Tradeweb Markets (TW) Risk Analysis

We are from time to time involved in various litigation matters and claims, including lawsuits regarding employment matters, breach of contract matters and other business and commercial matters. See Part I, Item 3. – "Legal Proceedings." Many aspects of our business, and the businesses of our clients, involve substantial risks of liability. These risks include, among others, disputes over the terms of a trade and claims that a system failure or delay caused monetary loss to a client or that an unauthorized trade occurred. Although we carry insurance that may limit our risk of damages in some matters, we may still sustain uncovered losses or losses in excess of available insurance, and we could incur significant legal expenses defending claims, even those without merit. Due to the uncertain nature of the litigation process, it is not possible to predict with certainty the outcome of any particular litigation matter or claim, and we could in the future incur judgments or enter into settlements that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The ultimate outcome of litigation matters and claims against us may require us to change or cease certain operations and may result in higher operating costs. An adverse resolution of any litigation matter or claim could cause damage to our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our stock price may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management's attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

Certain types of information we collect, compile, store, use, transfer and/or publish are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection and information security. These laws, rules and regulations govern the storing, sharing, use, processing, transfer, disclosure and protection of personal information and other content. The scope of these laws, rules and regulations is changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions or conflict with other laws, rules or regulations. We are also subject to the terms of our privacy policies and obligations to third parties related to applicable privacy, data protection and information security. The regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and information security worldwide is uncertain, and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, and we expect that there will continue to be new laws, rules regulations and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection and information security proposed and enacted in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, in the EEA, the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") imposes more stringent EU data protection requirements for entities using, processing, and transferring personal data and provides for significant penalties for noncompliance. The GDPR prohibits the transfer of personal data to countries outside of the European Union/EEA (including the U.S.) that are not considered by the European Commission to provide an adequate level of data protection, except if the data controller meets very specific requirements, including, for example, use of standard contractual clauses ("SCCs"), issued by the European Commission, or certification by the data importer under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The SCCs impose obligations on companies relating to cross-border personal data transfers, including, for example, depending on a party's role in the transfer, implementation of additional security measures and to update internal privacy practices. We rely on a mixture of mechanisms to transfer personal data from our EU business to the U.S. and we evaluate what additional mechanisms may be required to establish adequate safeguards for personal information. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal information export mechanisms, including circumstances where the SCCs cannot be used and/or broaden their enforcement activities, we could incur substantial costs and/or regulatory investigations or fines. We are also subject to the GDPR as incorporated into United Kingdom law ("UK GDPR"). Following Brexit, the European Commission adopted a UK adequacy decision in June 2021 which organizations can rely on for EEA to UK personal data transfers. This decision will automatically expire four years after its entry into force, but it might be renewed provided the UK maintains an adequate level of data protection. In recent years, the UK government has introduced proposed legislation intended to create a more business-friendly regime in the UK through changes to data protection legislation. At this stage, it is unclear whether and when changes to the legislation will be adopted and whether such legislative reforms could potentially lead the European Commission to not extend or to revoke the UK adequacy decision. Outside of Europe and the UK, several other countries in which we operate, including China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia have established specific legal requirements for privacy, data protection and information security, including data localization and/or cross-border transfer restrictions. If we are otherwise unable to transfer personal information between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services and could adversely affect our financial results. Moreover, any changes to these laws may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses to comply. We are also subject to evolving EU and UK privacy laws on cookies, tracking technologies and e-marketing. Recent European court and regulator decisions are continuing to drive increased attention to use of cookies and tracking technologies on websites and digital platforms. If the trend of increasing enforcement by regulators of the strict approach to opt-in consent for all but essential use cases continues, this could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, divert the attention of our technology personnel, adversely affect our margins, and subject us to additional liabilities. In light of the complex and evolving nature of EU, EU Member State and UK privacy laws on cookies and tracking technologies, it may prove to be a significant challenge to comply with such laws. There has also been increased regulation of data privacy and security in the U.S. at the state level. