ABILF Ability Inc (CE)

The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with “Item 5 Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and the Financial Statements and Notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

We have derived the consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We have derived the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and the consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this Annual Report. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Certain factors that affect the comparability of the information set forth in the following table are described in “Item 5 Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and the Financial Statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report, including the consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to our Financial Position

We will need significant additional capital, which we may be unable to obtain. If we are unable to raise capital, we will be forced to reduce or eliminate our operations.

Revenues generated from our operations are not presently sufficient to sustain our operations. Currently, we estimate that we have sufficient capital to finance our operations for a period of no more than a couple of months from the date of filing this Annual Report. Therefore, we will need to raise additional capital to continue our operations. There can be no assurance that additional funds will be available when needed from any source or, if available, will be available on terms that are acceptable to us. We may be required to pursue sources of additional capital through various means, including debt or equity financings. Future financings through equity investments are likely to be dilutive to existing shareholders. Also, the terms of securities we may issue in future capital transactions may be more favorable for new investors. Newly issued securities may include preferences, superior voting rights, the issuance of warrants or other derivative securities, and the issuances of incentive awards under equity employee incentive plans, which may have additional dilutive effects. Further, we may incur substantial costs in pursuing future capital and/or financing, including investment banking fees, legal fees, accounting fees, printing and distribution expenses and other costs. We may also be required to recognize non-cash expenses in connection with certain securities we may issue, such as convertible notes and warrants, which will adversely impact our financial condition. Our ability to obtain needed financing may be impaired by such factors as the capital markets, our history of losses, and our litigations and SEC investigation which could impact the availability or cost of future financings. The limited liquidity in our shares in the United States resulting from our shares being delisted from Nasdaq also may harm our ability to obtain capital. (See Risk Factor- “We face risks related to the delisting of our ordinary shares, as our ability to publicly or privately sell equity securities, and the liquidity of our ordinary shares is being adversely affected”).

If the amount of capital we are able to raise from financing activities, together with our revenues from operations, is not sufficient to satisfy our capital needs, even to the extent that we reduce our operations accordingly, we may be required to reduce the scope of, or eliminate our operations. We will also have to reduce marketing, customer service or other resources devoted to our products. Any of these factors will materially harm our business and results of operations.

We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 and can provide no assurance of our future operating results.

We currently have limited revenues. We have experienced net losses and negative cash flows from operating activities during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017. As of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $35.9 million, cash and cash equivalents of approximately $0.4 million and a net loss of approximately $7.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to an accumulated deficit of approximately $28.2 million, cash and cash equivalents of approximately $9.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and a net loss of approximately $10.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. We expect to incur additional operating losses for the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve sufficient revenues to support our operations or be profitable in the future.

The report of our independent registered public accounting firm contains an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 were prepared under the assumption that we would continue our operations as a going concern. Our independent registered public accounting firm has included a “going concern” explanatory paragraph in its report on our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, indicating that there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. As of December 31, 2019, we had total cash and cash equivalents of approximately $0.4 million. See “Item 5.B Liquidity and Capital Resources”. If we are unable to improve our liquidity position, by, among other things, increasing our revenues, raising capital through public or private offerings or reducing our expenses, we may exhaust our cash resources and will be unable to continue our operations. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our shareholders would likely lose most or all of their investment in us. 

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which exposes us to leverage risks and may adversely affect our operations.

As of December 31, 2019, we had a total current liabilities of approximately $7.4 million (such amount is excluding the put option liability). Our unstable financial position may limit our ability to continue receiving various additional services in the future for operation or for other general corporate purposes. It also may require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to debt service, reducing the availability of our cash flow for other purposes. In addition, it may increase our vulnerability to economic downturns, limit our ability to capitalize on significant business opportunities, and restrict our flexibility to react to changes in market or industry conditions.

Changes in accounting principles, or interpretations thereof, could adversely impact our financial condition or operating results.

We have been preparing our consolidated financial statements in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). However, following delisting from Nasdaq, the Company, after a six month grace period, under the listing rules of the TASE, we will be obligated to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). The implementation of IFRS may result in significant costs and may retroactively affect our previously reported consolidated financial statements. The costs and effects of these changes could adversely impact our operating results, and delays or difficulties in implementing new accounting principles could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations.

Risks Related to our Business

Our revenues are highly dependent on the successful implementation and customer adoption of ULIN, the customer adoption of which has been limited.

In November 2015, we introduced ULIN, a product based on a new technology allowing for the interception of communication in GSM, UMTS and LTE cellular networks without, in most cases, the involvement of mobile network operators. We expected that ULIN would be a significant source of our sales and revenues. However, since the introduction of ULIN, customer adoption of ULIN has been much slower than we had anticipated, and while we have seen significant interest in ULIN and its advanced capabilities, so far, we engaged in and completed only a small number of ULIN projects. We believe that the limited customer adoption to date of ULIN, notwithstanding its competitive advantages over tactical interception solutions, is primarily due to its increased costs compared to such tactical interception solutions, as well as the market’s desire for a product capable of intercepting data communication in addition to the content of voice calls and SMS, and ULIN’s inability to intercept cellular communication within some network operators. However, we cannot assure you that the market or demand for ULIN will grow as we anticipate (if at all). See “Item 5D. Trend Information” for a more complete discussion regarding the changes in the cellular interception industry.

Furthermore, since the introduction of ULIN, while we have continued to offer our legacy tactical cellular interception solutions, we have experienced a significant decline in sales of our existing portfolio of solutions and products within the cellular interception category and we cannot assure you that ULIN will not render a substantial percentage of our existing product portfolio obsolete. In addition, increased usage of new communication channels and technological developments in the cellular communications industry (such as an increased number of cellular networks, mobile operators and frequencies) have resulted in cellular interception systems becoming more complex, expensive and limited in their interception capabilities, which we believe in turn have also had an adverse effect on sales of our legacy tactical cellular interception solutions. If we are unable to achieve increased customer adoption of ULIN, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

Slow customer adoption and extended sales cycles of ULIN, as well as decline in sales of our existing portfolio of solutions and products, increases the volatility of our revenues. As a result, we had a 250% increase in revenues for the year ended on December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended on December 31, 2018, while we had an 82% decrease in revenues for the year ended on December 31, 2018 compared to the year ended on December 31, 2017. For more information, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.”

ULIN sales are dependent on the Services Agreement with the New Provider, which automatically terminates on December 31, 2020.

Our ULIN activities are based on the Services Agreement with a third party, granting us certain services and resources which allow us to develop and maintain our ULIN business. On October 1, 2019, a new Services Agreement, which provides for the same services, was entered into, with an affiliate of the New Provider. It was effective as of November 1, 2019 and continues until December 31, 2020. The New Provider is a third-party provider and, as such, we have no ability to exert any influence over the business or employees of the New Provider. Further, the New Provider is a recently established corporation with a short operating history and is unknown in the industry. If the New Provider ceases operations or is unable to deliver the services provided under the Services Agreement, is unable to retain its key personnel or fails to adequately upgrade and develop ULIN in order for it to remain competitive, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

We may not generate the expected benefits of the acquisition of Telcostar.

We entered into the Telcostar Agreement with the expectation that the acquisition of Telcostar will result in various benefits, including maintaining our worldwide exclusive right to sell ULIN. Achieving the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Telcostar is still subject to a number of uncertainties, including whether our business and the business of Telcostar can be integrated in an efficient and effective manner. The anticipated benefits have not yet fully materialized with respect to our expectations from such acquisition, therefore we may not be able to accurately forecast the performance or ultimate impact of the acquisition of Telcostar.

We have incurred non-recurring expenses in connection with the acquisition of Telcostar, including legal, accounting and other expenses.  We cannot be certain that the realization of efficiencies related to the integration of Telcostar will offset the transaction and integration costs in the near term or any losses from undiscovered liabilities not covered by an indemnification from the seller of Telcostar.

The success of the acquisition of Telcostar, depends upon effective integration and management of the acquired business into our operations, which remains subject to risks and uncertainties, including realizing the anticipated synergies and cost savings, the ability to retain and attract personnel, the diversion of management’s attention for other business concerns, and undisclosed or potential legal liabilities of the Telcostar business or assets. We are required to devote significant management attention and resources to integrate the businesses and operations of Telcostar. We may also encounter cultural or language challenges in integrating the Telcostar business into our operations.

It is possible that the integration process could result in the distraction of our management, the disruption of our ongoing business or inconsistencies in our services, standards, controls, procedures and policies, any of which could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with customers, vendors and employees or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Telcostar transaction, or could otherwise adversely affect our business and financial results following the closing of the acquisition of Telcostar.

We entered into a settlement with the SEC, including the possible order of a remedy or penalty, to be determined in the future by the Court upon motion by the SEC. Such action would have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow.

As we disclosed in our Report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on February 16, 2017, the Company was investigated by the SEC. 

Following the investigation by the SEC, on June 18, 2019, a civil complaint was filed by the SEC against the Company, ACSI, and the two controlling shareholders of ASCI prior to the Business Combination, Mr. Hurgin and Mr. Aurovsky, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Court”). The complaint was a civil enforcement action that alleges violations of the antifraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and the proxy solicitation provisions of the Exchange Act by Messrs. Hurgin and Aurovsky, ACSI and the Company in connection with the Company’s December 2015 transaction with Cambridge Capital Acquisition Corporation. On December 9, 2019, the Company and ACSI entered into a bifurcated settlement with the SEC to resolve the SEC enforcement action. The settlement provides that the amounts of disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalty, if any, will be determined at a future time by the Court, upon motion by the SEC. As a result of the uncertainty regarding the outcome of the SEC’s future motion for with respect to disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalty, the Company did not record any provision with respect to this litigation. As a result of the investigation and subsequent litigation, we have incurred, and may continue to incur, legal expenses related to the extent of the remedy or penalty, if any, and accounting expenses.

As mentioned above, as of the date of this report’s filing, we do not have any indications about the extent of the amounts of disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalty – neither its amount nor the expected date of the SEC’s possible motion in this matter. If such a penalty is imposed on the Company, this may have negative results on our reputation, business, and financial condition.

The ongoing litigation between the SEC and certain of our key persons, could have a significant adverse effect on our key persons functioning and may result in changes to key persons at our Company.

As of this report’s filing, while the Company and ACSI have settled with the SEC, the litigation between the SEC and Mr. Hurgin and Mr. Aurovsky personally is continuing, which is likely to result in devotion of their management time to defense of the litigation. Meanwhile, they are incurring legal expenses related to the extent of the remedy or penalty that may be imposed in the future by the SEC. Furthermore, if the litigation results in an adverse outcome to either or both of them, this could have a substantial effect on our ability to retain them as directors and officers. (See the Risk Factor: “Adverse outcomes in our outstanding litigation matters, or in new litigation matters that arise in the future, could negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.”)

