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TROOPS(TROO) - 2024 Q4 - Annual Report
TROOPSTROOPS(US:TROO)2025-04-30 20:30

Forward-Looking Statements This section outlines the nature of forward-looking statements and the inherent risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from projections - This annual report contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations and projections, which are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and these statements are not guarantees of future performance131415 - Key risks highlighted that could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements are categorized as follows162022 - Business and Industry Risks: Include potential fines for non-compliance, data privacy regulations, security breaches, competition in money lending, and reliance on fintech services technology1819 - Jurisdictional Risks: Pertain to operating in Hong Kong and the PRC, including legal system uncertainties, potential PRC government intervention, and implications of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA)2021 - Share-related Risks: Include failure to meet NASDAQ listing requirements, stock price volatility, and potential dilution2223 Part I Item 3. Key Information This section provides key financial data for the last three fiscal years, highlighting significant growth in revenue and a substantial increase in net loss for 2024, and details a comprehensive list of risk factors related to the company's business, operating jurisdictions, and its publicly traded shares A. Selected Financial Data This section presents a summary of the company's consolidated financial performance and position over the past three fiscal years Consolidated Statement of Income Data (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | REVENUES | 10,073 | 3,569 | 3,875 | | GROSS PROFIT | 1,941 | 776 | 822 | | OPERATING LOSS | (5,728) | (1,802) | (536) | | NET LOSS | (13,413) | (1,719) | (346) | | Loss per share (Basic & Diluted) | (0.13) | (0.02) | (0.01) | Consolidated Balance Sheet Data (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Total assets | 79,185 | 70,345 | 69,686 | | Total liabilities | 10,936 | 9,766 | 7,482 | | Total equity | 68,249 | 60,579 | 62,204 | D. Risk Factors This section details the various business, jurisdictional, and share-related risks that could materially impact the company's operations and financial results - Business & Industry Risks: The company faces risks from regulatory scrutiny in data protection and anti-money laundering, potential cybersecurity breaches, intense competition in the money lending industry, and reliance on the performance of the Hong Kong real estate market556174 - Jurisdictional Risks (Hong Kong & PRC): Operations are subject to uncertainties in the Hong Kong and PRC legal systems, the PRC government may intervene in business operations, and changes in PRC regulations on overseas listings could impact the company, while the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA) poses a delisting risk if the PCAOB cannot inspect auditors, though the current auditor is not on the non-inspection list11011498 - Share-Related Risks: The company may fail to meet NASDAQ's continued listing requirements, such as the minimum bid price, the trading price of ordinary shares is likely to be volatile, and as a foreign private issuer, the company is exempt from certain SEC reporting and governance requirements applicable to U.S. domestic companies169173186 - Cash Transfer & Dividend Risks: As a holding company, TROOPS, Inc. relies on dividends from its subsidiaries in Hong Kong and the PRC, and PRC capital controls and foreign exchange regulations may restrict the ability of PRC subsidiaries to remit funds, potentially affecting the company's ability to pay dividends to its shareholders37141147 Item 4. Information on the Company This section details the company's history, from its origins as a blank check company to its current status as a diversified conglomerate, outlining its primary business segments: money lending, property investment, and fintech services, recently expanded to include insurance consultancy and advisory services, and also covers regulations, organizational structure, and property holdings A. History and Development of the Company This section traces the company's evolution through strategic acquisitions and disposals, highlighting its shift towards a diversified conglomerate structure - The company originated as a blank check company and has evolved through a series of strategic acquisitions and disposals, transitioning its business model over time201 - Key historical transactions include the acquisition and subsequent sale of Honesty Group (manufacturing) and SGOCO (Fujian) (LCD/LED products), shifting the company towards a "light-asset" model211220226 - The company has built its current conglomerate structure through several key acquisitions: Giant Credit (money lending, 2017), 11 Hau Fook Street and Paris Sky (property investment, 2018), Vision Lane (property and money lending, 2019), GFS and Apiguru (fintech, 2019-2020)240241245 - In 2024, the company acquired Riches Holdings for $13.4 million, paid via a