20-F 1 a19-25180_120f.htm 20-F

Table of Contents

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 20-F

 

(Mark One)

 

o

REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

OR

 

 

x

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

 

 

OR

 

 

o

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

 

For the transition period from                       to                        

OR

 

 

o

SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of event requiring this shell company report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

Commission file number: 001-38527

 

Uxin Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

2-5/F, Tower E, LSHM Center,

No. 8 Guangshun South Avenue,

Chaoyang District,

Beijing, 100102

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Zhen Zeng, Chief Financial Officer

Telephone: +86 10 5631-2700

Email: ir@xin.com

 

2-5/F, Tower E, LSHM Center,

No. 8 Guangshun South Avenue,

Chaoyang District,

Beijing, 100102

People’s Republic of China

(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading Symbol

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

American depositary shares (one American depositary share representing three Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share)

 

UXIN

 

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

(The Nasdaq Global Select Market)

Class A ordinary shares, par value

US$0.0001 per share*

 

 

 

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (The Nasdaq

Global Select Market)

 


*   Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on The Nasdaq Global Select Market of American depositary shares.

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

None

(Title of Class)

 

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

 

None

(Title of Class)

 

Indicate the number of issued and outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

 

 

846,771,473 Class A ordinary shares (excluding the 16,599,045 Class A ordinary shares issued to the depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under the Share Incentive Plan) and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, as of December 31, 2019.

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

 

o Yes   x No

 

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

o Yes   x No

 

Note — Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

x Yes   o No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

 

x Yes   o No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer o

Accelerated filer x

Non-accelerated filer o

 

Emerging growth company x

 

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

 

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

 

o Yes    x No

 

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

 

U.S. GAAP x

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued
by the International Accounting Standards Board
o

Other o

 

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

 

o Item 17   o Item 18

 

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

 

o Yes   x No

 

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

 

o Yes   o No

 


Table of Contents

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION

3

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

3

PART I

 

5

Item 1.

Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

5

Item 2.

Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

5

Item 3.

Key Information

5

Item 4.

Information on the Company

52

Item 4A.

Unresolved Staff Comments

80

Item 5.

Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

80

Item 6.

Directors, Senior Management and Employees

101

Item 7.

Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions

113

Item 8.

Financial Information

116

Item 9.

The Offer and Listing

118

Item 10.

Additional Information

118

Item 11.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

130

Item 12.

Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities

131

PART II

 

132

Item 13.

Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies

132

Item 14.

Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds

132

Item 15.

Controls and Procedures

133

Item 16A.

Audit Committee Financial Expert

134

Item 16B.

Code of Ethics

134

Item 16C.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

135

Item 16D.

Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees

135

Item 16E.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

135

Item 16F.

Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant

135

Item 16G.

Corporate Governance

135

Item 16H.

Mine Safety Disclosure

136

PART III

 

136

Item 17.

Financial Statements

136

Item 18.

Financial Statements

136

Item 19.

Exhibits

136

SIGNATURES

142

 

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INTRODUCTION

 

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report to:

 

·                  “ADSs” are to the American depositary shares, each of which represents three Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 each;

 

·                  “agents” are to our third-party local partners who undertake sales function and provide in-person car-buying services to consumers by operating Uxin service centers across China.

 

·                  “Check Auto” are to our proprietary car inspection system;

 

·                  “China” or “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this annual report only, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau;

 

·                  “GMV” are to gross merchandise value of used cars as measured by gross selling price of used cars, excluding service fees and interests (if any) charged;

 

·                  “RMB” and “Renminbi” are to the legal currency of China, which is our reporting currency;

 

·                  “shares” or “ordinary shares” are to our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share;

 

·                  “US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” and “dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States;

 

·                  “Uxin” or “our platform” are to our platform primarily for buying and selling used cars, which primarily consisted of two businesses in 2019, 2C business — Uxin Used Car and 2B business — Uxin Auction. We divested Uxin Auction pursuant to definitive agreements we entered into in March 2020. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses”;

 

·                  “Uxin Used Car” are to our 2C business;

 

·                  “Our WFOEs” are to our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China;

 

·                  “Our VIEs” are to our variable interest entities, which are Youxin Internet (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. or Youxin Hulian, and Youxin Yishouche (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Yishouche; and

 

·                  “we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” are to Uxin Limited, our Cayman Islands holding company, and its subsidiaries, and its consolidated affiliated entities in the PRC.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB6.9618 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on as of the end of December 2019 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.