We are under an investigation by the Director of Security and by the Defense Export Controls Agency at the IMOD, which could have an impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and our personnel.

On March 17, 2019, the IMOD informed the Company that it had ordered the suspension of the licenses granted to ASM, under the Israeli Defense Export Control Law, 2007. In addition, on March 20, 2019, the IMOD decided to suspend the licenses that were granted to ASM and ACSI under the Order for the Supervision of Goods and Services (Engagement in Encryption Items), 1974. Following hearing procedures and investigations of ASM’s and ACSI’s activity by the Director of Security at the IMOD and by the Israeli Defense Export Controls Agency at the IMOD, concerning suspicions for violations of the Defense Export Control Law, the Unit of International Crime Investigations at the Israel Police, in a joint investigative team with the Director of the IMOD and the Israeli Tax and Customs Authorities, is now investigating suspicions for committing fraud, smuggling, and money laundering on a significant scale, allegedly committed by ASM and ACSI as part of their business activities (the “Israeli Investigation”). As part of the Israeli Investigation, on September 15, 2019, arrests and searches were conducted. The investigation is supervised by the Financial Department at the State Attorney’s Office. As part of this investigation, on September 15, 2019, arrests and searches were conducted by the Israeli Police. Further details of the Israeli Investigation are subject to a gag order.

The implications of the investigation might project negatively on the Company and its personnel, by reducing the ability to perform to their best extent. The investigation may result in indictments.

Adverse outcomes in our outstanding litigation matters, or in new litigation matters that arise in the future, could negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We and our officers are defendants in multiple lawsuits (see “Item 8A. Financial Information — Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal Proceedings”). We intend to continue to engage in a vigorous defense of the lawsuits. In certain circumstances, we are obliged to indemnify our current and former officers and directors who are named as defendants in these lawsuits. However, for the most part , we are unable to predict the outcome of any of these matters at this time. Any conclusion of these matters in a manner adverse to us or our current or former officers or directors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition and cash flows and may negatively affect our reputation. For example, we may be required to pay substantial damages, incur payments of fines and penalties, incur substantial costs not covered by our directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, suffer a significant adverse impact on our reputation, and management’s attention and resources may be diverted from other priorities, including the execution of business plans and strategies that are important to our ability to grow our business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In December 2017 we entered into an agreement with our then insurer pursuant to which we agreed to discharge our insurer from liability with respect to any U.S. claims against us or our officers and directors, as described further in “Item 8A. Financial Information — Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal Proceedings” below) in consideration for an aggregate settlement amount of $5.0 million, of which $2.5 million is to be used for settlement of the NY Class Action Litigation and the remaining amount is to be used to cover various defense and legal costs. Accordingly, no insurance proceeds will be available for any U.S. claims other than with respect to the settlement of the NY Class Action Litigation, including under the settlement with the SEC described above. Payment of any damages and costs with respect to any U.S. claims beyond the amount payable by the insurance company could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. Furthermore, on September 10, 2019, a former director of the Company, Mr. Gordon, filed a lawsuit against the Company’s insurance company with the Tel Aviv-Yafo District Court claiming the Company’s insurance company should reimburse him for his legal fees in several legal proceedings in the U.S. and in Israel. Mr. Gordon and the insurance company are considering appointing a mediator in an attempt to settle the dispute out of court. The Company agreed to participate in this mediation. Although the outcome of these litigation processes cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company has reason to believe it may have to deal from time to time with new litigation matters that arise, which may have a significant impact on our business, our financial condition, and our operations.

We face risks relating to government spending and contracts with governments and governmental agencies, including decreases in government spending and new contracts as a result of COVID-19.

All of our revenues to date have been generated from engagements with various governments around the world, including national, regional and local governmental agencies, either directly or through resellers or integrators. We expect that sales to governments and governmental agencies, including through resellers or integrators, will continue to be the primary source of our revenues for the foreseeable future. Slowdowns, recessions, economic instability, political unrest, government changes, armed conflicts, pandemics or natural disasters around the world may cause governments and governmental agencies to delay, reduce or even cancel planned spending, reduce the scope of or terminate projects, even if already budgeted, or decide to change priorities and reallocate budgets, all of which could adversely affect our business.

Sales to governments and governmental agencies, including through resellers or integrators, are subject to special risks, such as delays in funding, termination of contracts or sub-contracts at the convenience of the government or applicable governmental agency, reduction or modification of contracts or sub-contracts in the event of changes in the government’s policies or priorities, as a result of budgetary constraints or for other reasons, collection difficulties, increased or unexpected costs resulting in losses or reduced profits under fixed price contracts, and governmental agencies’ right to audit and investigate government contractors.

In particular, the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has strained government resources and caused government to reconsider budget allocations. In addition, governments may have to limit additional spending due to the economic effects of actions taken to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Further, the activities of many governments have been limited due to such action, with many of the employees of government agencies working from outside their offices or in a more limited capacity. The foregoing may limit our ability to obtain new contracts with government agencies and may adversely affect our existing contracts with government agencies, all of which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and result of operations.

In addition, the market for the solutions and products we sell is highly dependent on the spending cycle and scope of federal, state, local and municipal governments, as well as those of security organizations in international markets. We cannot assure you that these spending cycles will materialize as we expect and that we will be positioned to benefit from these potential opportunities.

Furthermore, our engagements provide for customer acceptance of our solutions with a right of return, regardless of any previous partial acceptance. Failure to obtain customer acceptance for the complete solutions or if the customer exercises its right of return, or, generally, termination of the engagement, would generally not entitle us to reimbursement for our incurred costs for work performed. While such occurrences have not happened in the past, we cannot be certain that we will not experience problems in the future in our performance of such government engagements.

For most solutions and products, we rely on third-party suppliers, manufacturers and partners, and if these relationships are interrupted, we may not be able to obtain substitute suppliers, manufacturers or partners on favorable terms or at all and we may be subject to other adverse effects.

We rely on non-affiliated suppliers and original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, partners for most non-standard products or components which may be critical to our solutions, including both hardware and software, and on manufacturers of assemblies that are incorporated into our solutions. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, expenses incurred with respect to our three largest suppliers comprised 19%, 9% and 27% of our cost of revenues, respectively, and one supplier accounted for 40%, 9% and 17% of our cost of revenues in such years, respectively.

On October 1, 2019, we entered into the Services Agreement with the New Provider, which allows us to develop and maintain our ULIN business. The Services Agreement may in the future account for a significant portion of our vendor costs, as we may be highly reliant on the Services Agreement for our revenues. See “Risk Factor - ULIN sales are dependent on the Services Agreement with the New Provider, which automatically terminates on December 31, 2020”.

Our competitiveness, business and future growth is highly dependent on our ability to retain access to these suppliers and contractors as well as their technology. Our reliance on a limited number of suppliers involves risks. In the event that a key supplier, including in particular the New Provider, ceases operations or otherwise ceases to do business with us, including as the result of our financial situation, it may adversely affect ULIN projects and it may take a substantial amount of time and expense for us to secure substitute suppliers. Certain of our suppliers also offer products that compete with our solutions. We may also purchase technology, license intellectual property rights and oversee third-party development and localization of certain products and components, in some cases, by or from companies that may compete with us or work with our competitors. In addition, in certain cases, we may be dependent on sole-source suppliers for some components or services, for example, in the case of the New Provider. If any of these sole-source suppliers fails to meet our needs, we may not have readily available alternatives. Our ability to fill our supply needs could jeopardize our ability to satisfactorily and timely complete our obligations under our government and other contracts. In addition, by utilizing third-party suppliers, manufacturers and partners, we are dependent on their continued performance and the reputation and competitiveness of the products, solutions and services we offer may deteriorate as a result of the reduction of our control over quality and delivery schedules and the consequent risk that we will experience supply interruptions and be subject to escalating cost; and our competitiveness may be harmed by the failure of our subcontractors to develop, implement or maintain manufacturing methods appropriate for our product portfolio and our customers.

Furthermore, if our suppliers, manufacturers or partners experience financial, operational, manufacturing capacity or quality assurance difficulties, cease production and sale of the products we buy from them entirely, or there is any other disruption, including loss of license, OEM or distribution rights, including as a result of the acquisition of a supplier or partner by a competitor, we may be required to locate alternative sources of supply or manufacturing, to internally develop the applicable technologies, or to redesign and/or remove certain features from the products and solutions we offer, any of which would be likely to increase expenses, create delivery delays and negatively impact our sales.

While we endeavor to put in place contracts with key providers, such as key suppliers, manufacturers or partners, we may be unable to do so, which could result in our not being protected against such key providers terminating their relationship with us. Even if we are able to enter into such contracts, we may not be successful in obtaining adequate protections, these agreements may be short-term in duration and the counterparties may be unwilling or unable to stand behind such protections. Moreover, these types of contractual protections offer limited practical benefits to us in the event our relationship with a key provider is interrupted. While we attempt to identify redundant providers, we may not be able to enter into enter into agreements with such providers on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.

Further, as suppliers discontinue their products, modify them in manners incompatible with our current use or use manufacturing processes and tools that could not be easily migrated to other vendors, we could have significant delays in product availability, which would have a significant adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Although we believe that we can obtain alternative sources of supply in the event our suppliers are unable to meet our requirements in a timely manner, we cannot assure you that our alternative sources of supply would be sufficient to avoid a material interruption or delay in deliveries and in availability.

If our reputation becomes impaired, our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected.

Since all of our revenues to date have been generated from engagements with various governments around the world, majority of them through contracts with local resellers, our reputation, may play a significant role in obtaining future governmental contracts. If an event occurs indicating the potential for impairment of our reputation, we assess on an as-needed basis whether there have been impairments in our business. For example, the outcome of the continuing litigation of Mr. Hurgin and Mr. Aurovsky with the SEC may impair the Company’s reputation and could damage its chances of receiving governmental tenders. (See “Risk Factor - We entered into a settlement with the SEC, including the possible order of a remedy or penalty, to be determined in the future by the Court upon motion by the SEC. Such action would have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow, and key personnel”).

If we cannot retain and recruit key personnel, our business may suffer and our ability to operate and grow our business may be impaired.