convertible note, expanding its services into financial and insurance advisory, immigration and education consultation, and property agency services248249 B. Business Overview This section outlines TROOPS, Inc.'s principal business segments, including money lending, property investment, fintech services, and newly acquired consultancy and advisory services - TROOPS, Inc. is a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with a vision to build synergy within its ecosystem, and its principal business segments are252 - Money Lending: Provides mortgage, personal, and corporate loans in Hong Kong through subsidiaries Giant Credit Limited and First Asia Finance Limited253254 - Property Investment: Generates rental income from a portfolio of commercial properties in Hong Kong255 - Applications, Technology & Services: Operates an online financial marketplace (GFS) and provides API consulting services (Apiguru), leveraging AI, big data, and blockchain256260 - Consultancy & Advisory Services (via Riches acquisition): Offers consultancy for insurance products and advisory/referral services for overseas education and immigration262263 E. Property, Plant and Equipment This section provides a breakdown of the carrying value of the company's property, plant, and equipment across its key subsidiaries Carrying Value of Property, Plant and Equipment by Subsidiary (as of Dec 31, 2024) | Subsidiary | Carrying Value (in millions of U.S. dollars) | | :--- | :--- | | Giant Credit | $0.55 | | 11 Hau Fook Street | $2.14 | | Suns Tower | $41.34 | | Vision Lane | $0.88 | Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects This section provides management's analysis of the company's financial performance and condition, noting that for fiscal year 2024, revenues increased significantly to $10.07 million, driven by new business lines from the Riches Holdings acquisition, however, the net loss also widened substantially to $13.41 million, largely due to a non-cash loss on convertible notes and increased operating expenses, with the company's liquidity primarily sourced from operations and financing activities, holding $5.17 million in cash at year-end A. Operating Results This section analyzes the company's financial performance, detailing revenue drivers, cost structures, and the primary factors contributing to the net loss for the fiscal year Financial Performance Comparison: 2024 vs. 2023 (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | Metric | 2024 | 2023 | Change (%) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Revenue | $10,073 | $3,569 | +182.2% | | Cost of Revenues | $8,132 | $2,793 | +191.2% | | Gross Profit | $1,941 | $776 | +150.1% | | General & Admin Expenses | $3,956 | $2,754 | +43.6% | | Net Loss | $13,413 | $1,719 | +680.3% | - The 182.2% increase in revenue in 2024 was primarily driven by the acquisition of Riches Holdings, which contributed $4.48 million from consultancy services for insurance products and $0.36 million from advisory and referral services346 - The significant increase in net loss in 2024 was mainly due to a $7.69 million non-cash loss on the change in fair value of convertible notes related to the Riches Holdings acquisition, and a $3.47 million impairment loss on loan and interest receivables354352357 Revenue by Major Product Line: 2024 vs. 2023 (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | Product Line | 2024 | 2023 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Interest on loans | $3,308 | $2,313 | | Property lease and management | $1,780 | $1,069 | | Applications, technology & services | $151 | $187 | | Consultancy services for insurance products | $4,478 | $— | | Advisory and referral services | $356 | $— | | Total | $10,073 | $3,569 | B. Liquidity and Capital Resources This section assesses the company's cash position, working capital, and cash flow movements from operating, investing, and financing activities - As of December 31, 2024, the company held $5.17 million in cash and cash equivalents and had a working capital of $13.64 million373 Summary of Cash Flows (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Net cash from (used in) operating activities | 1,955 | (6,538) | (368) | | Net cash from (used in) investing activities | 492 | 4,779 | (156) | | Net cash from (used in) financing activities | (384) | 1,923 | — | - Net cash from operating activities was positive in 2024 at $1.96 million, a significant improvement from a $6.54 million use of cash in 2023, primarily due to large non-cash expenses (like the loss on convertible notes) and a decrease in loan receivables377 F. Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations This section presents a summary of the company's contractual obligations, detailing amounts due to shareholders and advances from unrelated parties Contractual Obligations as of December 31, 2024 (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | Obligation | Total | Less than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More than 5 Years | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Amount due to a shareholder | $1,538 | $1,538 | $— | $— | $— | | Advances from unrelated parties | $547 | $547 | $— | $— | $— | | Total | $2,085 | $2,085 | $— | $— | $— | Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees This section provides details on the company's leadership, board structure, compensation practices, and employee base, including biographical information for key executives and directors, outlining the 2016 Omnibus Equity Plan, and presenting share ownership data for major shareholders and insiders A. Directors and Senior Management This section provides an overview of the company's key management personnel and directors Key Management Personnel | Name | Position | | :--- | :--- | | Damian Thurnheer | Chief Executive Officer and President | | Tommy Wing Ling Lui | Chief Technology Officer | | Chung Hang Lui | Chief Financial Officer | | Tony Zhong | Vice President of Finance | | Rui Wu | Director | B. Compensation This section details the aggregate cash compensation paid to executive officers and outlines the company's equity incentive plan - The aggregate cash compensation paid to executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2024, was approximately $0.23 million410 - The company has a 2016 Omnibus Equity Plan, which provides for up to 2,500,000 ordinary shares to be issued as awards to attract, motivate, and retain employees and other eligible persons414415 E. Share Ownership This section presents the ownership percentages of the company's major shareholders Major Shareholders (as of April 23, 2025) | Shareholder | Ownership (%) | | :--- | :--- | | Prime Ocean Holdings Limited | 25.8% | | Leung Iris Chi Yu | 20.6% | | LIANTENG LIMITED | 9.7% | Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions This section details transactions with related parties, with key transactions in 2024 including providing insurance referral services to a company owned by a director and receiving a loan from a major shareholder B. Related Party Transactions This section details significant transactions with related parties, including revenue from services provided to a director-owned entity and loans from a major shareholder - For the year ended December 31, 2024, the company recognized $3.05 million in revenue from insurance referral services provided to Riches Credit Insurance Brokerage Limited, a company principally owned by director Rui Wu447391 - A major shareholder, Ms. Kwok Kai Kai Clara, provided loans to the company, with the outstanding amount due to her being $1.54 million as of December 31, 2024446389 Item 8. Financial Information This section notes that the full consolidated financial statements are provided elsewhere in the report and discloses a significant ongoing lawsuit in Hong Kong (HCA 938 of 2022) against the company and several subsidiaries, for which a judgment is pending A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information This section confirms the inclusion of consolidated financial statements and discloses details of a significant ongoing civil lawsuit in Hong Kong - The company and certain subsidiaries are defendants in a civil lawsuit in Hong Kong (HCA 938 of 2022) involving allegations of unlawful means of conspiracy, with the trial concluding in August 2024 and a judgment pending, and the company believes the lawsuit is without merit and is unable to estimate a range of potential loss453454457 - The company does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future, intending to retain future earnings to finance business expansion458 Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk The company's primary market risk is credit risk associated with its money lending business in Hong Kong, also facing concentration risks related to customers and geography, managing credit risk through approval procedures and collateral requirements, while foreign currency risk is considered not significant due to the HKD-USD peg and immaterial transactions in other currencies Concentration of Credit Risk This section discusses the company's primary credit risk from money lending activities, including provisions for loan losses and customer concentration - The company's most significant risk is credit risk from its money lending activities, which are geographically concentrated in Hong Kong522524 Movement of Provision for Loan Losses (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | | 2024 | 2023 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Balance as of January 1 | $2,023 | $2,072 | | Provisions for doubtful accounts | $3,515 | $287 | | Recoveries of amounts previously charged off | ($47) | ($336) | | Balance as of December 31 | $5,491 | $2,023 | - As of Dec 31, 2024, loan receivables from two customers accounted for 11% and 31% of the total loan receivables529 Concentration of Customer and Geographic Area This section highlights the company's revenue concentration by major customer and geographic region - For the year ended Dec 31, 2024, one major customer accounted for 30% of the company's total revenues531 Revenue by Geographic Area (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | Region | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Hong Kong | 10,047 | 3,442 | 3,595 | | Australia | — | 127 | 278 | | PRC | 26 | — | — | | Total | 10,073 | 3,569 | 3,873 | Part II Item 