 

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

 

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to, among other things:

 

3


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·                  our goals and strategies;

 

·                  our ability to retain and increase the number of customers on our platform and for our services, and expand our service offerings;

 

·                  our ability to provide quality services and compete effectively;

 

·                  our ability to effectively manage risks, including credit risks and fraud risks;

 

·                  our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

 

·                  expected changes in our revenues, costs, expenses or expenditures;

 

·                  the expected growth of, and trends in, the market for our services;

 

·                  our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our services;

 

·                  competition in our industry;

 

·                  relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry;

 

·                  public health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, MERS, SARS, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, and avian flu; and

 

·                  general economic and business conditions in China and globally.

 

We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.” Those risks are not exhaustive. We operate in an evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law. You should read this annual report and the documents that we reference in this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

4


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PART I

 

Item 1.                   Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 2.                   Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 3.                   Key Information

 

A.            Selected Financial Data

 

The selected consolidated statements of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 and selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included in this annual report beginning on page F-1. The selected consolidated statements of comprehensive loss data and selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2016, and selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, which are not included in this annual report. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future periods. You should read this Selected Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this annual report.

 

In July 2019 and September 2019, we entered into a binding term sheet and definitive agreements, respectively, with Golden Pacer, a limited liability company incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands that operates a leading financial technology platform in China, to divest our loan facilitation related business. In April 2020, we entered into supplemental agreements with Golden Pacer to modify and supplement certain terms and conditions in connection with the divestiture (these agreements are collectively referred to as “Loan facilitation transaction agreements”). Pursuant to the Loan facilitation transaction agreements, we divested our entire 2C intra-regional business and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C cross-regional business (which became the sole component of our 2C business following the divestiture and is currently referred to as “2C online transaction business”) since November 2019. In addition, we have divested the assets and liabilities in relation to our historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank to Golden Pacer as one of the pre-conditions for the transaction. As a result, assets and liabilities related to the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank were reclassified on a net basis as net assets transferred on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, and results of operations related to the divested business were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. The transactions contemplated under the Loan facilitation transaction agreements closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements in April 2020.

 

In addition, we entered into definitive agreements with Beijing Hengtai Boche Auction Co. Ltd., or Boche, in January 2020 to divest our salvage car related business. Assets and liabilities associated with the divestiture of the salvage car related business were reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019. Due to the insignificance of the salvage car business to our overall business, the divested business did not meet the criteria of discontinued operations and the results of operations were not presented as discontinued operations. The transaction with Boche closed in January 2020.

 

In March 2020, we entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to divest our B2B online used car auction business (which constituted the core of our 2B business). Assets and liabilities associated with the divestiture were reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, and results of operations related to the divested 2B business were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. The transaction with 58.com closed in April 2020.

 

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Unless indicated otherwise, the discussion of our financial data in this annual report relates to continuing operations only. The following table presents our selected consolidated statements of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

(in thousands, except for share data)

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

Selected Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To consumers (“2C”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Commission revenue

 

 

 

203,158

 

711,362

 

102,181

 

—Value-added service revenue

 

 

 

166,482

 

636,046

 

91,362

 

Others

 

135,298

 

309,133

 

289,450

 

240,623

 

34,563

 

Total Revenues

 

135,298

 

309,133

 

659,090

 

1,588,031

 

228,106

 

Cost of revenues(1) 

 

(57,972

)

(92,735

)

(418,852

)

(689,292

)

(99,011

)

Gross profit

 

77,326

 

216,398

 

240,238

 

898,739

 

129,096

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing(1) 

 

(149,489

)

(179,328

)

(1,488,699

)

(1,184,997

)

(170,214

)

Research and development(1) 

 

 

 

(124,513

)

(140,006

)

(20,111

)

General and administrative(1) 

 

(569,845

)

(389,072

)

(1,070,419

)

(402,040

)

(57,749

)

Gains/(losses) from guarantee liabilities

 

1,983

 

1,840

 

(4,414

)

(194,385

)

(27,922

)

Provision for credit losses

 

(3,012

)

(38,075

)

(40,626

)

(271,372

)

(38,980

)

Total operating expenses

 

(720,363

)

(604,635

)

(2,728,671

)

(2,192,800

)

(314,976

)

Other operating income

 

 

 

 

1,925

 

277

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

(643,037

)

(388,237

)

(2,488,433

)

(1,292,136

)

(185,604

)

Interest income

 

1,482

 

2,234

 

24,554

 

14,958

 

2,149

 

Interest expenses

 

(66

)

(199

)

(63,880

)

(112,587

)

(16,172

)

Other income

 

2,643

 

4,248

 

23,721

 