We depend on the continued service and performance of our senior management and key personnel, including Anatoly Hurgin, our Chief Executive Officer, and Alexander Aurovsky, our Chief Technology Officer, to run and grow our business. As of December 31, 2019, we employed 14 individuals, although, subsequently, some of them were placed on unpaid leave as a consequence of COVID-19 (see Risk Factor “Business conditions are vulnerable to the effects of epidemics, such as COVID-19, which could materially disrupt our business.”). We may not be able to continue to retain and attract such personnel and the loss of the services of these persons could adversely affect our business. Members of our senior management team may resign at any time (subject to applicable contractual advance notice periods). At present, the pending litigations to which we and our executives and certain of our former directors are a party and the SEC investigation and the Israeli Police investigation, as well as the implementation of procedures relating to compliance with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, require significant management time and could further divert the attention of our management from our business operations. In addition, if an enforcement action is initiated by the SEC or by the Israeli governmental authorities against Messrs. Hurgin and/or Aurovsky (see Risk Factors “We entered into a settlement with the SEC, including the possible order of a remedy or penalty, to be determined in the future by the Court upon motion by the SEC. Such action would have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow, and key personnel” and “We are under an investigation by the Director of Security and by the Defense Export Controls Agency at the IMOD, which could have an impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and our personnel”), either one of them (or both) could be subject to a bar from serving as an officer or director which would have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations and may require us to curtail or cease operations or file for bankruptcy protection.

We face risks related to the concentration of customers with whom we do business and, if we are unable to establish and maintain our relationships with such customers, our business and ability to grow could be materially adversely affected.

We conduct business with a relatively small number of customers, including third-party resellers and agents, each of which could be material to our business. With respect to sales in many regions and countries, we sell to third-party resellers that, in turn, resell the products and solutions we offer to various security and intelligence agencies, military forces, law enforcement agencies and homeland security agencies. For example, in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, one significant reseller accounted for 88%, 67% and 45% of our revenues, respectively, and one other reseller in each such periods accounted for 9%, 19% and 25% of our revenues, respectively. Our sales to relatively few significant resellers and customers could continue to account for a substantial percentage of our sales in the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain these key resellers and customers or that such resellers and customers will not cancel purchase orders, reschedule or decrease their level of purchases. Loss, cancellation, deferral of business by, or failure to receive new contracts, renewals or follow-on contracts from, such resellers and customers could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

To remain successful, we must maintain our existing relationships as well as identify and establish new relationships with other customers, including third-party resellers and agents. We must often compete with other suppliers for these relationships and our competitors often seek to establish exclusive relationships with these sales channels or to become a preferred partner for them. Our ability to establish and maintain our relationships is based on, among other things, factors that are similar to those on which we compete for end customers, including features, functionality, ease of use, installation, maintenance and price.

As our market opportunities change, our reliance on particular distribution channels may increase or we may need to create new channels to address changing market needs, which may negatively impact our growth and gross margins. Certain of our current distribution channels currently compete with us or may enter into markets in competition with us, which could result in the termination of our relationship with them or lead to a significant reduction in sales through such channels. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in maintaining, creating or expanding these distribution channels.

In addition, the execution of our growth strategy also depends on our ability to create new alliances with certain market players in certain markets. Even if we are able to enter into such alliances, it may be under terms that are not favorable to us, or we may not be able to realize the benefits that are anticipated through such alliances. If we are not successful at these efforts, we may lose sales opportunities, customers and market share, which may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The industry in which we operate is characterized by rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards and variations in market potential, and if we cannot anticipate and react to such changes, our financial results may suffer.

The markets for the products and solutions we sell are characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving industry standards. The introduction of products and solutions embodying new technology, new delivery platforms and the commoditization of older technologies, together with the emergence of new industry standards, technological hurdles and protection measures, can exert pricing pressure on existing products and solutions and/or render them unmarketable or obsolete. For example, new industry standards for cellular networks are introduced from time to time, such as the recent implementation process of 5G networks. Moreover, the market potential and growth rates of the markets we serve are not uniform and are rapidly evolving.

It is critical to our success that we are able to anticipate and respond to changes in technology and industry standards and new customer challenges by consistently offering new, innovative, high-quality products and solutions that meet the changing needs of our customers. We must also successfully identify, enter into and prioritize areas of growing market potential, including by launching and driving demand for new and enhanced solutions and products. If we are unable to execute on these strategic priorities, or if our competitors are able to do so more rapidly, we may lose market share and we will face difficulties in growing our business our profitability and other results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We cannot assure you that the market or demand for the products and solutions we sell will grow (if at all), that we will successfully introduce new products or solutions, or new applications for existing products and solutions, that such new products, solutions or applications will achieve market acceptance or that the introduction of new products or technological developments by others will not render the products and solutions in our current portfolio obsolete (see Risk Factor “Our revenues are highly dependent on the successful implementation and customer adoption of ULIN, the customer adoption of which has been limited.”) In addition, certain of the solutions and products we sell must readily integrate with major third-party security, telephone, front-office and back-office systems. Any changes to these third-party systems could require such products to be redesigned, and any such redesign might not be possible on a timely basis or may not achieve market acceptance. Furthermore, some of the solutions and products we sell rely on weaknesses of commonly used protocols and, as a result, in the past certain weaknesses were identified and patched, however, we were able to respond relatively quickly. If in the future additional weaknesses were identified and patched and we are unable to respond to such technological challenges in a timely manner, our business may be adversely affected. If we are unable to offer solutions and products that are competitive in technology and price and responsive to customer needs, there would be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  

Our solution has the ability to intercept cellular communication, including calls and SMS messages. However, methods of wireless communication continue to evolve such that parties are able to and increasingly communicate via mobile applications rather than via standard cellular communication protocols. In addition, such communication is more commonly taking place over WiFi rather than cellular networks. The challenges this poses to our solutions, which are focused on cellular communication, are twofold; the applications are encrypted and so too are the WiFi network connections. This has resulted in communication becoming more secure and therefore interception with the use of our products has become increasingly difficult. Should this trend continue to rise and if we are unable to develop or obtain enhanced solutions with increased interception capabilities, our products may become obsolete and our sales and revenues may continue to decrease.

In order to successfully compete in all sectors of our business, including security projects awarded through competitive bids, we may commit to provide certain technologies and solutions which are still under development or which will have to be developed (including by third parties), licensed or acquired specifically for that customer. This may increase the risk of technological difficulties that may prevent us from complying with our contractual obligations, expose us to possible penalties and legal claims, and affect the profitability of a project, which may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we do not have access to the most current technology, we may not be able to market our products and services.

The security industry is constantly changing to meet new requirements, which result from new threats to government and industry, both from potential threats to persons and property, to industrial and governmental espionage, as well as general concern about personal and family safety. In order to meet these needs, we must both anticipate problems and develop methods for reducing the potential risk. We rely primarily on the performance and design characteristics of our products in marketing our products, which requires access to state-of-the art technology in order to be competitive. Our business could be impaired if we cannot obtain licenses for such updated technology or develop state-of-the-art technology ourselves. If we cannot meet the developing challenges, we will not be able to market our interception and geolocation products successfully.

We face risks relating to large projects.

The larger and more complex our customers’ projects are, the greater the risks associated with such projects. Moreover, these risks are increased due to our need to custom design our solutions to meet each customer’s specific needs. These risks may include exposure to penalties and liabilities resulting from a breach of contract, inability to fully integrate the needed products with any third-party products and inability to effectively combine various technologies into customized solutions. In some of these projects we may use domestic or foreign subcontractors for various planning aspects, solution development, integration, delivery and successful and timely completion. We may find difficulties in planning collaboration with these subcontractors due to the travel restrictions following the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus(see Risk Factor “Business conditions are vulnerable to the effects of epidemics, such as COVID-19, which could materially disrupt our business.”) We may be held liable for the failure of our subcontractors, from whom we may have no or limited recourse. Additionally, to the extent that we cannot engage such subcontractors, partners or specialists or cannot engage them on a competitive basis, our ability to complete a project in a timely fashion or at a profit may be impaired.

Due to the competitive nature of large projects and the approval process, our ability to be selected for such projects and, even if we are, the timing of such selection, can result in significant variability in our income and results of operations, as revenues from large projects are likely to be a single occurrence and nonrecurring. In addition, there may be fluctuations in cash collection and revenue recognition with respect to such projects due to, among other things, a substantial period of time often elapsing from the time we enter into negotiations until we actually sell the project to the specific customer.

The sophisticated nature of the solutions and products we sell, customization of solutions based on specific customer needs, sales cycle and unpredictable sales terms and timing may create uncertainty in, or negatively impact, our operating results and make such results more volatile and difficult to predict.

The timing of our sales cycle ranges from as little as a few weeks to more than a year. Our larger sales, which we emphasize in our sales strategy, typically require a minimum of a few months to consummate. As the length or complexity of a sales process increases, so does the risk of not successfully closing the sale. Larger sales are often made by competitive bid, which also increases the time and uncertainty associated with such opportunities. In addition, because many of our solutions are sophisticated, customers may also require education on the value and functionality of our solutions as part of the sales process, further extending the time frame and uncertainty of the process. Longer sales cycles, competitive bid processes, customizing solutions based on specific customer needs and the need to educate customers means that:

Additionally, after the completion of a sale of a specific solution or a more sophisticated product, our customers may need assistance from us in making full use of the functionality of these solutions or products, in realizing all of their benefits or in implementation generally. If we are unable to assist our customers in realizing the benefits they expect from the solutions and products that we sell, demand for such solutions and products may decline and our operating results may be adversely affected.

Our uneven sales patterns could significantly impact our revenues and earnings.

The timing in which transactions are entered into may shift from one quarter to another, due to, among other things, a shifting by our buyers of their buying decisions, resulting in the shifting of bookings and revenues from one quarter to another. Additionally, because we emphasize larger transactions with a higher value in our sales strategy, a substantial period of time often elapses from the time we enter into negotiations until we actually sell the product to the specific customer, and the deferral or loss of one or more significant orders or a delay in a large implementation could therefore materially adversely affect our operating results, especially in a given quarter.

In addition to the foregoing, our ability to forecast our operating results from quarter to quarter and from year to year is impacted by the fact that pricing, margins and other deal terms may vary substantially from transaction to transaction, especially across business lines. The extended time frame and uncertainty associated with many of our sales opportunities also make it difficult for us to accurately forecast our revenues (and attendant budgeting and guidance decisions) and increases the volatility of our operating results from period to period. In addition, in light of the fact that ULIN is a relatively new solution with unpredictable sales cycles, with multiple pricing models, our revenue visibility is limited, which makes it harder to provide adequate forecasts. Until we have clarity on the sales cycle, and a better understanding of the timing and implementation for a relatively small number of larger deals, we do not intend to provide forecasts.

We have not always met, and we might not meet in the future, our expectations or those of industry analysts in a particular future quarter or a fiscal year, including as a result of the factors described in these Risk Factors.

We are subject to complex, evolving regulatory requirements that may be difficult and expensive to comply with and that could negatively impact our business.