15. Controls and Procedures Management concluded that the company's disclosure controls and procedures, as well as its internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), were effective as of December 31, 2024, following the successful remediation of several material weaknesses identified in prior years, particularly related to documentation, loan risk monitoring, and accounting personnel expertise, with the independent auditor also issuing an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the ICFR Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting This section presents management's assessment of the effectiveness of the company's internal control over financial reporting - Management assessed the company's internal control over financial reporting and concluded that it was effective as of December 31, 2024, based on the COSO 2013 framework546 Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting This section details the remediation efforts undertaken by the company to address previously identified material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting - In 2024, the company implemented remediation plans to address previously identified material weaknesses, with key improvements including548 - Enhanced documentation for internal controls and their operating effectiveness548550 - Established and implemented formal policies for loan credit risk monitoring and management of expired/overdue loans551552 - Provided comprehensive U.S. GAAP training for key financial reporting personnel and established appropriate review functions554 - Management concluded that as of December 31, 2024, the previously identified material weaknesses had been remedied555 Item 16. Other Information This section covers various corporate governance and compliance topics, disclosing fees paid to the principal accountant, detailing a change in the certifying accountant in March 2023, and describing the company's cybersecurity risk management processes, which are overseen by the full board Item 16C. Principal Accountant Fees and Services This section discloses the fees paid to the company's principal accountant for audit and other services Principal Accountant Fees (In thousands of U.S. dollars) | | 2024 | 2023 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Audit Fee | $305 | $280 | | Total | $305 | $280 | Item 16F. Changes in Registrant's Certifying Accountant This section details the change in the company's independent registered public accounting firm in March 2023 - On March 3, 2023, the company dismissed WWC, P.C. and appointed Audit Alliance LLP as its new independent registered public accounting firm573576 Item 16K. Cybersecurity This section outlines the company's processes for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks, including board oversight and the absence of material incidents - The company has processes to assess, identify, and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats, which are integrated into its overall risk management framework, and it engages third-party consultants to enhance its cybersecurity capabilities583584 - The full board of directors oversees cybersecurity risks, and no cybersecurity incidents have materially affected the company for the year ended December 31, 2024588585 Part III Item 18. Financial Statements This section presents the company's audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024, noting that the independent auditor, Audit Alliance LLP, issued an unqualified opinion on both the financial statements and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, and identified two Critical Audit Matters: the allowance for expected credit losses (CECL) on various receivables and the impairment assessment of property, plant, and equipment Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm This section presents the independent auditor's unqualified opinions on the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting, along with identified Critical Audit Matters - The independent auditor, Audit Alliance LLP, issued an unqualified opinion on the consolidated financial statements for the three years ended December 31, 2024, stating they are presented fairly in conformity with U.S. GAAP598 - The auditor also issued an unqualified opinion on the company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024599 - Two Critical Audit Matters (CAMs) were identified: 1. Allowance for current expected credit losses (CECL): Due to the subjective judgment and significant estimates involved in evaluating the CECL for loan receivables, accounts receivables, and other receivables602603 2. Impairment of Property, Plant and Equipment: Due to the complexity and judgment used by management in developing the fair value measurement for impairment testing606 Consolidated Financial Statements This section lists the comprehensive set of consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes for the past three fiscal years - The consolidated financial statements include the Balance Sheets, Statements of Comprehensive Loss, Statements of Shareholders' Equity, Statements of Cash Flows, and the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022610612614