71,142

 

10,219

 

Other expenses

 

(4,544

)

(3,808

)

(25,568

)

(36,569

)

(5,253

)

Foreign exchange gains/(losses)

 

769

 

(627

)

(8,232

)

4,247

 

610

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

(116,056

)

(885,821

)

1,185,090

 

 

 

Gain from disposal of investment, net

 

 

 

 

28,257

 

4,059

 

Impairment of long-term investment

 

 

 

 

(37,775

)

(5,426

)

Loss from continuing operations before income tax expense

 

(758,809

)

(1,272,210

)

(1,352,748

)

(1,360,463

)

(195,418

)

Income tax (expense)/credit

 

(64

)

(211

)

(1,644

)

2,554

 

367

 

Equity in (losses)/income of affiliates

 

(9,637

)

3,597

 

2,631

 

30,231

 

4,342

 

Net loss from continuing operations, net of tax

 

(768,510

)

(1,268,824

)

(1,351,761

)

(1,327,678

)

(190,709

)

Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(35,181

)

(25,202

)

(15,771

)

(1,452

)

(209

)

Net loss from continuing operations, attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(733,329

)

(1,243,622

)

(1,335,990

)

(1,326,226

)

(190,500

)

Discontinued operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

(in thousands, except for share data)

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

Loss from discontinued operations before income tax

 

(622,675

)

(1,478,615

)

(173,583

)

(659,458

)

(94,725

)

Income tax expense

 

(1,741

)

(359

)

(12,941

)

(2,992

)

(430

)

Net loss from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

(624,416

)

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

(95,155

)

Net loss from discontinued operations, attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(624,416

)

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

(95,155

)

Net loss

 

(1,392,926

)

(2,747,798

)

(1,538,285

)

(1,990,128

)

(285,864

)

Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(35,181

)

(25,202

)

(15,771

)

(1,452

)

(209

)

Net loss attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(1,357,745

)

(2,722,596

)

(1,522,514

)

(1,988,676

)

(285,655

)

Accretion on redeemable preferred shares

 

(421,346

)

(555,824

)

(318,951

)

 

 

Deemed contribution from preferred shareholders

 

3,428

 

 

 

 

 

Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders

 

 

(587,564

)

(544,773

)

 

 

Deemed dividend from preferred shareholders

 

 

92,779

 

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(1,775,663

)

(3,773,205

)

(2,386,238

)

(1,988,676

)

(285,655

)

Net loss

 

(1,392,926

)

(2,747,798

)

(1,538,285

)

(1,990,128

)

(285,864

)

Foreign currency translation

 

(3,252

)

43,406

 

4,818

 

(17,976

)

(2,582

)

Total comprehensive loss

 

(1,396,178

)

(2,704,392

)

(1,533,467

)

(2,008,104

)

(288,446

)

Less: total comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(31,438

)

(27,861

)

(22,359

)

(1,558

)

(224

)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(1,364,740

)

(2,676,531

)

(1,511,108

)

(2,006,546

)

(288,222

)

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(1,775,663

)

(3,773,205

)

(2,386,238

)

(1,988,676

)

(285,655

)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted

 

49,174,850

 

49,318,860

 

477,848,763

 

886,613,598

 

886,613,598

 

Loss per share for ordinary shareholders, basic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Continuing operations

 

(23.41

)

(46.52

)

(4.60

)

(1.50

)

(0.21

)

—Discontinued operations

 

(12.70

)

(29.99

)

(0.39

)

(0.75

)

(0.11

)

Loss per share for ordinary shareholders, diluted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Continuing operations

 

(23.41

)

(46.52

)

(4.60

)

(1.50

)

(0.21

)

—Discontinued operations

 

(12.70

)

(29.99

)

(0.39

)

(0.75

)

(0.11

)

 

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(1)         Share-based compensation in the amount of RMB226.4 million, RMB165.9 million, RMB1,052.0 million and RMB100.3 million (US$ 14.4 million) in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, was charged to cost of revenues, sales and marketing expenses, research and development expenses, and general and administrative expenses.

