Note 3 - Liquidity and Capital Resources

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Notes to Financial Statements

Liquidity and Management’s Plan, Policy [Policy Text Block]

3. Liquidity and Capital Resources

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company incurred a loss from operations of US$6.10 million and a net operating cash outflow of US$4.41 million. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of US$2.15 million and working capital of US$7.82 million.

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents balance was relatively low as of September 30, 2022 because that the Company is normally required to pay more advance payments to its major suppliers, i.e., the key search engines as a buffer before the National Holiday Golden Week of the PRC (the first week of October), to ensure adequate balances in its accounts for the consumption during the holiday. After the holiday, along with the subsequent collection of accounts receivable for services provided and additional advance payments from the customers, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents balance as of October 31, 2022 increased by approximately 13%, compared with that as of September 30, 2022.

The Company experienced temporary decreases in revenue and gross profit, and did not generate positive cash flow from its existing core business, i.e., Internet advertising and related data service business for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. This was primarily attributable to the repeated severe COVID-19 cases rebound in many provinces in China during the first nine months of fiscal 2022, which resulted in regional large-scale quarantine and business shutdown, and further resulted in pandemic fears and in return severely affected the SMEs owners’ confidence to further expand their businesses. Thus, the Company has been relying on proceeds generated from financing activities for its liquidity in fiscal 2022.

In order to improve operation performance, the Company started to introduce its new Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) services to customers in 2022. The Company’s SaaS services are provided based on technologies of its self-developed Blockchain Integrated Framework (“BIF”) platform. The Company entered into several framework contracts and memorandums with clients, pursuant to which the Company would provide SaaS subscription services via the platform on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis in early 2022. The subscriptions would enable the Company’s clients to utilize the BIF platform as an enterprise management software to record, share and storage operating data on-chain, and/or to generate unique designed Non-fungible Token (“NFTs”) for their IPs and certificates. However, due to unexpected long time quarantine and business shutdown measures for COVID-19 epidemic control incurred in the first nine months of 2022, especially in the second fiscal quarter of 2022, some of these agreements were cancelled or delayed by customers. Although revenues from the new SaaS services business and its profitability have not met the Company’s expectations, it is expected to bring the Company positive cash flow, as these services are provided based on technologies of the Company’s self-developed software platform, which does not need any further material cash outflow to other third-party service providers. 

In addition, to further improve its liquidity, the Company plans to negotiate with its major suppliers for more favorable payment terms, reduce its operating costs through optimizing the personnel structure among different offices, and reduce its office leasing spaces, if needed. The Company also intends to obtain revolving credit facilities to supplement its short-term working capital, as needed, from the commercial banks in the PRC. The Company has not experienced any difficulties in obtaining such credit facility before.

Based on the above discussion, the Company believes that its current cash and cash equivalents, its anticipated new cash flows from operations and financing activities, and other liquidity improving measures will ensure the Company has sufficient cash to meet its obligations as they become due with the next 12 months from the date hereof.

ZW DATA ACTION TECHNOLOGIES INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)