Our business and operations are subject to regulatory requirements in Israel and elsewhere, including, among other things, with respect to government contracts, export control, labor, tax, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, data privacy and protection, and communications monitoring and interception. Regulatory requirements are subject to constant change that may have a material impact on our operations. Compliance with these regulatory requirements may be onerous, time-consuming, and expensive, especially where these requirements vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction or where the jurisdictional reach of certain requirements is not clearly defined or seeks to reach across national borders. Regulatory requirements in one jurisdiction may make it difficult or impossible to do business in another jurisdiction. We may also be unsuccessful in obtaining permits, licenses or other authorizations required to operate our business, such as for the marketing, sale, import, export of products, or solutions and services that we offer.

We cannot assure you that our methods of and policies for doing business will be adequate for new markets, including the United States, or that we will be able to modify such methods or policies in a manner that allows us to enter into specific markets, including the United States. Violations of applicable laws or regulations, including by our officers, employees, contractors or agents, may harm our reputation and deter governments and governmental agencies and other existing or potential customers or partners from purchasing our solutions. Furthermore, non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations could result in fines, damages and criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, restrictions on the conduct of our business, and damage to our reputation.

Certain of our licenses were suspended by IMOD, which has resulted in a prohibition on the Company’s export of Israeli technology, see Risk Factor “We are under an investigation by the Director of Security and by the Defense Export Controls Agency at the IMOD, which could have an impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and our personnel.” The Company is not permitted to obtain security marketing and export licenses until another decision is made. To our understanding, it is unclear what the conditions are for obtaining the licenses back. This may depend on the outcome of the Israeli investigation. Government agencies in other jurisdictions may limit our ability to operate in those jurisdictions. Any such limitations could limit our ability to market and sell our products and solutions, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

The occurrence of privacy or information security breaches (or the belief that any such breach has occurred) in the operation of our business, or by third parties using a product or solution obtained through us, could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Some of our customers use the solutions and products that we offer to compile and analyze highly sensitive or confidential information. We may come into contact with such information or data when we perform service or maintenance functions for our customers. The perception or fact that any of our employees has improperly handled sensitive information of a customer or a customer’s end user could negatively impact our business. If, in handling this information, we fail to comply with applicable privacy legislation or procedures, we could incur civil liability to governments or governmental agencies or any customers and individuals whose privacy was compromised.

Further, governments around the world are adopting a growing number of compliance and regulatory initiatives that are driven by events and concerns such as accounting scandals, security threats and economic conditions. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in our efforts to effectively respond to new initiatives and standards, that such changes will not negatively affect the demand for the products, solutions and services we offer, or that our competitors will not be more successful or prepared than us in responding to these new initiatives and standards.

Since we are unable to export Israeli security technology due to the license suspensions, we may be limited in certain developmental and logistical aspects of our business, as we are an Israel-based company. We may also be limited in our ability to transfer or outsource certain aspects of our business to certain jurisdictions and may be limited in our ability to undertake development activities in certain jurisdictions, which may impede our efficiency and adversely affect our business results of operations.

Our solutions may contain defects or may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which could expose us to both financial and non-financial damages.

Many of our existing solutions are, and future solutions are expected to be, sophisticated and may develop operational problems. New products and new product versions, and the incorporation of third-party products into our solutions, also give rise to the risk of defects or errors. These defects or errors may relate to the operation or the security of the products and solutions we sell and could result in product returns, loss of or delay in market acceptance of the products and solutions, loss of our competitive position or claims by customers or others, which would seriously harm our revenues, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, even well-designed and tested products and solutions may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks. If we do not discover and remedy such defects, errors or other operational or security problems until after a product or solution has been released to customers, we may incur significant costs to correct such problems and/or become liable for substantial damages for product liability claims or other liabilities. Furthermore, correcting and repairing such errors, failures or defects could also require significant expenditures of our capital and other resources and could cause interruptions, delays or cessation of our product licensing. The identification of errors in the products and solutions we sell, the detection of bugs by our customers, or a successful cyber-attack on one of the products and solutions even absent a defect or error, may damage our reputation in the market as well as our relationships with existing customers, which may result in our inability to retain our customers or attract new customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our results or financial condition.

We are dependent on the efforts of contractors for projects in which we serve as subcontractor.

For certain projects, we act as subcontractors and depend on the conduct of and our relationship with the relevant general contractor. If one or more of these contractors experience financial or operational difficulties, we could experience an interruption in our operations. There is a risk that we may have disputes with our contractors arising from, among other things, the quality and timeliness of work performed by us, in which case our operating results could temporarily suffer until such disputes are resolved. Furthermore, disagreements with our contractors could lead to the assertion of rights and remedies under their contracts and increase the cost of the project or result in a contractor’s unwillingness to perform further work on the project. If any contractor is unable or unwilling to perform according to the negotiated terms and timetable of its own agreement for any reason or terminates the agreement, we may be required to be engaged by a substitute contractor in order to continue our work on the project, which would likely result in significant project delays and increased costs.

Our employees or other third parties may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could cause significant liability for us, harm our reputation or otherwise result in other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, resellers, agents or independent contractors may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activities. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates export control laws or other regulations or manufacturing standards. Furthermore, the protection of our proprietary data and that of our customers is critical to our reputation and the success of our business. Our customers have a high expectation that we will adequately protect their confidential information. If any person, including any of our employees, negligently disregards or intentionally breaches our established controls with respect to such data or otherwise mismanages or misappropriates that data, we could be subject to monetary damages, fines and/or criminal prosecution. Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential data, whether through systems failure, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, could damage our reputation and cause us to lose customers.

We are subject to the FCPA, which generally prohibits U.S. companies, as well as foreign companies with a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange in the United States or quoted on the over-the-counter market in the United States, such as us, from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We operate in parts of the world that are recognized as having governmental and commercial corruption and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We cannot assure you that our internal policies and procedures will always protect us from improper conduct by our employees, resellers, agents or independent contractors and due to lack of resources, we have been unable to implement our internal policies and procedures completely which exposes us to additional risks. In the event that we believe or have reason to believe that our employees or agents have or may have violated applicable laws, including anti-corruption laws, we may be required to investigate or have outside counsel investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. Any such violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties, and curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions, and might adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation. Furthermore, detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our senior management.

In connection with ongoing implementation of internal controls to comply with applicable anti-corruption laws regarding distributors, resellers and agents, we identified press reports that one of our resellers in Latin America may be subject to local law enforcement investigations concerning price manipulation and corruption in the reseller’s sale of software products to government entities, although the local press reports do not identify us and we have not been able to confirm the investigations or whether any investigations implicate sales of our solutions.  Following our own review of the reseller, we ceased accepting orders from the reseller. 

The confidential nature of our engagements and the technologies incorporated into the products and solutions we sell may restrict us in our public disclosures and marketing efforts.

To date, all our revenues have been generated from engagements with governments and governmental agencies, including through resellers or integrators. Such governments and governmental agencies restrict us from identifying them as our customers due to the sensitive nature of the products and solutions that we sell and the projects we undertake on their behalf. Furthermore, our engagements with such governments and governmental agencies, or with the applicable resellers or integrators, often contain information, including information concerning specific aspects of the technologies incorporated into the products and solutions we sell, which information is either classified or sensitive, in each case, due to ongoing military operations, homeland security issues or criminal prevention activity and is largely classified under such governments’ and governmental agencies’ guidelines. Accordingly, in our marketing and sales materials, we may not be able to identify our customers, the purpose for which certain products or solutions were sold or the projects we are involved in. Moreover, the classified nature of our engagements may require us to be more conservative in our public disclosures regarding such engagements, and in some instances apply for confidential treatment under Rule 24b-2 of the Exchange Act. These limitations could adversely affect our marketing and sales efforts.

We are subject to risks associated with doing business globally.

The countries and regions in which we have our most significant operations include Latin America, Asia and Africa, and we intend to continue to expand our operations internationally. We sell throughout the world and intend to continue to increase our penetration of international markets. Our operations are subject to risks inherent in conducting business globally and under the laws, regulations and customs of various jurisdictions and geographies. We believe our business may suffer if we are unable to successfully expand into new regions, as well as maintain and expand our existing foreign operations. In addition to risks related to currency exchange rate fluctuations, risks that affect our foreign operations include changes in exchange controls, changes in taxation and potentially adverse tax consequences in operating in certain countries, import limitations, policies and procedures that protect local suppliers, recruitment and retention of foreign employees, export control restrictions, changes in or violations of applicable law or regulations, economic and political instability, disputes between countries, diminished or insufficient protection of intellectual property, competition in foreign countries, product customization or localization issues, challenges in collection of accounts receivable and longer payment cycles, and disruption or destruction of operations in a significant geographic region regardless of cause, including war, terrorism, riot, civil insurrection or social unrest and travel restrictions due to COVID-19. Any of these risks could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As we continue to explore the expansion of our global reach, an increasing focus of our business may be in emerging markets. In many emerging markets we may face risks that are more significant than if we were to do business in developed countries, including risks relating to underdeveloped legal systems, unstable governments and economies, and potential governmental actions affecting the flow of goods and currency. We cannot assure you that one or more of these factors will not have a material adverse effect on our international operations, business, financial condition and results of operations. 

We are subject to extensive government regulations, which if violated, could prohibit us from conducting a significant portion of our business and result in criminal liability.

Regulatory agencies in the countries where we have significant operations may have laws and/or regulations concerning the exporting and importing of security devices, which may restrict sales of certain products to bona fide law enforcement agencies in these countries. If we violate any of these laws or regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal prosecutions. If we are charged with any such violations, regardless of whether we are ultimately cleared, we may be unable to sell our products. As of March 17, 2019, licenses granted to ASM and ACSI were suspended, which led to a prohibition to export Israeli technology. For additional information, see the “Risk Factor - We are under an investigation by the Director of Security and by the Defense Export Controls Agency of the IMOD, which could have an impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and our personnel”.

Intense competition in our markets and competitors with greater resources than us may limit our market share, profitability and growth.

We face aggressive competition from numerous and varied competitors in all of our markets, making it difficult to maintain our market share, remain profitable, invest and grow. We will also encounter new competitors as we expand into new markets. Our competitors may be able to more quickly develop or adapt to new or emerging technologies, better respond to changes in customer needs or preferences, better identify and enter into new areas of growth or devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products. Some of our competitors have, in relation to us, longer operating histories, larger customer bases, longer standing relationships with customers, superior brand recognition and significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, customer service, public relations, distribution or other resources, especially in new markets we may enter. Consolidation among our competitors may also improve their competitive position. In addition, system integrators, as well as infrastructure vendors, may decide in the future to enter our market space and compete with us by comprehensive solutions. We also face competition from solutions developed independently by our customers. To the extent that we cannot compete effectively, our market share and, therefore, results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Because price and related terms are key considerations for many of our customers, we may, from time to time, have to accept less-favorable payment terms, lower our sales prices, and/or reduce our cost structure. If we are forced to take these kinds of actions to remain competitive in the short-term, such actions may adversely impact our ability to compete in the long-term.