 

The following table presents our selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in thousands, except for share data)

 

 

 

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheets Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

332,259

 

291,973

 

800,997

 

478,200

 

68,689

 

Restricted cash

 

705,854

 

1,617,230

 

1,011,705

 

706,988

 

101,552

 

Advance to sellers

 

45,774

 

246,287

 

692,714

 

288,550

 

41,448

 

Financial lease receivables, net

 

413,462

 

438,693

 

294,511

 

121,820

 

17,498

 

Total assets

 

2,317,979

 

5,298,913

 

7,349,390

 

5,383,096

 

773,233

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Convertible notes, current

 

 

 

1,188,192

 

324,644

 

46,632

 

Short-term borrowings

 

204,068

 

426,783

 

624,588

 

263,425

 

37,839

 

Total liabilities

 

1,986,194

 

5,059,894

 

4,977,747

 

4,917,976

 

706,423

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Mezzanine equity

 

4,775,637

 

8,420,644

 

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ (deficit)/equity

 

(4,443,852

)

(8,181,625

)

2,371,643

 

465,120

 

66,810

 

Capital Stock

 

30

 

30

 

575

 

581

 

83

 

Number of outstanding ordinary shares

 

49,318,860

 

49,318,860

 

880,659,899

 

887,617,391

 

887,617,391

 

 

The following table presents our selected consolidated statements of cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

Selected Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(661,210

)

(1,834,243

)

(2,281,333

)

(1,194,101

)

(171,522

)

Net cash generated from / (used in) investing activities

 

576,083

 

(586,843

)

(1,078,617

)

(484,254

)

(69,559

)

Net cash (used in) / generated from financing activities

 

(133,001

)

3,288,842

 

4,274,052

 

73,630

 

10,576

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

6,464

 

3,334

 

(9,278

)

960

 

138

 

Net (decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

(211,664

)

871,090

 

904,824

 

(1,603,765

)

(230,366

)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the year

 

1,249,777

 

1,038,113

 

1,730,001

 

1,812,702

 

260,378

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the year

 

1.038,113

 

1,730,001

 

1,812,702

 

1,185,188

 

170,242

 

 

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B.            Capitalization and Indebtedness

 

Not applicable.

 

C.            Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

 

Not applicable.

 

D.            Risk Factors

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

 

If we fail to provide a differentiated and superior customer experience, the size of our customer base and the number of transactions on our platform could decline, and our business would be materially and adversely affected.

 

Providing a differentiated and superior online used car transaction experience for our customers, including both consumers and businesses, is critical to our business. Our ability to provide a high-quality customer experience depends on a number of factors, including:

 

·                  our ability to improve our existing service offerings and upgrade our platform;

 

·                  our ability to meet the diverse needs of our customers with ongoing innovation and new service offerings;

 

·                  our ability to maintain and improve operating efficiency, customer experience of online transactions and service quality of our offline networks and personnel;

 

·                  our ability to leverage technology and data to improve our services;

 

·                  our ability to adequately train and manage our employees; and

 

·                  our ability to effectively ensure the quality of services provided by our third-party agents and service providers on our platform.

 

We cannot guarantee that we can provide a differentiated and superior experience to our customers as our business continues to evolve. Our failure to do so would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Failure to maintain or enhance customer trust in us could damage our reputation, reduce or slow the growth of our customer base, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our reputation as a trusted transaction platform is critical to our success. If we fail to maintain a high level of customer trust in our services, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

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We work with third parties to provide many services through our platform, such as car delivery, title transfer and warranty services, which are the key to earn customer trust. If we fail to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction or fail to properly manage these services, our business, financial condition and results of the operations would be adversely affected. Starting from December 2018, we have also worked with third-party agents to enlarge our sales force in the effort to effectively expand our service network across China. We currently have more than 1,100 service centers operated by our agents in more than 230 cities at prefecture level or above. We provide trainings to our agents and require them to operate the service centers in line with our operating and customer servicing standards. However, if these service centers fail to maintain a high level of performance consistent with our requirements, the level of customer satisfaction and trust we enjoy may be harmed, and our business, financial condition and results of the operations may be adversely affected.

 

We have received in the past, and we may continue to receive in the future, communications or complaints alleging that cars listed on or sold through our platform are defective, inconsistent with car information provided on our platform, or the services provided by our third-party service providers are unsatisfactory to our customers. The information we include in our car listings is collected and maintained by us, which may not be accurate or complete due to human error, technological issues or willful misconduct. Moreover, if dealers experience difficulties in meeting our requirements or standards or provide inaccurate or unreliable information to us, we may be subject to legal liabilities for the actions or services of these dealers and we may fail to maintain customer trust in our platform, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of the operations.

 

Our business, operating results and financial condition have been and may continue to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities across China and globally. In early 2020, in response to intensifying efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government took a number of actions, which included extending the Chinese New Year holiday, quarantining individuals infected with or suspected of having COVID-19, prohibiting residents from free travel, encouraging employees of enterprises to work remotely from home and cancelling public activities, among others. In addition, as the pandemic continues to threaten global economies, it may continue to cause significant market volatility and declines in general economic activities.

