

Cyber Security2 | 7.1%

Cyber Security - Risk 1

A data security breach could expose us to liability and protracted and costly litigation, and could adversely affect our reputation and operating results.

We, the banks that issue our cards and our third-party service providers receive, transmit and store confidential customer and other information in connection with our products and services. The encryption software and the other technologies we and our partners use to provide security for storage, processing and transmission of confidential customer and other information may not be effective to protect against data security breaches. The risk of unauthorized circumvention of our security measures has been heightened by advances in computer capabilities and the increasing sophistication of hackers. The banks that issue our cards, our clients and our third-party service providers also may experience similar security breaches involving the receipt, transmission and storage of our confidential customer and other information. Improper access to our or these third parties' systems or databases could result in the theft, publication, deletion or modification of confidential customer and other information. A data security breach of the systems on which sensitive cardholder data and account information are stored could lead to fraudulent activity involving our products and services, reputational damage and claims or regulatory actions against us. If we are sued in connection with any data security breach, we could be involved in protracted and costly litigation. If unsuccessful in defending that litigation, we might be forced to pay damages and/or change our business practices or pricing structure, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating revenues and profitability. We would also likely have to pay (or indemnify the banks that issue our cards for) fines, penalties and/or other assessments imposed by card networks as a result of any data security breach. Further, a significant data security breach could lead to additional regulation, which could impose new and costly compliance obligations. In addition, a data security breach at one of the banks that issue our cards or our third-party service providers could result in significant reputational harm to us and cause the use and acceptance of our cards to decline, either of which could have a significant adverse impact on our operating results and future growth prospects.

Cyber Security - Risk 2

Security and privacy breaches of our electronic transactions may damage customer relations and inhibit our growth.

Any failures in our security and privacy measures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Certain products we offer require that we store personal information, including birth dates, addresses, bank account numbers, credit card information, social security numbers and merchant account numbers. If we are unable to protect this information, or if consumers perceive that we are unable to protect this information, our business and the growth of the electronic commerce market in general could be materially adversely affected. A security or privacy breach may: - cause our customers to lose confidence in our services;- deter consumers from using our services;- harm our reputation;- require that we expend significant additional resources related to our information security systems and could result in a disruption of our operations;- expose us to liability;- increase expenses related to remediation costs; and - decrease market acceptance of electronic commerce transactions and prepaid use. Although management believes that we have utilized proven systems designed for robust data security and integrity in electronic transactions, our use of these applications may be insufficient to address changing technological or market conditions and the security and privacy concerns of existing and potential customers.

Technology2 | 7.1%

Technology - Risk 1

Internal processing errors could result in our failing to appropriately reflect transactions in customer accounts.

In the event of a system failure that goes undetected for a substantial period of time, we could allow transactions on blocked accounts, confirm false authorizations, fail to deduct charges from accounts or fail to detect systematic fraud or abuse. Errors or failures of this nature could adversely impact our operations, our credibility and our financial standing.

Technology - Risk 2

Our business is dependent on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of computer network systems and data centers.

Our ability to provide reliable service to our clients and cardholders depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer network systems and data centers as well as those of our third-party service providers. Our business involves movement of large sums of money, processing of large numbers of transactions and management of the data necessary to do both. Our success depends upon the efficient and error-free handling of the money. We rely on the ability of our employees, systems and processes and those of the banks that issue our cards, our third-party service providers to process and facilitate these transactions in an efficient, uninterrupted and error-free manner. In the event of a breakdown, a catastrophic event (such as fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure or physical break-in), a security breach or malicious attack, an improper operation or any other event impacting our systems or processes, or those of our vendors, or an improper action by our employees, agents or third-party vendors, we could suffer financial loss, loss of customers, regulatory sanctions and damage to our reputation. The measures we have taken, including the implementation of disaster recovery plans and redundant computer systems, may not be successful, and we may experience other problems unrelated to system failures. We may also experience software defects, development delays and installation difficulties, any of which could harm our business and reputation and expose us to potential liability and increased operating expenses.

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 4/28 (14%)Below Sector Average

Regulation4 | 14.3%

Regulation - Risk 1

Changes in the Bank Secrecy Act and/or the USA PATRIOT Act could impede our ability to circulate cards that can be easily loaded or issued.