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), which came into force in 2020, broadly defines personal information and California "consumers" to whom the law applies, and gives California residents expanded data privacy rights and protections to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing, and receive detailed information about how their personal data is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations and a private right of action for data breaches. In addition, the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA"), which took effect on January 1, 2023, significantly expanded the CCPA. Among other changes, the CPRA introduced additional obligations such as data minimization and storage limitations; established a dedicated privacy regulator in California, the California Privacy Protection Agency, to implement and enforce the law; and granted additional rights to consumers, such as correction of personal information and additional opt-out rights with respect to a new category of "sensitive information." The CCPA marked the beginning of a trend toward more stringent state data privacy legislation in the U.S., which may result in significant costs to our business, damage our reputation, require us to amend our business practices, and could adversely affect our business, especially to the extent the specific requirements vary from those and other existing laws. For example, comprehensive privacy laws in multiple U.S. states have gone, or will go, into effect between 2024 and 2026, and a number of other states are considering similar laws related to the protection of consumer personal information. In addition, many jurisdictions have also enacted or are considering laws requiring companies to notify individuals and/or regulators of data security breaches involving their personal data. The SEC also has recently adopted amendments to Regulation S-P (the privacy regulation applicable to certain financial institutions, including broker-dealers) that will expand the scope of the regulation and mandate notification to clients and customers in the event of privacy breaches. These mandatory notifications are costly to implement and often lead to widespread negative publicity, which may cause our clients to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our cybersecurity measures. Any inability, or perceived inability, by us or third parties on which we rely to comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, industry standards and guidance, contractual obligations, or other legal obligations requiring notification could result in litigation, regulatory investigations, fines and penalties, enforcement actions, increased costs to us and significant legal and financial exposure and/or reputational harm. Our efforts to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws, rules and regulations could entail substantial expenses, may divert resources from other initiatives and could impact our ability to provide certain solutions. Additionally, if our third-party providers violate any of these laws or regulations, such violations may also put our operations at risk. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with any of our obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims or negative publicity and could result in significant liability, increased costs or cause our clients to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation and business.

The operation of our electronic trading platforms relies on the secure processing, storage and transmission of a large amount of transactional data and other confidential sensitive data. Because of our reliance on technology (including through our use of third-party service providers), we are susceptible to various cyber-threats to our systems, networks and infrastructure, in particular those that power our platforms and solutions. Similar to other financial services companies that provide services online, we have experienced, and likely will continue to experience, cyber threats, cyber attacks and attempted security breaches. Cyber threats and cyber attacks vary in technique and sources, are persistent, frequently change and have become more sophisticated, targeted and difficult to detect and prevent against. These threats and attacks may come from external sources such as governments, crime organizations, hackers and other third parties or may originate internally from an employee or a third-party service provider, and can include unauthorized attempts to access, disable, interrupt, improperly modify or degrade our information, systems, networks and infrastructure or the introduction of computer viruses, ransomware, malware, and other malicious codes and fraudulent "phishing" emails or other forms of social engineering that seek to misappropriate data and information. Due to political uncertainty in certain regions, we, like other financial services companies, may be subject to a heightened risk of such attacks from nation-state and affiliated actors, including attacks that could materially disrupt our systems, operations and platforms. In addition, our expansion into new markets, client sectors and