 

We have taken a series of measures in response to the pandemic to protect our employees, including, among others, temporary closure of some offices, remote working arrangements for our employees and travel restrictions or suspension. These measures have negatively affected the capacity and efficiency of our operations, which in turn could negatively affect our results of operations. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our results of operations will depend on the future developments of the pandemic, including new information concerning the global severity of and actions taken to contain the pandemic, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that the pandemic harms the Chinese and global economies in general.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the used car industry with disruptions impacting the industry’s infrastructure and supply chains since January 2020. Throughout February and early March 2020, the majority of local used car markets and dealerships in China were closed and unable to resume operations. Logistics and delivery of used cars were also impacted by the closure of roads and highways in many regions across China. Title transfers were also hindered as local vehicle registration and management bureaus either remained closed or yet to resume full operations. All of these factors created considerable barriers to used car purchase and fulfillment, which has severely disrupted our business operations during the first quarter of 2020 and may continue to weigh on our results for the rest of 2020. In addition, borrowers’ ability or willingness to repay their auto loans may also be negatively affected by general economic downturns. As the impact of the pandemic are being fully considered in the credit loss assessment under the new accounting standard effective on January 1, 2020, a significant provision for credit losses and losses from guarantee liabilities will be provided for the first quarter of 2020 associated with our historically-facilitated loans that were not transferred to Golden Pacer as part of the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business.

 

The extent of the impact on our results due to COVID-19 will depend on, to a large extent, future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the duration and severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken by government authorities and other entities to contain COVID-19 or treat the infection, almost all of which are beyond our control. While many of the restrictions on movement within China have been relaxed as of the date of this annual report, there is great uncertainty as to the future progress of the disease. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific anti-viral treatment for COVID-19. Relaxation of restrictions on economic and social life may lead to new cases which may lead to the re-imposition of restrictions. Since late March 2020, the used car industry has been gradually recovering as businesses restart operations, but we expect that it will still take some time before overall operations recover to normal levels.

 

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We face intense competition, which may lead to loss of market share, reduced service fees and revenue, increased expenses, departures of qualified employees, and disputes with competitors.

 

We face intense competition in the used car industry both online and offline. Our competitors may have significantly more resources than we do, including financial, technological, marketing and others and may be able to devote greater resources to the development and promotion of their platforms and services. As a result, they may have deeper relationships with dealers, auto financing partners and other third-party service providers than we do. This could allow them to develop new services, adapt more quickly to changes in technology and to undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, which may render our platform less attractive to consumers and businesses and cause us to lose market share. Moreover, intense competition in the markets we operate in may reduce our service fees and revenue, increase our operating expenses and capital expenditures, and lead to departures of our qualified employees. We may also be harmed by negative publicity instigated by our competitors, regardless of its validity. We are currently subject to an ongoing unfair competition claim, and we have encountered and may in the future continue to encounter other disputes with our competitors, including lawsuits involving claims asserted under intellectual property laws, unfair competition laws and defamation which may adversely affect our business and reputation. Failure to compete with current and potential competitors could materially harm our business, financial condition and our results of operations.

 

We are exposed to credit risk in connection with some of auto loans we facilitated in the past. Our risk management system may not be able to accurately assess and mitigate all the risks to which we are exposed, including credit risk.

 

Prior to the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business to Golden Pacer as first announced in July 2019, we provided guarantees to our third-party financing partners for all consumer auto loans facilitated through our 2C business. See “Item 4. Information on the Company— A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.” While we have ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C business since November 2019 as a result of the divestiture, we remain subject to certain guarantee liabilities in connection with certain loans we historically facilitated. In addition, as we work with third-party financing partners under Easy Loan program to facilitate short-term inventory financing for qualified dealers, we remain exposed to certain credit risk with respect to this program. Dealers may default on their loans for a number of reasons including those outside of their or our control. We cannot assure you that our risk management system will accurately assess and mitigate all risks, including credit risk, that we are exposed to, and any failure to accurately assess or mitigate such risks could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are not profitable and have negative cash flows from operations, which may continue in the future.

 

We have not been profitable since our inception in 2011. We incurred net losses from continuing operations of RMB1,268.8 million, RMB1,351.8 million and RMB1,327.7 million (US$190.7 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. In addition, we had negative cash flow from operating activities of RMB1,834.2 million, RMB2,281.3 million and RMB1,194.1 million (US$171.5 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We may continue to make significant investments including in sales and marketing, to further develop and expand our business and these investments may not result in an increase in revenue or positive cash flow on a timely basis, or at all.