New potential entrants to our markets may lead to the widespread availability and standardization of some of the products, solutions and services we offer, which could result in the commoditization of such products, solutions and services and drive us to lower our prices.

Incorrect or improper use of the products and solutions in our portfolio or failure to properly provide professional services and maintenance services could result in negative publicity and legal claims.

The products and solutions we sell are complex and are deployed in a wide variety of network environments. The proper use of these products and solutions requires training and, if the products and solutions are not used correctly or as intended, insufficient results may be produced. The products and solutions may also be intentionally misused or abused by our customers. The incorrect or improper use of these products and solutions or our failure to properly provide professional services and maintenance services, including installation, training, project management, product customizations and consulting to our customers may result in losses suffered by our customers, which could result in negative publicity or other legal claims against us. Furthermore, the use of our solutions by a government to conduct interception in violation of such government’s laws could result in negative publicity or even legal claims against us.

Business conditions are vulnerable to the effects of epidemics, such as COVID-19, which could materially disrupt our business.

In December 2019, an outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. This highly contagious disease has spread to most of the countries in the world and throughout the United States, creating a serious impact on customers, workforces and suppliers, disrupting economies and financial markets, and potentially leading to a worldwide economic downturn. It has caused a disruption of the normal operations of many businesses, including the temporary closure or scale-back of business operations and/or the imposition of either quarantine or remote work or meeting requirements for employees, either by government order or on a voluntary basis. It may also impact the ability of our subcontractors, partners, and suppliers to operate and fulfill their contractual obligations, and result in an increase in costs, delays or disruptions in performance. These supply chain effects, and the direct effect of the virus and the disruption on our employees and operations, may negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Our employees, in many cases, are working remotely and using various technologies to perform their functions. In addition, as a result of the pandemic, we have placed a number of our non-management employees on unpaid leave, which will impact our operations. We might experience delays or changes in customer demand, particularly if customer funding priorities change.

Both the health and economic aspects of COVID-19 are highly fluid and the future course of each is uncertain. For these reasons and other reasons that may come to light if the coronavirus pandemic and associated protective or preventative measures expand, we may experience a material adverse effect on our business operations, revenues and financial condition; however, its ultimate impact is highly uncertain and subject to change.

As we disclosed in our Report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on December 3, 2019, we entered into new contracts for selling our strategic interception solutions, subject to certain approvals from local authorities and systems acceptances. Severe restrictions imposed by many countries on global travel have impeded our ability to complete the phase of the systems acceptances. We are making every effort to resolve this issue as soon as possible. However, additional hurdles beyond our control may arise in implementing this project.

For certain solutions, we rely on software from third parties. If we lose the right to use that software, we would have to spend additional capital to either redesign our existing solutions or acquire new software from third parties.

We integrate and utilize various third-party software products as components of our solutions. Our business could be disrupted if functional versions of these software products were either no longer available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. In addition, some of our third-party vendors use proprietary technology and software code that could require significant redesign of our solutions in the case of a change in vendor. If we lost the right to use such third-party software, we would be required to spend additional capital to either redesign our solutions, or acquire or license new software from third parties. As a result, we might be forced to limit the features available in our current or future offerings and commercial releases of our solutions could be delayed.

Furthermore, if we were required to or otherwise determined to utilize software components from certain jurisdictions, such as Israel, local export control laws would impose a regulatory burden that may materially affect our business and operations.

Political or public perception factors may adversely affect our business.

We may experience negative publicity or other adverse impacts on our business if we sell to countries that are considered disfavored by the media or political or social rights organizations even though such transactions may be permissible under applicable law.

Our business may be impacted by changes in general economic conditions.

Our business is subject to risks arising from changes in domestic and global economic conditions, and adverse economic conditions in markets in which we operate may harm our business. If our clients significantly reduce spending in areas in which our solutions are utilized, or prioritize other expenditures over our solutions, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially adversely affected.

Disruption to the global economy could also result in a number of follow-on effects on our business, including a possible slow-down resulting from lower customer expenditures; inability of customers to pay for products, solutions or services on time, if at all; more restrictive export regulations which could limit our potential customer base; negative impact on our liquidity, financial condition and share price, which may impact our ability to raise capital in the market, obtain financing and secure other sources of funding in the future on terms favorable to us.

In addition, the occurrence of catastrophic events, such as pandemics, hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and other catastrophes that adversely affect the business climate in any of our markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Some of our operations are located in areas that have been in the past, and may be in the future, susceptible to such occurrences.

Our future success depends on our ability to enhance our existing operations, execute on our growth strategy and properly manage investment in our business and operations.

A key element of our strategy is to continue to invest in, enhance and secure our business and operations and grow organically. Investments in, among other things, new markets, new solutions, technologies, infrastructure and systems, geographic expansion and headcount may all be considered in order to execute this strategy. Our ability to implement this portion of our growth strategy is dependent on our ability to market solutions and products on a larger scale, increase our brand recognition and enter into distribution and other strategic arrangements with third-party suppliers and distributors, as well as manage growth in administrative overhead and distribution costs likely to result from our possible geographic expansion.

However, such investments and efforts may not be successful, especially in new areas or new markets in which we have little or no experience, and even if successful, may negatively impact our profitability. Our success depends on our ability to effectively and efficiently enhance our existing operations and execute on our growth strategy, balance the extent and timing of investments with the associated impact on expenses and profitability, balance our focus between new areas or new markets and the operation and servicing of our legacy businesses and customers, capture efficiencies and economies of scale and compete in the new areas or new markets and with the new solutions in which we have invested. If we are unable to effectively and efficiently enhance our existing operations, execute on our growth strategy and properly manage our investments, focus and expenditures, our results of operations and market share may be materially adversely affected.

Acquisition and investment activities present certain risks to our business, operations and financial position.

Acquisitions and investments are a part of our growth strategy. In 2019, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Telcostar and we may make additional acquisitions in the future. Successful execution following the closing of an acquisition or investment is paramount to achieving the anticipated benefits of the transaction. The process for acquiring a company may take from several months up to a year and costs can vary greatly. We may also compete with others to acquire companies, and such competition may result in decreased availability of, or an increase in price for, suitable acquisition candidates. In addition, we may not be able to consummate acquisitions or investments that we have identified as crucial to the implementation of our strategy for other commercial or economic reasons. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to identify suitable acquisition or investment targets or to consummate acquisitions or investments on acceptable terms or at all. If we are not able to execute on any acquisition, we may not be able to achieve a future growth strategy and may lose market share.

The process of integrating an acquired company’s business or new technologies is challenging. We have faced a number of challenges in integration of Telcostar. The Telcostar and future acquisitions have and may result in expected or unexpected operating or compliance challenges, which may require significant expenditures and a significant amount of our management’s attention that would otherwise be focused on the ongoing operation of our business.  

Acquisitions and/or investments may also result in the expenditure of available cash and amortization expenses or write-downs related to intangible assets such as goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results or financial condition. Investments in immature businesses with unproven track records and technologies have an especially high degree of risk, with the possibility that we may lose the value of our entire investment or incur additional unexpected liabilities. Large or costly acquisitions or investments may also diminish our capital resources and liquidity or limit our ability to engage in additional transactions for a period of time.

All of the foregoing risks may be magnified as the cost, size or complexity of an acquisition or acquired company increases, or where the acquired company’s products, market or business are materially different from ours, or where more than one integration is occurring simultaneously or within a concentrated period of time.

We may not be able to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, including those of antitrust authorities and foreign investment authorities, in countries where we seek to consummate acquisitions or make investments. For those and other reasons, we may ultimately fail to consummate an acquisition, even if we announce the intended acquisition.

In addition, we may require significant financing to complete an acquisition or investment, whether through bank loans, raising of debt or otherwise. We cannot assure you that such financing options will be available to us on reasonable terms, or at all. If we are not able to obtain such necessary financing, it could have an impact on our ability to consummate a substantial acquisition or investment and execute a future growth strategy. Alternatively, we may issue a significant number of shares as consideration for an acquisition, which would have a dilutive effect on our existing shareholders.

The Company considers reviewing its strategic alternatives, which could have an adversely impact on our business and our stock prices.

The Company is considering a review of strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. The strategic alternatives include, but are not limited to, consummating a merger or acquisition with a partner that may involve a change in our business plan. There can be no assurance that this process will result in the approval or completion of any particular strategic alternative or transaction in the future, or that any such strategic alternative or transaction, if approved or completed, will yield additional shareholder value. Further, the process of exploring, reviewing, and pursuing strategic alternatives, could adversely impact our business and our stock prices.

We may consider entering into the U.S. market, which may expose our business to additional risks.

We may consider entry into the U.S. market. The entrance into the U.S. market would subject us to U.S. regulatory requirements, including regarding customer use of our solutions. As we anticipate that our future sales in the United States would be made primarily to U.S. governmental agencies, we would be further exposed to all of the risks related to government contracts. See “Risk Factor - We face risks relating to government spending and contracts with governments and governmental agencies” above. We would also need to develop a strategy to differentiate the solutions we offer for sale within the United States from those outside of the United States so that any non-U.S. products do not fall under U.S. export control restrictions. There can be no assurance that we will develop a successful strategy to enter the U.S. market, or that we will be able to enter or successfully compete in that market. As a result of the foregoing, we plan to be conservative in our approach to the U.S. market.

Risks related to Intellectual Property and Data/Systems Security

The products and solutions we sell may infringe or may be alleged to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, which could lead to costly disputes or disruptions for us and may require us to indemnify our customers and resellers for any damages they suffer.

The technology industry is characterized by frequent allegations of intellectual property infringement. Any allegation of infringement against us could be time consuming and expensive to defend or resolve, result in substantial diversion of management resources, cause shipment delays or force us to enter into royalty or license agreements. If patent holders or other holders of intellectual property initiate legal proceedings against us either with respect to our own intellectual property or intellectual property, we license from third parties, we may be forced into protracted and costly litigation, regardless of the merits of these claims. On November 12, 2015, a lawsuit alleging patent infringement, violation of a non-disclosure agreement, trade secret misappropriation and unjust enrichment, was submitted to the Central District Court in Israel by a company and an individual against ACSI and our significant shareholders. The amount sought in the lawsuit for registration fee purposes was NIS 5.0 million (approximately $1.4 million based on the exchange rate of $1.00 / NIS 3.456 in effect as of December 31, 2019), however the plaintiffs did not specify the amount of the compensation demanded. The plaintiffs alleged that certain GSM interception and decryption systems sold by ACSI apparently fall within the claim of an Israeli patent owned by the plaintiffs. Furthermore, the plaintiffs demanded to immediately cease any infringement of the patent as well as any further use of the claimed technology, including the further manufacture, export, sale or marketing of the alleged infringing products. See “Item 8A. Financial Information — Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal Proceedings.” We may not be successful in defending such litigation, including the pending litigation, in part due to the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation, and may not be able to procure any required royalty or license agreements on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

Third parties may also assert infringement claims against our customers. We sometimes undertake to indemnify our customers and resellers for infringement by our products of the proprietary rights of third parties, which, in some cases, may not be limited to a specified maximum amount and for which we may not have sufficient insurance coverage or adequate indemnification in the case of intellectual property licensed from a third-party. If any of these claims succeed, we may be forced to pay damages, be subject to injunction with respect to the use or sale of certain products and solutions, be required to obtain licenses for the products our customers or partners use, which may not be available on reasonable terms, or incur significant expenses in developing non-infringing alternatives.