geographies, as well as our activity in the digital asset space, exposes us to new and different risks. See "-Risks Relating to our Growth Strategies and other Strategic Opportunities" and "-Cryptocurrency and other digital assets are an emerging asset class that carries unique risk, including the risk of financial loss" for further information. While we maintain insurance coverage that is designed to address certain aspects of cyber risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise in the event we experience a cybersecurity incident, data breach, disruption, unauthorized access, interruption, significant delay, failure or malfunction in our systems, networks, infrastructure and other operations, affecting, in particular, our platforms and solutions, which could result in reputational damage, financial losses, client dissatisfaction, regulatory enforcement actions, fines and penalties and/or private litigation. While we have dedicated personnel who are responsible for maintaining our cybersecurity program and training our employees on cybersecurity, and while we utilize third-party technology products and services to help identify, protect and remediate our systems, networks and infrastructure, such measures and security controls may not be adequate or effective to prevent, detect or mitigate a cyber attack, security breach, data breach, disruption, unauthorized access, interruption, significant delay, failure or malfunction. We are also dependent on security measures, if any, that our third-party service providers and clients take to protect their own systems, networks and infrastructures. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems, networks and infrastructures change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we, our third-party service providers or our clients may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate defensive measures or security controls. Additionally, we may be required in the future to incur significant costs to continue to minimize, mitigate against or alleviate the effects of cyber attacks, security and data breaches or other security vulnerabilities and to protect against damage caused by such events. There have been an increasing number of cyber attacks in recent years in various industries, including ours, and cybersecurity risk management has been the subject of increasing focus by U.S. and foreign regulators. See Part I, Item 1C. – "Cybersecurity – Governance" for further detail regarding our cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance structure. As regulatory focus increases, we may be required to devote significant additional financial, operational and technical resources to modify and enhance our defensive measures and security controls and to identify and remediate any security vulnerabilities. In addition, any adverse regulatory actions that may result from a cybersecurity incident or a finding that we have inadequate defensive measures and security controls, could result in regulatory enforcement actions, fines and penalties, private litigation and/or reputational harm. Although we have not been a victim of a cyber attack or other cybersecurity incident that has had a material impact on our operations or financial condition, we have from time to time experienced cybersecurity incidents, including attempted denial of service attacks, malware infections, phishing, subversion of internal security controls and other information technology incidents that are typical for an electronic financial services company of our size. If an actual, threatened or perceived cyber attack or breach of our security occurs, our clients could lose confidence in our security measures and the reliability of our platforms and solutions, which would materially harm our ability to retain existing clients and gain new clients. As a result of any such attack or breach, we may be required to expend significant resources to repair system, network or infrastructure damage and to protect against the threat of future cyber attacks or security breaches. We could also face litigation or other claims from impacted individuals as well as substantial regulatory sanctions or fines. In addition, we rely on third-parties to provide certain services, including technology services, to us. Please see "-We rely on third parties to perform certain key functions, and their failure to perform those functions could result in the interruption of our operations and systems and could result in significant costs and reputational damage to us."

We face intense competition in both the financial services industry generally and the markets that we serve in particular, and we expect competition with a broad range of competitors to continue to intensify in the future. Within the electronic financial services industry in which we operate, we compete based on our ability to provide a broad range of solutions, trading venues with a broad network of market participants and deep liquidity, a competitive fee structure and comprehensive pre-trade, trade and post-trade functionality, including data analytics, as well as the reliability, availability, security and ease of use of our platforms and solutions. We primarily compete with other electronic trading platforms and trading business conducted directly between dealers and their institutional, wholesale and retail client counterparties over telephone, email or instant messaging. We also compete with securities and futures exchanges, other inter-dealer brokers, execution management services ("EMS"), order management services ("OMS") providers, single bank systems and market data and information vendors. For example, our trading platforms face existing and potential competition from large exchanges, which