Our current compliance program and screening process for the distribution and/or sale of prepaid card products is designed to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act ("BSA") and the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (the "USA PATRIOT Act"). These regulations require financial institutions to obtain and confirm information related to their respective cardholders. If the BSA and/or the USA PATRIOT Act or subsequent legislation increases the level of scrutiny that we must apply to our cardholders and customers, it may be costly or impractical for us to continue to profitably issue and load cards for our customers.

Regulation - Risk 2

Changes in credit card association or other network rules or standards set by Visa and MasterCard, or changes in card association and debit network fees or products or interchange rates, could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

We and the banks that issue our cards are subject to Visa, Interlink, Plus, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus, Discover and Pulse association rules that could subject us to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by the card networks for acts or omissions by us or businesses that work with us. The termination of the card association registrations held by us or any of the banks that issue our cards or any changes in card association or other debit network rules or standards, including interpretation and implementation of existing rules or standards, that increase the cost of doing business or limit our ability to provide our products and services could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, from time to time, card networks increase the organization and/or processing fees that they charge, which could increase our operating expenses, reduce our profit margin and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. For example, a portion of our operating revenues is derived from interchange fees (i.e., transaction fees paid by the merchant). The amount of interchange revenues that we earn is highly dependent on the interchange rates that the card networks set and adjust from time to time. Interchange rates for certain products and certain issuing banks declined significantly as a result of the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Bill. If interchange rates decline further, whether due to actions by the card networks or future legislation or regulation, we would likely need to change our fee structure to compensate for lost interchange revenues. To the extent we increase the pricing of our products and services, we might find it more difficult to acquire consumers and to maintain or grow card usage and customer retention. We also might have to discontinue certain products or services. As a result, our operating revenues, operating results, prospects for future growth and overall business could be materially and adversely affected.

Regulation - Risk 3

We operate in a highly regulated environment, and failure by us or business partners to comply with applicable laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.

We operate in a highly regulated environment, and failure by us or our business partners to comply with the laws and regulations to which we are subject could negatively impact our business. We are subject to a wide range of federal and other state laws and regulations, which are described under "Business – Regulations" above. In particular, our products and services are subject to an increasingly strict set of legal and regulatory requirements intended to protect consumers and to help detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other illicit activities. Many of these laws and regulations are evolving, unclear and inconsistent across various jurisdictions, and ensuring compliance with them is difficult and costly. For example, with increasing frequency, federal and state regulators are holding businesses like ours to higher standards of training, monitoring and compliance, including monitoring for possible violations of laws by the businesses that participate in our reload network. Failure by us or those businesses to comply with the laws and regulations to which we are subject could result in fines, penalties or limitations on our ability to conduct our business, or federal or state actions, any of which could significantly harm our reputation with consumers and other network participants, banks that issue our cards and regulators, and could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Regulation - Risk 4

Changes in the laws, regulations, credit card association rules or other industry standards affecting our business may impose costly compliance burdens and negatively impact our business.

There may be changes in the laws, regulations, card association rules or other industry standards that affect our operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. Changes to statutes, regulations or industry standards, including interpretation and implementation of statutes, regulations or standards, could increase the cost of doing business or affect the competitive balance. For example, more stringent anti-money laundering regulations could require the collection and verification of more information from our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Regulation of the payments industry has increased significantly in recent years. Additional regulatory changes may require us to incur significant expenses to redevelop our products. Also, failure to comply with laws, rules and regulations or standards to which we are subject, including with respect to privacy and data use and security, could result in fines, sanctions or other penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations, as well as damage our reputation.

Production

Total Risks: 4/28 (14%)Below Sector Average

Employment / Personnel2 | 7.1%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

We depend on key personnel and could be harmed by the loss of their services because of the limited number of qualified people in our industry.

Because of our small size, we require the continued service and performance of our management team, sales and technology employees, all of whom we consider to be key employees. Competition for highly qualified employees in the financial services and healthcare industry is intense. Our success will depend to a significant degree upon our ability to attract, train, and retain highly skilled directors, officers, management, business, financial, legal, marketing, sales, and technical personnel and upon the continued contributions of such people. In addition, we may not be able to retain our current key employees. The loss of the services of one or more of our key personnel and our failure to attract additional highly qualified personnel could impair our ability to expand our operations and provide service to our customers.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 2

Our future success depends on our ability to attract, develop, incentivize and retain key personnel.