 

We may incur substantial losses and negative cash flow in the future for a number of reasons, including decreasing demand or slower than expected increase in demand for used cars and our services, increasing competition, weakness in the automotive retail industry in general, as well as other risks discussed herein, and we may incur unforeseen expenses, or encounter difficulties, complications and delays in generating revenue or achieving profitability. If our revenues decrease, we may not be able to reduce our costs and expenses proportionally in a timely manner because many of our costs and expenses are fixed. In addition, if we reduce our costs and expenses, we may limit our ability to acquire customers and grow our revenues. Accordingly, we may not be able to achieve profitability and we may continue to incur significant losses in the future.

 

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If we are unable to effectively manage our growth or implement our business strategies, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our business and prospects depend in part on our ability to effectively manage our growth or implement our growth strategies. As part of our business strategies, we intend to increase our penetration in existing markets and expand into new geographic markets. Our experience in the markets in which we currently operate may not be applicable to other parts of China. We may not be able to leverage our experience to expand into new geographic markets in China. As a result, our expansion and monetization strategies, including sales and marketing efforts designed to attract more consumers and businesses to use our services, may not be successful. Furthermore, expanding into new geographical markets will require us to hire additional employees to cover these markets. We will incur additional compensation and benefit costs, office rental expenses and other costs, as well as experience additional strain on our managerial resources. If we are unable to successfully expand and generate sufficient revenues to cover our increased costs and expenses, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Moreover, our rapid expansion may lead to new challenges and risks. To manage the further expansion of our business, we need to continuously expand and enhance our infrastructure and technology, and improve our operational and financial systems, procedures and internal controls. We also need to train, manage and motivate the growing number of our employees. In addition, we need to maintain and expand our relationships with our customers, third-party service providers and other third parties. We cannot assure you that our personnel, infrastructure, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our operations. Effectively managing our growth is dependent on a number of other factors, including our ability to:

 

·                  effectively expand into new geographic markets;

 

·                  continue to improve our existing services;

 

·                  launch new services and develop cross-selling opportunities;

 

·                  stabilize our costs and expenses and enhance our efficiency;

 

·                  recruit and retain skilled and experienced employees;

 

·                  strengthen relationships with our business partners;

 

·                  enhance our risk management and internal control;

 

·                  charge service fees from customers;

 

·                  upgrade our technology and continue to innovate; and

 

·                  maintain and enhance the network effects of our platform.

 

If we fail to effectively manage our growth or implement our business strategies, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our business is dependent upon dealers’ willingness to provide inventory to our platform. A reduction in the number of dealers on our platform would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Dealers serve as providers of the virtual inventory for our 2C business. Failure to attract and retain a large number of dealers to our platform, whether because of competition, vehicle supply shortage, or other factors, would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Maintaining a large number of dealers on our platform depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:

 

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·                  reach a large number of potential used car buyers on our platform;

 

·                  maintain and expand relationships with existing dealers;

 

·                  develop new business relationships with potential dealers;

 

·                  offer services to meet the needs of dealers; and

 

·                  enhance our service offerings by leveraging our technological capabilities.

 

There is no guarantee that we will be able to maintain and grow the number of dealers on our platform, and if we fail to do so, the number of quality listings and transactions on our platform would decline, and our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

 

We work with third-party service providers and business partners. Actions of third parties are outside of our control and could materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We work with third parties in providing many of the services offered on our platform, such as auto financing, logistics and delivery, title transfers, car repair and certain data services. We also work with third-party agents and currently have more than 1,100 service centers operated by our agents in more than 230 cities at prefecture level or above. We carefully select our third-party agents, service providers and business partners, but we are not able to fully control their actions. If these third parties fail to perform as we expect, experience difficulty meeting our requirements or standards, fail to conduct their business ethically, fail to provide satisfactory services to our customers, receive negative press coverage, violate applicable laws or regulations, breach the agreements with us, or if the agreements we have entered into with the third parties are terminated or not renewed, it could damage our business and reputation. In addition, if such third-party service providers cease operations, temporarily or permanently, face financial distress or other business disruptions, increase their fees, or if our relationships with them deteriorate, we would suffer from increased costs, be involved in legal or administrative proceedings with or against our third-party service providers and experience delays in providing customers with similar services until we find or develop a suitable alternative. In addition, if we are unsuccessful in identifying high-quality partners, or establishing cost-effective relationships with them, or effectively managing these relationships, our business and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

 