have in recent years developed electronic capabilities in-house or through acquisitions. We also face competition from individual banks that offer their own electronic platforms to their institutional clients and from EMS and OMS providers. In addition, we may face competition from companies with strong market share in specific markets or organizations and businesses that have not traditionally competed with us but that could adapt their products and services or utilize significant financial and information resources, recognized brands, or technological expertise to begin competing with us. We expect that we may compete in the future with a variety of companies with respect to our platforms and solutions. If we are not able to compete successfully in the future, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. Certain of our current and prospective competitors are substantially larger than we are and have substantially greater market presence than we do, as well as greater financial, technological, marketing and other resources. These competitors may be better able to withstand reductions in fees or other adverse economic or market conditions than we can. Some competitors may be able to adopt new or emerging technologies, or incorporate customized features or functions into existing technologies, to address changing market conditions or client preferences at a relatively low cost and/or more quickly than we can. In addition, because we operate in a rapidly evolving industry, start-up companies can enter the market with new and emerging technologies more easily and quickly than they would in more traditional industries. If we are unable or unwilling to reduce our fees or make additional investments in the future, we may lose clients and our competitive position may be adversely affected. In addition, our competitive position may be adversely affected by changes in regulations that have a disproportionately negative affect on us or the products or trading protocols we offer our clients. Competition in the markets in which we operate has intensified due to consolidation, which has resulted in increasingly large and sophisticated competitors. In recent years, our competitors have made acquisitions and/or entered into joint ventures and consortia to improve the competitiveness of their electronic trading offerings. For example, ICE acquired BondPoint, TMC Bonds and IDC, in an effort to expand its portfolio of fixed income products and services. In addition, in 2018, CME Group completed its acquisition of NEX Group, which expanded CME Group's offerings to include NEX Group's OTC foreign exchange and rates products and market data. Further, in 2022, TP ICAP completed its acquisition of Liquidnet to further diversify its business. If, as a result of industry consolidation, our competitors are able to offer lower cost (including fixed cost fees compared to our variable fees for certain offerings) and/or a wider range of trading venues and solutions, obtain more favorable terms from third-party providers or otherwise take actions that could increase their market share, our competitive position and therefore our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. Our operations also include the sale of pre- and post-trade services, analytics and market data (including through a distribution agreement with LSEG). There is a high degree of competition among market data and information vendors in solutions for pre- and post-trade data, analytics and reporting, and such businesses may become more competitive in the future as new competitors emerge. Some of these companies are already in or may enter the electronic trading business. Accordingly, some of our competitors may be able to combine use of their electronic trading platforms with complementary access to market data and analytical tools and/or leverage relationships with existing clients to obtain additional business from such clients, which could preempt use of our platforms or solutions. For example, Bloomberg and ICE have trading platforms that compete with ours and also have data and analytics relationships with the vast majority of institutional, wholesale and retail market participants. If we are not able to compete successfully in this area in the future, our revenues could be adversely impacted and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

Our reputation and the quality of our brand are critical to our business, and we must protect and grow the value of our brand in order for us to continue to be successful. Any incident that erodes client loyalty for our brand could significantly reduce its value and damage our business. We may be adversely affected by any negative publicity, regardless of its accuracy, including with respect to, among other things, the quality and reliability of our platforms and solutions, the accuracy of our market data, our ability to maintain the security of our data and systems, networks and infrastructure, our use of developing technologies, such as AI and any impropriety, misconduct or fraudulent activity by any person formerly or currently associated with us. Also, there has been a marked increase in the use of blogs, social media platforms and other forms of Internet-based communications that provide individuals with access to a broad audience of interested persons. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Information may be posted on such sites and platforms at any time. Information posted may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, each of which may harm our business and reputation. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. Ultimately, the risks associated with any negative publicity or actual, alleged or perceived issues regarding our business or any person formerly or currently associated with us cannot be completely eliminated or mitigated and may materially harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