Our future success depends, to a significant extent, on our ability to attract, develop, incentivize and retain key personnel, namely our management team and experienced sales, marketing and program and technology personnel. We must motivate and retain existing personnel and also attract, source, hire, develop and retain highly-qualified employees. We may experience difficulty fully integrating our newly-hired personnel, which may adversely affect our business. Competition for qualified management, sales, marketing and program and technology personnel can be intense. Competitors have in the past and may in the future attempt to recruit our top management and employees. If we fail to attract, integrate, incentivize and retain key personnel, our ability to manage and grow our business could be harmed.

Supply Chain2 | 7.1%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

We rely on relationships with card issuing banks to conduct our business, and our results of operations and financial position could be materially and adversely affected if we fail to maintain these relationships or we maintain them under new terms that are less favorable to us.

Our relationships with various banks are currently, and will be for the foreseeable future, a critical component of our ability to conduct our business and to maintain our revenue and expense structure, because we are currently unable to issue our own cards. If we lose or do not maintain existing banking relationships, we would incur significant switching and other costs and expenses and we and users of our products and services could be significantly affected, creating contingent liabilities for us. As a result, the failure to maintain adequate banking relationships could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our agreement with the bank that issues our cards provide for cost and expense allocations between the parties. Changes in the costs and expenses that we have to bear under these relationships could have a material impact on our operating expenses. In addition, we may be unable to maintain adequate banking relationships or renew our agreements with the banks that currently issue our cards under terms at least as favorable to us as those existing before renewal.

Supply Chain - Risk 2

We receive important services from third-party vendors, and replacing them could entail unexpected integration costs.

Some services relating to our business, including network connectivity and gateway services are outsourced to third-party vendors. All of our vendors could be replaced with competitors if our vendor terminated our contract or went out of business. However, in some cases replacing a vendor would entail one-time integration costs to connect our systems to the successor's systems, and could result in less advantageous contract terms for the same service, which could adversely affect our profitability.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 2/28 (7%)Below Sector Average

Competition1 | 3.6%

Competition - Risk 1

The industry in which we compete is highly competitive, which could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We believe that our existing competitors have longer operating histories, are substantially larger than we are, may already have or could develop substantially greater financial and other resources than we have, may offer, develop or introduce a wider range of programs and services than we offer or may use more effective advertising and marketing strategies than we do to achieve broader brand recognition, customer awareness and retail penetration. We may also face price competition that results in decreases in the purchase and use of our products and services. To stay competitive, we may have to increase the incentives that we offer to our marketing partners and decrease the prices of our products and services, which could adversely affect our operating results.

Sales & Marketing1 | 3.6%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

The market for electronic commerce services is evolving and may not continue to develop or grow rapidly enough for us to maintain profitability.

If the number of electronic commerce transactions does not continue to grow or if consumers or businesses do not continue as projected to adopt our products and services, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Management believes future growth in the electronic commerce market will be driven by the cost, convenience, ease of use and quality of products and services offered to consumers and businesses. In order to maintain our profitability, consumers and businesses must continue to adopt our products and services.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 1/28 (4%)Below Sector Average

Economy & Political Environment1 | 3.6%

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1

Added

Global and regional economic conditions could harm our business.

Adverse global and regional economic conditions such as turmoil affecting the banking system and financial markets, including, but not limited to, tightening in the credit markets, extreme volatility or distress in the financial markets (including the fixed income, credit, currency, equity, and commodity markets), higher unemployment, high consumer debt levels, recessionary or inflationary pressures, supply chain issues, reduced consumer confidence or economic activity, government fiscal and tax policies, U.S. and international trade relationships, agreements, treaties, tariffs and restrictive actions, the inability of a government to enact a budget in a fiscal year, government shutdowns, government austerity programs, and other negative financial news or macroeconomic developments could have a material adverse impact on the demand for our products and services, including a reduction in the volume and size of transactions on our payments platform. Additionally, an inability to access the capital markets when needed due to volatility or illiquidity in the markets or increased regulatory liquidity and capital requirements may strain our liquidity position.

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.

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