The increase of focus on regulation and the expansion of laws regarding information security and data privacy issues, may cause incremental compliance costs, impact our business models and expose us to increased liability.

As a company dealing with international clients, we are subject to global privacy and data security laws and regulations. These may be inconsistent across jurisdictions and are subject to evolving and differing interpretations. Government regulators are increasingly inspecting how companies collect, process, use, store, share, and transmit personal data. This increased examination may result in additional compliance obligations or new interpretations of existing laws and regulations. While we have made efforts to be able to comply with such requirements, these new and emerging laws and regulations may impact our ability to reach new customers, to respond to their requests under these laws and to implement our business models effectively. This may also impact our products and services as well as our innovation in new and emerging technologies.

We face risks relating to our use of certain “open source” software tools.

Certain of the products and solutions we sell may contain a limited amount of open source code. Open source code is code that is covered by a license agreement that permits the user to liberally use, copy, modify and distribute the software without cost, provided that users and modifiers abide by certain licensing requirements. The original developers of the open source code provide no warranties on such code. As a result, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source code and we may incur expenses in defending claims that we did not abide by the open source code license. In addition, third-party licensors do not provide intellectual property protection with respect to the open source components of their products, and therefore we may not be indemnified by such third-party licensors in the event that we or our customers are held liable in respect of the open source software contained in such third-party software. If we are not successful in defending against any such claims that may arise, we may be subject to injunctions and/or monetary damages or the open source code would need to be removed from the products and solutions we sell. Such events could disrupt our operations and the sales of such products and solutions, which would negatively impact our revenues and cash flow.

Moreover, under certain conditions, the use of open source code to create derivative code may obligate us to make the resulting derivative code available to others at no cost. The circumstances under which the use of open source code would compel the offer of derivative code at no cost are subject to varying interpretations. If we are required to publicly disclose the source code for such derivative products or to license our derivative products that use an open source license, our previously proprietary software products may be available to others without charge. If this happens, our customers and our competitors may have access to our products without cost to them, which could harm our business. The use of such open source code, however, may ultimately subject some of our products to unintended conditions so that we are required to take remedial action that may divert resources away from our development efforts.

We may be subject to information technology system failures or disruptions that could harm our operations, financial condition or reputation.

We rely extensively on information technology systems to operate and manage our business and to process, maintain and safeguard information, including information belonging to our customers, partners, and personnel.

These systems may be subject to failures or disruptions as a result of, among other things, natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, new system implementations, acts of terrorism or war, physical security breaches, computer viruses, or other cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and, in many cases, may not be identified until a security breach actually occurs. We have experienced cyber-attacks in the past and may experience them in the future, potentially with greater frequency. While we are continually working to maintain secure and reliable systems, our security, redundancy, and business continuity efforts may be ineffective or inadequate. We must continuously improve our design and coordination of security controls. Despite our efforts, it is possible that our security controls and other procedures that we follow may not prevent systems failures or disruptions. Such system failures or disruptions could subject us to delays in our ability to process orders, delays in our ability to provide products, solutions and services to customers, delays or errors in financial reporting, compromise, disclosure, or loss of sensitive or confidential information or intellectual property, destruction or corruption of data, financial losses from remedial actions, theft, liabilities to customers or other third parties, or damage to our reputation. Information system failures at one of our suppliers or partners may also result in similar adverse consequences.

Any of the foregoing could harm our competitive position, result in a loss of customer confidence and materially and adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

Our intellectual property may not be sufficiently protected.

We do not protect our intellectual property with patents or other registrations. The ULIN technology we own is unprotected by a patent. Therefore, our intellectual property rights may not be successfully asserted in the future or may be invalidated or challenged. In order to safeguard our unpatented proprietary products, we rely primarily upon trade secret protection and non-disclosure provisions in agreements with employees and other third parties with access to our confidential information. There can be no assurance that these measures will sufficiently protect us from improper disclosure or misappropriation of our proprietary information. If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property against unauthorized third-party use or infringement, our competitive position could be adversely affected.

The mishandling or the perceived mishandling of sensitive information could harm our business.

The products we sell are in some cases used by customers to compile and analyze highly sensitive or confidential information and data, including information or data used in intelligence gathering or law enforcement activities. While our customers’ use of the products in no way affords us access to the customer’s sensitive or confidential information or data, we or our partners may receive or come into contact with such information or data, including personally identifiable information, when we are asked to perform services or support functions for our customers. We or our partners may also receive or come into contact with such information or data in connection with the use of our solutions. While employee contracts generally contain standard confidentiality provisions, we cannot assure the proper handling or processing of sensitive or confidential data by our employees. The improper handling of sensitive or confidential data, or even the perception of such mishandling (whether or not valid), or other security lapses by us or our partners or within the products, could reduce demand for such products or otherwise expose us to financial or reputational harm or legal liability.

Risks Related to our Operations in Israel

Conditions in Israel affect our operations and may limit our ability to produce and sell our products.

Our headquarters are located in Israel. In addition, all of our senior management and directors are residents of Israel. Accordingly, political, economic and military conditions in Israel may directly affect our business. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have taken place between Israel and its neighboring countries. In recent years, these have included hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza strip, both of which resulted in rockets being fired into Israel, causing casualties and disruption of economic activities. In addition, Israel faces threats from more distant neighbors, in particular, Iran. Our commercial insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of an event associated with the security situation in the Middle East. Although the Israeli government is currently committed to covering the reinstatement value of direct damages that are caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war, we cannot assure you that this government coverage will be maintained, or if maintained, will be sufficient to compensate us fully for damages incurred. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business. Any armed conflict involving Israel could adversely affect our operations and results of operations. 

Further, our operations could be disrupted by the obligations of personnel to perform military service. As of December 31, 2019, we have 14 employees based in Israel, certain of whom may be called upon to perform military reserve duty until they reach the age of 40 (and in some cases, depending on their specific military profession, up to 45 or even 49 years of age) and, in certain emergency circumstances, may be called to immediate and unlimited active duty. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence of a significant number of employees related to military service, which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Additionally, several countries, principally in the Middle East, still restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries and groups have imposed or may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies if hostilities in Israel or political instability in the region continues or increases. These restrictions may limit our ability to obtain manufactured components and raw materials from these countries or sell our products to companies in these countries. Furthermore, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, a global campaign attempting to increase economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with the stated goals of the movement, may gain increased traction and result in a boycott of Israeli products and services. Any hostilities involving Israel or the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its present trading partners, or significant downturn in the economic or financial condition of Israel, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to stringent export control regulations.

The Israeli government has adopted and amended laws and regulations regarding military and defense export controls, as well as the export of “dual use” items, and many of our suppliers are subject to national export regimes. Some of the solutions we offer incorporate decryption technology, which is subject to Israeli export control and may also be subject to non-Israeli export control when supplied from non-Israeli suppliers. If the required government approvals are not obtained, our ability to market, sell and export the products could be negatively impacted, which would result in a reduction in our revenues.

Certain of our activities are exempt from Israeli export control under the current export control regime as these activities do not involve the export of Israeli-controlled items from Israel, but rather the sale by us of items of non-Israeli origin to non-Israeli entities, which items are not exported from Israel (these activities are referred to as “Brokerage” under the 2007 Law). This exemption is due to the fact that the chapter of the 2007 Law relating to Brokerage transactions has not entered into force to date. If such chapter were to enter into force and apply to Brokerage transactions (even if such Brokerage does not involve the export of controlled goods from Israel), we may be required to obtain additional licenses or modify our method of doing business in the future. If we are unable to obtain such licenses or modify our method of doing business, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Recently, there has been a tendency by the relevant governmental authorities to implement a more extensive export control regime.

As stated earlier in Risk Factor “We are under an investigation by the Director of Security and by the Defense Export Controls Agency at the IMOD, which could have an impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and our personnel.”, the IMOD suspended the licenses granted to ASM and ACSI. IMOD has not informed us and we are unable to determine the conditions are for reinstating such licenses, which in any event may depend on the outcome of the criminal investigation taking place against the Company by the Israel Police referred to above. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the suspensions have forced us to stop exporting Israeli technology, which could have a negative impact on our business operations.

Due to our financial position, in some extraordinary and limited instances, we held back wages of its employees, which may result in legal claims under Israeli labor laws.

Due to our financial position, in some instances we held back wages of key personnel. According to Israeli labor laws, an employer who did not pay wages to its employees in a timely manner, and who did not prove that the late payment was due to a cause beyond its control, may be exposed to criminal liability. The extraordinary financial and legal circumstances under which we have been operating could be seen as an uncontrollable circumstance beyond its control. We believe we can present a reasonable defense for possible claims regarding the late payment of wages, in light of the efforts it has made to pay its employees in a timely manner. However, we may face liability for such holding back of wages, which could have a further negative impact on our operations.

Exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the NIS currencies may negatively affect our earnings.

Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar. We incur expenses in U.S. dollars and New Israeli Shekels. As a result, we are exposed to the risks that the NIS may appreciate relative to the U.S. dollar, or, if the NIS devalues relative to the U.S. dollar, that the inflation rate in Israel may exceed such rate of devaluation of the NIS, or that the timing of such devaluation may lag behind inflation in Israel. In any such event, the U.S. dollar cost of our operations in Israel would increase and our U.S. dollar-denominated results of operations would be adversely affected. The average exchange rate for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $1.00 = NIS 3.456. We cannot predict any future trends in fluctuation of the exchange rate, if any, of the NIS against the U.S. dollar.

The tax benefits that are available to ACSI under Israeli law require it to meet various conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which could increase its Israeli tax liability.

ACSI is eligible for certain tax benefits provided to “Preferred Enterprises” under the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959 (the “Investment Law”). The standard corporate tax rate for Israeli companies was 24% in 2017 and was reduced to 23% in 2018 and thereafter. Due to ACSI’s “Preferred Enterprise” status, ACSI could benefit from a reduced tax. Nevertheless, since ACSI has been suffering recurring losses and negative operation flow for several consecutive years, the beneficial tax rate is currently not of any use to the Company. The Israeli government may, furthermore, be independently determined to reduce, phase out, or eliminate entirely the benefits available under the Investment Law, which could also adversely affect ACSI’s global tax rate and the results of its operations.