The electronic financial services industry is, by its nature, risky and volatile. Our business performance is impacted by a number of global and regional factors that are generally beyond our control. The occurrence of, or uncertainty related to, any one of the following factors may cause a substantial decline in the U.S. and/or global financial markets, which could result in reduced trading volumes and profitability for our business: - economic, political and social conditions in the United States, the UK, the EU and/or its member states, China or other major economies around the world, including, among other things, the strength and direction of the U.S. and global economy and banking industry, the war in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East and the new U.S. administration and Congress;- the effect of Federal Reserve Board and other central banks' monetary policy (including the level and volatility of interest rates, including actual and anticipated changes in the federal funds rate by the Federal Reserve), increased capital requirements for banks and other financial institutions and other regulatory requirements;- adverse market conditions, including unforeseen market closures or other disruptions in trading;- broad trends in business and finance, including the number of new issuances and changes in investment patterns and priorities;- concerns over a potential recession (in the United States or globally) and inflation;- consolidation or contraction in the number, and changes in the financial strength, of market participants;- the availability of capital for borrowings and investments by our clients, as well as the amount of available cash balances held by corporates;- liquidity concerns, including concerns over credit default or bankruptcy of one or more sovereign nations or corporate entities;- legislative, regulatory, administrative or government policy changes, particularly as a result of the new U.S. administration and Congress, including changes to financial industry regulations and tax laws, including the imposition of central clearing requirements for the U.S. Treasury market, that could limit the ability of market participants to engage in a wider array of trading activities or make certain corporate activities less desirable or more expensive;- actual or threatened trade war, including between the United States and China, or other governmental action related to tariffs, international trade agreements or trade policies;- the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations (see "-Risks Relating to our International Operations-Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial results" for further information); and - the current or anticipated impact of climate change, extreme weather events, natural disasters and other catastrophic events, actual or threatened acts of war, terrorism or other armed hostilities or outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases. These factors also affect the degree of volatility (the magnitude and frequency of fluctuations) in the U.S. and global financial markets, including in the prices and trading volumes of the products traded on our platforms. Volatility increases the need to hedge price risk and creates opportunities for investment and speculative or arbitrage trading, and thus increases trading volumes. Although we generally experience increased trading volumes across our marketplaces during periods of volatility, use of our platforms and demand for our solutions may decline during periods of significant volatility as market participants in rapidly moving markets may seek to negotiate trades and access information directly over the telephone instead of electronically. In the event of stagnant or deteriorating economic conditions or periods of instability or prolonged stability or decreased activity in the U.S. and/or global financial markets, we could experience lower trading volumes. A general decline in trading volumes across our marketplaces would lower revenues and could materially adversely affect our results of operations if we are unable to offset falling volumes through changes in our fee structure. If trading volumes decline substantially or for a sustained period, the critical mass of transaction volume necessary to support viable markets and generate valuable data could be jeopardized, which, in turn, could further discourage clients from using our platforms and solutions and further accelerate the decline in trading volumes. Additionally, if our total market share decreases relative to our competitors, our trading venues may be viewed as less attractive sources of liquidity. If our marketplaces are perceived to be less liquid, we could lose further trading volumes and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. There have been significant declines in trading volumes in the financial markets generally in the past and there may be similar declines in trading volumes generally or across our marketplaces in particular in the future. During periods of lower trading volumes or during an economic downturn, our clients may become more price sensitive and exert pricing pressure on us, and we may be forced to reduce our fees or to maintain our fees during periods of increased costs. Because our cost structure is largely fixed, if use of our platforms and demand for our solutions decline for any reason or if we are forced to reduce fees, we may not be able to adjust our cost structure to counteract the associated decline in revenues, which would materially harm our profitability.