In addition, we work with third-party service providers for collection of loans in connection with our historical loan facilitation services. We aim to ensure the collection efforts carried out by our third-party service providers comply with the relevant laws and regulations in the PRC and have employed contractual measures to further ensure such compliance. However, we do not have complete control over third-party service providers, and if our collection methods are viewed by the borrowers or regulatory authorities as harassments, threats or other illegal means, we may be subject to risks relating to third-party debt collection services providers, including lawsuits initiated by the borrowers or prohibition from using certain collection methods by the regulatory authorities. The current regulatory regime for debt collection in the PRC also remains unclear and are subject to changes. Any perception that our collection practices are aggressive and not compliant with the relevant laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our reputation or result in fines and penalties imposed by the relevant regulatory authorities, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely, in part, on our marketing efforts for customer acquisition and achieving higher level of brand recognition. If we fail to conduct our marketing activities effectively and efficiently, our business would be harmed.

 

We may continue to invest substantial financial and other resources in marketing initiatives to grow our customer base. We currently carry out our marketing activities mainly by acquiring traffic through a combination of online channels with the goal of attracting more visitors to our platform. We also used to engage brand ambassador and launch advertising campaigns to build brand awareness in 2019. We face intense competition from our competitors who may have greater marketing resources than we do. If we fail to conduct our marketing activities effectively and efficiently, or if our traffic acquisition efforts and marketing campaigns are not successful, our growth, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Negative media coverage related to our business, regardless of its validity, could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

 

Negative news or media coverage of our business, our employees, our third-party service providers and business partners, our brand ambassador, our directors and management or our shareholders, including, without limitation, alleged failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, alleged fraudulent car listings, alleged misrepresentation by our sales consultants or third-party agents, breach of data security, failure to protect user privacy, inappropriate business practices, disclosure of inaccurate operating data, negative information on blogs and social media websites, regardless of their validity, could damage our reputation. If we fail to correct or mitigate misinformation or negative information about us, including information spread through social media or traditional media channels, customer trust in us may be undermined, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Our limited operating history in certain of our services and the rapid evolution of our business model make it difficult for investors to evaluate our business and prospects.

 

We began operating our 2C business in 2015. Our limited operating history in our services and the rapid evolution of our business model mean that our historical growth is not necessarily indicative of our future performance. We cannot assure you that our new product and service offerings will achieve the expected results or we will be able to achieve similar results or grow at the same rate as we did in the past. As our business and China’s used car industry continue to develop, we may adjust our product and service offerings or modify our business model. For example, starting from early 2018, we have started to fulfill online used car transactions for consumers, which we previously referred to as “2C cross-regional business”. With our online used-car-buying product and service offerings, we enable consumers to buy used cars online without the need to go to offline dealerships or see the actual car when making the purchase. In addition, we entered into a binding term sheet, definitive agreements and supplemental agreements, in July 2019, September 2019 and April 2020, respectively, with Golden Pacer to divest our loan facilitation related business. Pursuant to the series of agreements, we divested our entire 2C intra-regional business in which we facilitated offline used car transactions between consumers and dealers in local used car marketplaces, and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C online transaction business since November 2019. We also divested our salvage car related business to Boche in January 2020 as well as our 2B business to 58.com pursuant to definitive agreements we entered into in March 2020. The transaction with Golden Pacer closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements in April 2020, and the transactions with Boche and 58.com closed in January 2020 and April 2020, respectively. Such developments or adjustments may not achieve expected results and may have a material and adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

The fees we charge from transactions on our platform may fluctuate or decline in the future and any material decrease in such service fees would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Most of our revenues are derived from the fees we charge from transactions on our platform, such as commission fee and value-added service fee from our 2C business. Prior to the divestiture of our 2B business, we also generated transaction facilitation service fee from the 2B business. Maintaining and growing our revenues depends on a number of factors, including:

 

·                  our ability to deliver satisfactory online used car transaction experience to our customers;

 

·                  our ability to attract consumers and dealers to our platform;

 

·                  the average unit price of used cars sold on our platform, which may decrease if we adjust down the price range of used cars available on our platform or enter into lower-tier city markets, or as a result of declining selling prices of new cars;

 

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·                  the average commission rate and corresponding fee as well as the average value-added service take rate and corresponding fee that we charge per transaction, which is subject to market condition and competition;

 

·                  our ability to foster relationships with third-party service providers to provide services through our platform at attractive terms and prices to us and our customers; and

 

·                  fluctuation in other macro-economic changes.