Risks Relating to Incorporation in the Cayman Islands

As we are a Cayman Islands exempted company, it could be difficult for investors to effect service of process on and recover against us or our directors and officers, and our shareholders may face difficulties in protecting their interest and rights through the U.S. federal courts.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company, and our officers and directors are residents of various jurisdictions outside the United States. A substantial portion of our assets and the assets of our officers and directors, at any one time, are and may be located in jurisdictions outside the United States. Further, except with respect to certain limited matters, we have no agent for service of process within the United States, which would make it difficult for investors to effect service of process in the United States on us or our directors and officers who reside outside the United States, or to recover against us or our directors and officers on judgments of U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal securities laws.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our charter documents, consisting of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, by the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands (as supplemented or amended from time to time) (the “Companies Law”) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors are governed by Cayman Islands law and are different as under statutes or judicial precedent in jurisdictions such as the United States. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived, in part, from relatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding in the Cayman Islands. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. While there is some case law in the Cayman Islands on these matters, it is not as developed as, for example, in the United States. In addition, the laws of the Cayman Islands relating to the protection of the interests of minority shareholders differ in some respects from those established under statutes or judicial precedent in the United States. Such differences may mean that our minority shareholders may have less protection than they would have had under the laws of the United States. The less protective nature of such laws in the Cayman Islands may make it more difficult for our shareholders to protect their interests in the face of actions by our management or directors than shareholders of a corporation incorporated in other jurisdictions. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders’ derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

As a result of all of the above, our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or significant shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. company.

If we are deemed or become a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes in 2019 or in any prior or subsequent years, there may be negative tax consequences for U.S. taxpayers that are holders of our shares or warrants.

We will be treated as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year in which either (i) at least 75% of our gross income is “passive income” or (ii) on average at least 50% of our assets by value produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income for this purpose generally includes, among other things, certain dividends, interest, royalties, rents and gains from commodities and securities transactions and from the sale or exchange of property that gives rise to passive income. Passive income also includes amounts derived by reason of the temporary investment of funds, including those raised in a public offering. In determining whether a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC, a proportionate share of the income and assets of each corporation in which it owns, directly or indirectly, at least a 25% interest (by value) is taken into account.

We believe it is likely we were not a PFIC for 2019. Because the PFIC determination is highly fact intensive, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for 2020 or for any other taxable year. If we were to be characterized as a PFIC in any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10E. Additional Information—Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation” below) owns our ordinary shares or warrants, then “excess distributions” to such U.S. Holder and any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of our shares or warrants, as applicable, will be subject to special rules. Under these rules: (i) the excess distribution or gain would be allocated ratably over the U.S. shareholder’s holding period for shares or warrants, as applicable; (ii) the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any period prior to the first day of the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC would be taxed as ordinary income; and (iii) the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years would be subject to tax at the highest rate of tax in effect for the applicable class of taxpayer for that year, and an interest charge for the deemed deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year. Certain of the adverse consequences of PFIC status with respect to our ordinary shares can be mitigated if a U.S. Holder makes an election to treat us as a qualified electing fund (“QEF”) or makes a “mark-to-market” election with respect to our ordinary shares. Such elections would be unavailable with respect to our warrants. In addition, if the U.S. Internal Revenue Service determines that we are a PFIC for a year with respect to which we have determined that we were likely not a PFIC, it may be too late for a U.S. Holder to make a timely QEF or mark-to-market election. U.S. Holders who hold our shares or warrants during a period when we are a PFIC will generally be subject to the foregoing rules, even if we cease to be a PFIC in subsequent years, subject to certain exceptions, including for U.S. Holders of our ordinary shares who made a timely QEF or mark-to-market election. A U.S. Holder can make a QEF election by completing the relevant portions of and filing IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the instructions thereto. A QEF election generally may not be revoked without the consent of the IRS. If an investor provides reasonable notice to us that it has determined to make a QEF election, we shall endeavor to timely provide annual financial information to such investor as may be reasonably required for purposes of filing United States federal income tax returns in connection with such QEF election.

Certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may make it difficult for shareholders to change the composition of our board of directors and may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that some shareholders may consider beneficial.

Certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control if our board of directors determines that such changes in control are not in the best interests of us and our shareholders. The provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association include, among other things, those that:

While these provisions have the effect of encouraging persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate with our board of directors, they could enable the board of directors to hinder or frustrate a transaction that some, or a majority, of the shareholders may believe to be in their best interests and, in that case, may prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors.

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management members by making it more difficult for shareholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.

We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those applicable to a U.S. issuer.

We report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), as a foreign private issuer. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. public companies, including (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, while U.S. domestic issuers that are not large accelerated filers or accelerated filers are required to file their Annual Reports on Form 10-K within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year, foreign private issuers are not required to file their Annual Report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from the Regulation Fair Disclosure, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are not foreign private issuers.

Risks Related to our Ordinary Shares and Warrants

We face risks related to the delisting of our ordinary shares, as our ability to publicly or privately sell equity securities, and the liquidity of our ordinary shares is being adversely affected.

The delisting from Nasdaq forced us to obtain a substitute platform for our ordinary shares in the US. The OTC Pink is a platform with less liquidity, and therefore the price of our ordinary shares is more volatile than it was when our ordinary shares were listed on Nasdaq. Shareholders may not be able to sell their ordinary shares in the quantities, at the times, or at the prices that could potentially be available on a more liquid trading market. As a result of these factors, the price of our ordinary shares is likely to decline. Delisting may have other negative results, including the potential loss of confidence by our employees, customers, the loss of institutional investor interest, fewer business development opportunities and may affect others as well. Moreover, as our ordinary shares were delisted from Nasdaq, we are no longer exempt from certain corporate governance provisions of the Israeli Securities Law, and therefore will have more burdensome disclosure requirements.

As our ordinary shares have been listed for trading on the TASE, we are obligated to comply with TASE regulations and directives. These include the “maintenance rules”, minimum criteria that publicly traded companies must meet, which constitute a condition for their continued TASE listing. Non-compliance with one of the requirements in the maintenance rules, could be a ground for the transfer of the relevant security to the “maintenance list” where securities are traded on a restricted basis. As of the date of this report, we have not yet faced an examination by the TASE regarding our compliance. Nevertheless, one condition that could result in our ordinary shares being moved to the maintenance list, is the requirement that the value of public shareholdings in the Company’s equity be no less than NIS 5.0 million (approximately $1.4 million based on the exchange rate of $1.00 / NIS 3.456 in effect as of December 31, 2019). If we do not comply with this condition, the Company may be notified in the future by the TASE of possible non-compliance, which could lead to a transfer of shares to the maintenance list and a possible delisting of our securities from trade on the TASE. If our ordinary shares are placed on the maintenance list, these securities shall be marked with a special symbol and traded in a limited format.

Since following our delisting from the Nasdaq we are no longer a “dual listed” company, we are obligated to follow certain corporate governance requirements applicable to TASE-listed companies incorporated outside Israel, which may result in less protection than is accorded to investors under rules applicable to domestic issuers.

Further to delisting from Nasdaq, the Company ceased being a “dual-listed” company. As a “dual-listed” company, we were entitled to follow corporate governance rules of the Cayman Islands consistent with SEC rules and Nasdaq listing requirements. Once we ceased to be a “dual-listed” company, we became obligated to follow certain Israeli corporate governance practices instead of those otherwise required for foreign private issuers or domestic issuers under US securities laws. For instance, the Company is required to appoint two “external” directors, as those are defined under the Israeli law. Following Israeli corporate governance practices, as opposed to the requirements that would otherwise apply to a US company listed on Nasdaq, may provide less protection than is accorded to investors under the rules of Nasdaq applicable to foreign private issuers or domestic issuers. In some respects, Israeli corporate governance practices are more burdensome on the Company. For example, the process for electing external directors requires approval in general meeting of Company’s shareholders.

In addition, we are exempt from certain rules and regulations under the Exchange Act related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors, and significant shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. This may add to the lower amount of protection accorded to investors.

Trading of our ordinary shares is restricted by the SEC’s penny stock regulations, which may limit a shareholder’s ability to buy and sell our ordinary shares.

The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price (as defined) of less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors”. The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $5.0 million or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1.0 million or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC, which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our ordinary shares.

FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit a shareholder’s ability to buy and sell our shares.

In addition to the “penny stock” rules described above, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our ordinary shares, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our shares and have an adverse effect on the market for our shares.

We have received various requests for advancement and indemnification from present and former officers, directors and service providers.

We have received various requests for advancement (i.e., advances of legal fees and related costs) and indemnification from present and former officers, directors and service providers of ours in connection with the various ongoing investigations and legal proceedings to which such officers, directors and service providers were either named as defendants or were requested to take actions. See “Item 8A. Financial Information — Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal Proceedings.” If found to be indemnifiable pursuant to our agreements with such officers, directors and service providers, these claims may be significant.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we intend to take advantage of reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could result in our ordinary shares being less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, (the “JOBS Act”), and we intend to continue to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting and governance requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Investors may find our ordinary shares less attractive because we rely on such exemptions. We may take advantage of these reporting and governance exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we have chosen to “opt out” of such extended transition period, and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for companies that are not “emerging growth companies.” Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting and if we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we are required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, to perform system and process evaluations and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment must include disclosure of any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified by our management. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that results in more than a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 also generally requires an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of the exemption permitting us not to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. See “Risk Factor - We are an “emerging growth company” and we intend to take advantage of reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could result in our ordinary shares being less attractive to investors.” At the time when we are no longer an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future.

We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2019, as in the prior years. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.” Due to a lack of resources, during 2019, as in previous years, we were unable to implement our remediation plans and expect to have material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting for the foreseeable future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to remedy the material weaknesses and conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our ordinary shares could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the TASE, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.

Our management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective, and due to inherent limitations, there can be no assurance that our system of disclosure controls and procedures will be successful in preventing all errors or fraud or in informing management of all material information in a timely manner in the future.

Our management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, were ineffective, as in the prior years. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.” Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent all errors and all fraud.  A control system, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.  Further, the design of a control system reflects that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs.  Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all our control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been or will be detected.  These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur simply because of error or mistake.  Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by circumvention of the internal control procedures.  The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.  Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected.

The price of our ordinary shares has been, and continues to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses by our investors or class action litigation. 