We are a global company serving clients in over 85 countries with offices in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. We may further expand our international operations in the future. We have invested significant resources in our international operations and expect to continue to do so in the future. For example, in 2024, we established offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, São Paulo, Brazil, Mumbai, India and Milan, Italy. However, there are certain risks inherent in doing business in international markets, particularly in the financial services industry, which is heavily regulated in many jurisdictions. These risks include: - local economic, political and social conditions, including the possibility of economic slowdowns, hyperinflationary conditions, political instability, social unrest or outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases;- differing legal and regulatory requirements, and the possibility that any required approvals may impose restrictions on the operation of our business;- changes in laws, government policies and regulations, or in how provisions are interpreted or administered and how we are supervised;- the inability to manage and coordinate the various legal and regulatory requirements of multiple jurisdictions that are constantly evolving and subject to change;- varying tax regimes, including with respect to imposition or increase of taxes on financial transactions or withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries;- actual or threatened trade war, including between the United States and China, or other governmental action related to tariffs, international trade agreements or trade policies;- currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes in currency policies or practices and restrictions on currency conversion;- limitations or restrictions on the repatriation or other transfer of funds;- potential difficulties in protecting intellectual property;- the inability to enforce agreements, collect payments or seek recourse under or comply with differing commercial laws;- managing the potential conflicts between locally accepted business practices and our obligations to comply with laws and regulations, including anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws and regulations;- compliance with economic sanctions laws and regulations;- difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;- increased costs and difficulties in developing and managing our global operations and our technological infrastructure; and - seasonal fluctuations in business activity. Our overall success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these risks and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so without incurring unexpected or increased costs. If we are not able to manage the risks related to our international operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In certain regions, the degree of these risks may be higher due to more volatile economic, political or social conditions, less developed and predictable legal and regulatory regimes and increased potential for various types of adverse governmental action.

We may incur losses as a result of unforeseen, catastrophic or uncontrollable events, including fire, natural disasters, extreme weather events, global health crises (including COVID-19 and its variants), power loss, telecommunications failure, software or hardware malfunctions, theft, cyber attacks, acts of war, terrorist attacks or other armed hostilities (including the war in Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East). In addition, employee misconduct, fraud or error, such as improperly using confidential information or engaging in improper or unauthorized activities or transactions, could expose us to significant liability, losses, regulatory sanctions and reputational harm. These unforeseen, catastrophic or uncontrollable events could adversely affect our clients' levels of business activity and precipitate sudden significant changes in regional and global economic conditions and cycles. Certain of these events also pose significant risks to our employees and our physical facilities and operations around the world, whether the facilities are ours or those of our third-party providers or clients. If our systems, networks or infrastructure were to fail or be negatively impacted as a result of an unforeseen, catastrophic or uncontrollable event, our business functions could be interrupted, our ability to make our platforms and solutions available to our clients could be impaired and, as a result, we could lose critical data and revenues. If we are unable to deploy or develop adequate plans to ensure that our business functions continue to operate during and after an unforeseen, catastrophic or uncontrollable event, and successfully execute on those plans should such an event occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could be materially harmed. In addition, our U.S. operations are heavily concentrated in the New York metro area and our European operations are heavily concentrated in London, United Kingdom. Any event that affects either of those geographic areas could affect our ability to operate our business.

The success of our business depends upon the skills, experience and efforts of our executive officers and other key personnel. Although we have invested in succession planning, the loss of key members of our senior management team or other key personnel could nevertheless have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Should we lose the services of a member of our senior management team or other key personnel, we may have to conduct a search for a qualified replacement. This search may be prolonged, and we may not be able to locate and hire a qualified replacement. Our business also depends on our ability to continue to attract, motivate and retain a large number of highly qualified personnel in order to support our clients and achieve business results. There is a limited pool of employees who have the requisite skills, training and education. Identifying, recruiting, training, integrating and retaining qualified personnel requires significant time, expense and attention, and the market for qualified personnel, particularly those with experience in technology, clearing and settlement, product management and regulatory compliance, has become increasingly competitive as an increasing number of companies seek to enhance their positions in the markets we serve. In particular, we compete for technology personnel with highly innovative technology companies and large companies focused on technology development both in and outside our traditional geographic markets. Many of these companies have significant financial resources and more recognizable brands than ours and may be able to offer more attractive employment opportunities and more lucrative compensation packages. Our inability to attract, retain and motivate personnel with the requisite skills could impair our ability to develop new platforms, platform features or solutions, enhance our existing platforms and solutions, grow our client base, enter into new markets, operate under various regulatory frameworks or manage our business effectively.