The market price of our ordinary shares has been, and continues to be, highly volatile. During 2019, for example, our ordinary shares traded on the TASE in a range with a low of NIS 1.09 (approximately $0.31 based on the $ / NIS exchange rate of such day) and a high of NIS 8.27 (approximately $2.24 based on the $ / NIS exchange rate of such day) and, on the Nasdaq in a range with a low of $0.32 and a high of $2.35. During 2020 through May 27, 2020, our ordinary shares traded on the TASE in a range with a low of NIS 0.65 (approximately $0.17 based on the $ / NIS exchange rate of such day) and a high of NIS 1.32 (approximately $0.38 based on the $ / NIS exchange rate of such day) and have been quoted on the OTC Pink with a low of $0.20 and high of $0.39. In the past, shareholders have initiated class action lawsuits against companies following periods of volatility in the market prices of these companies’ stock. We have previously faced class action lawsuits brought by shareholders. Any further class action litigation, if instituted against us, could cause us to incur substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.

The price of our ordinary shares may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, including:

These market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our ordinary shares, regardless of our operating performance.

Our international operations subject us to currency exchange risk.

We earn revenues, pay expenses, own assets and incur liabilities in countries using currencies other than the U.S. dollar, including (among others) the NIS and Euro. Because our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, we must translate revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities denominated in non-U.S. dollar functional currencies into U.S. dollars using currency exchange rates in effect during or at the end of each reporting period. Therefore, changes in currency exchange rates affect our consolidated operating income. In addition, our net income is further impacted by the revaluation and settlement of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency, gains or losses on which are recorded within income (expense), net.

Our income tax rate is complex and subject to uncertainty.

Computations of our taxes on income and withholding obligations are complex because they are based on the laws of numerous tax jurisdictions. These computations require significant judgment on the application of complicated rules governing accounting for tax provisions under GAAP. The international nature of our structure and operations creates uncertainties. Such financial projections are based on numerous assumptions, including the expectations of profit and loss. We may not accurately forecast the various items that comprise the projections.

From time to time, we may be subject to income and other tax audits (including in Israel), the timing of which are unpredictable. While we believe we comply with applicable tax laws, there can be no assurance that a governing tax authority will not have a different interpretation of the law and assess us with additional taxes. Any additional taxes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

In recent years, we have seen changes in tax laws resulting in an increase in applicable tax rates, in part stemming from public pressure to increase tax liabilities of corporations and to limit the ability to gain from strategic tax planning, with a focus on international corporations. Such legislative changes in one or more jurisdictions in which we operate may have implications on our tax liability and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. The Israeli corporate tax rate increased until its reduction in 2017 and thereafter. Furthermore, the Israeli government may determine to reduce, phase out or eliminate entirely tax benefits currently available under certain government programs. If corporate tax rates increase or the tax benefits under such government programs were to be reduced or eliminated, our effective tax rate may increase, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations. 

Our shareholder composition may make it difficult for shareholders to significantly influence the decisions of the general meeting.

As of the date of this Annual Report, 39.82% of our ordinary shares are beneficially held by our significant shareholders, Anatoly Hurgin, our Chief Executive Officer, and Alexander Aurovsky, our Chief Technology Officer, both of whom are directors. Consequently, Messrs. Hurgin and Aurovsky may have the ability, either acting alone or jointly, to significantly influence or determine the outcome of specific matters submitted to the general meeting for approval, including amendments to our articles of association and election of members to our board of directors, and may make it difficult for other shareholders to significantly influence the outcome of a general meeting.

On April 9, 2017, we received letters from each of Amnon Dick, Efraim Halevy, Amos Malka, Meir Moshe and Shalom Singer, representing all our former independent directors, tendering their resignation as members of our board of directors and committees thereof, effective immediately. At the time of their resignations, Mr. Dick was Chairman of our board of directors and a member of the audit and compensation committees; Mr. Halevy was a member of the nominating committee; Mr. Malka was a member of the compensation committee; Mr. Moshe was Chairman of the audit committee and Chairman of the nominating committee; and Mr. Singer was Chairman of the compensation committee and a member of the audit and nominating committees. Each of Messrs. Dick, Malka, Moshe and Singer stated in their respective resignation letter that their resignation was due to his approach to risk assessment and management of our affairs not being aligned with that of our founding directors and significant shareholders, which made them unable to contribute to us in a productive way. Each noted that, in view of the various challenges that we are currently facing, a shared vision and broad cooperation among our significant shareholders and directors is required and that in view of the foregoing, and especially as they served as a director for only a few months, they do not believe it would be appropriate to continue to serve as a director. Mr. Halevy did not state any reason for his resignation in his resignation letter. Following the resignation of the former independent directors, on May 15, 2017 we appointed Levi Ilsar, Brigadier General (Ret.) Eli Polak and Nimrod Schwartz to serve as independent directors on our board of directors and the audit, compensation and nominating committees thereof, in each case effective as of May 17, 2017. However, on June 29, 2017, Levi Ilsar, Eli Polak and Nimrod Schwartz, representing all of our independent directors, tendered their written resignations with immediate effect. Each of Messrs. Ilsar, Polak and Schwartz stated in his respective resignation notice that his resignation was due, among other things, to the lack of cooperation by management which prevented him from fulfilling his duties as an independent director. On July 5, 2017, our board appointed three new independent directors, Avraham Dan, Naftali Granot and Limor Beladev, effective immediately. On July 24, 2017 and October 15, 2017, our board appointed additional independent directors, Brigadier General (Ret.) Yair Cohen and Joseph Tenne, respectively, effective immediately. On April 22, 2019, Mr. Granot notified us of his resignation from the board, effective immediately. On January 19, 2020, Joseph Tenne, Avraham Dan and Limor Beladev notified us of their resignation as members of the board, effective immediately. On February 26, 2020, the Company’s Extraordinary General Meeting appointed Ayelet Steinberg and Maya Sadrina, both with financial expertise, as external directors, effective immediately. However, on March 11, 2020, Ayelet Steinberg notified us of her resignation. On March 15, 2020, Avi Levin was dismissed from his position as our Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately and he was replaced by Evyatar Cohen.

The interests of our significant shareholders may not always be aligned with those of our other shareholders. In addition, conflict of interests may exist or occur between our significant shareholders. Any material conflicts of interests between our significant shareholders and other stakeholders may have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

We incur significant costs and obligations as a result of being a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives and reporting requirements.

As a public company in the United States and in Israel, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses as a result of our being subject to the reporting requirements of Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and listing of our ordinary shares on the TASE in Israel. These include costs associated with corporate governance requirements of the TASE, as well as requirements under Section 404 and other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”). These rules and regulations have increased our legal and financial compliance costs, introduced new costs such as investor relations, stock exchange listing fees and shareholder reporting, and made some activities more time consuming and costly. Any future changes in the laws and regulations affecting public companies in the United States and Israel, including Section 404 and other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules and regulations adopted by the SEC and any exchange or quotation system on which our ordinary shares may be listed or quoted, as well as compliance with the applicable full Israeli reporting requirements which currently apply to us as a company listed on the TASE.

Pursuant to the delisting of our ordinary shares from Nasdaq, as of January 1, 2020, the Company changed its TASE reporting arrangement. Following delisting from Nasdaq, we, after a half a year grace period, will be obligated to furnish periodic and annual reports according to the TASE requirements. During the grace period, we must file immediate reports pursuant to Israeli securities laws requirements. After such grace period, we will be required to file reports in accordance with the rules applicable to companies listed solely on the TASE. This transition will result in additional costs to us with respect to legal and accounting changes, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we may reconsider its reporting requirements in the United States and, in the event that we determines it is able to do so, we may cease to be a reporting company in the United States. If we cease to be a reporting company in the United States, the ability of our shareholders to sell their shares will be further limited.

These laws, rules and regulations could make it more difficult or more costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers.

If we are unable to develop and implement adequate required accounting practices and policies, we may be unable to provide the financial information required of a U.S. publicly traded company in a timely and reliable manner.

As a U.S. publicly traded company, the implementation of all required accounting practices and policies and the hiring of additional financial staff will increase our operating costs and could require significant time and resources from our management and employees. If we are unable to develop and maintain effective internal controls and procedures and disclosure controls and procedures, we may be unable to provide financial information and required SEC reports that a U.S. publicly traded company is required to provide in a timely and reliable fashion. Any such delays or deficiencies could penalize us, including by limiting our ability to obtain financing, either in the public capital markets or from private sources and hurt our reputation and could thereby impede our ability to implement our growth strategy.

Reports published by analysts, including projections in those reports that differ from our actual results, could adversely affect the price and trading volume of our ordinary shares.

Securities research analysts may establish and publish their own periodic projections for our business. These projections may vary widely and may not accurately predict the results we actually achieve. Our share price may decline if our actual results do not match the projections of these securities research analysts. Similarly, if one or more of the analysts who write reports on us downgrades our ordinary shares or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, our share price or trading volume could decline. While we do expect research analyst coverage, if no analysts choose to cover us, the trading price and volume for our ordinary shares could be adversely affected.

We may issue additional ordinary shares or other equity securities without shareholder approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of our ordinary shares.

We may issue additional ordinary shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among other things, our equity incentive plan or future vessel acquisitions or repayment of outstanding indebtedness, without shareholder approval, in a number of circumstances.

Issuance of additional ordinary shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:

We currently do not intend to declare or pay cash dividends in the near future. Any return on investment may be limited to the value of our securities.

We currently do not anticipate declaring or paying cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the near future. Our board of directors has discretion to declare and pay dividends on our ordinary shares and will make any determination to do so based on a number of factors, such as our operating results, financial condition, current and anticipated cash needs and other business and economic factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands, no dividend or other distribution shall be paid except out of our realized or unrealized profits, out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by law. If we do not pay dividends, our ordinary shares may be less valuable because a return on your investment will only occur if the trading price of our securities appreciates. You should not rely on an investment in us if you require dividend income from your investments.

Future resales of our ordinary shares issued to our significant shareholders may cause the market price of our securities to drop significantly, even if our business is performing well.

Under the Business Combination agreement, Messrs. Hurgin and Aurovsky received, among other things, an aggregate of: (i) 1,621,327 of our ordinary shares; (ii) $18,150,000 in cash; and (iii) an additional number of ordinary shares to be issued upon and subject to ACSI achieving certain net income targets. See “Item 4A. Information on the Company - History and Development of the Company - Our History - Lock-Up Agreements.” The ordinary shares held by Messrs. Hurgin and Aurovsky are “restricted securities” as defined under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act and may only be sold pursuant to an effective registration statement or an exemption from registration, if available. Messrs. Hurgin and Aurovsky may rely on the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144, if available, in which case, resales must meet the criteria and conform to the requirements of the rule, including compliance with the applicable holding period, volume limitations and availability of current public information. Thus, upon satisfaction of the requirements of Rule 144, Messrs. Hurgin and Aurovsky may sell large amounts of our shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, which could have the effect of increasing volatility in our share price or putting significant downward pressure on the price of our shares.