 

Any failure to adequately and promptly address any of these risks and uncertainties would materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. For example, as we further expand our 2C business by entering into lower-tier city markets, we have and may continue to experience decreases in average commission and value-added service fees that we charge per transaction, as the average unit price of used cars sold in those markets may be lower than that of cars sold in tier-one and tier-two cities.

 

Failure to obtain certain filings, approvals, licenses, permits and certificates required for our business operations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, as some of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs used to provide vehicle maintenance services and were regarded as motor vehicle maintenance operators, these entities were required to file for motor vehicle maintenance operation with the road transport administration. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Motor Vehicle Maintenance.” As of the date of this annual report these entities have not obtained all the requisite licenses, but we no longer provide motor vehicle maintenance services. Failure to obtain these licenses shall be ordered to make rectification, and, in case of refusing to rectify, be subject to a fine of RMB5,000 to RMB20,000. Although we do not provide motor vehicle maintenance services any more, we cannot assure you that our prior operation will not be regarded by the governmental authorities as historical non-compliance, and imposition of any enforcement action would adversely affect our reputation and business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Certain of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs used to engage in business activities that are not within their registered business scope. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any action, claim, or investigation being conducted or threatened by the State Administration for Market Regulation (formerly known as the State Administration for Industry and Commerce), or the SAMR or its local branches with respect to such business activities. While we have ceased conducting such business activities, we cannot rule out the possibility that our past practice could be interpreted by the SAMR as “doing business beyond the business scope” and subject us to enforcement actions such as confiscation of any illegal gains, or imposition of fines.

 

In addition, pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, as some of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are regarded as operators of used car marketplaces and used car related business, these entities are required to complete filing with the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, or the MOFCOM, at provincial level. Although we are in the process of preparing the filings, we may not be able to complete such filings in certain locations since the relevant authorities in those areas do not accept such filing application in practice due to the lack of local implementation rules and policies in such respects. We plan to submit our application as soon as the relevant governmental authorities are ready to accept our filing application. However, there is no assurance we will be able to complete the filing in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to comply with the filing requirements may subject our business to restriction, which would have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

 

In addition, it is required by PRC laws and regulations for companies responsible for the construction projects to prepare environmental impact report, environmental impact statement, or environmental impact registration form based on the different level of potential environmental impact of the projects. The environmental impact reports (required if potentially serious environmental impact) and the environmental impact statements (required if potentially mild environmental impact) are subject to review and approval by the governmental authority and failure to satisfy such requirements may subject one to discontinuation of the construction projects, fines of 1% to 5% of the total investment in the projects or an order of restoration. The environmental impact registration forms (required if very little environmental impact where environmental impact assessment is not necessary) are required to be filed with competent authority and failure to satisfy such requirement may subject one to fines up to RMB50,000 (US$7,182). We do not regularly conduct construction projects in the ordinary course of our business. However, some of our projects, including the building and overall decoration of our transaction centers from time to time, could be recognized as construction projects where a timely filing or submission for approval is required and failure to do so may subject us to fines and other enforcement actions as mentioned above.

 

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Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the interpretation and implementation of existing and future laws and regulations governing our business activities. Historically, some of our PRC subsidiaries have been fined due to late tax filings, although the amount of the fine was not significant. If we fail to complete, obtain, maintain or renew any of the required licenses or approvals or make the necessary filings, we may be subject to various penalties, such as confiscation of the illegal gains, imposition of fines and discontinuation or restriction of our operations. Any such penalties may disrupt our business operations and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our historical loan facilitation services may subject us to regulatory risks, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Prior to the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business to Golden Pacer (“Loan Facilitation Divestiture”), we historically provided loan facilitation services in partnership with financial institutions who finance our customers’ car purchases. As a result of the divestiture, we ceased to provide loan facilitation services since November 2019. We also currently work with third-party financing partners to provide inventory financing to dealers.

 

According to the Financing Guarantee Circular 37 which was issued and became effective on October 9, 2019, entities shall be prohibited from providing financing guarantee services unless obtaining the approval from the relevant regulatory authorities and establishing financing guarantee companies. Those who have been engaged in financing guarantee services shall properly settle its existing business. The authorities shall intensify the crackdowns on the financing guarantee companies with illegal operation or those who committed serious infringement of consumer’s (and guaranteed person’s) rights and shall timely report such cases to the banks so as to work together to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the consumers. The Financing Guarantee Circular 37 also stipulates that, without prior approval, any institution which provides customer promotion, credit evaluation and other services for any lending institution shall be prohibited from providing financing guarantee services or doing so in a disguised form. Any entity operating the financing guarantee business without a financing guarantee business license shall be banned by the regulatory authorities. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Financing Guarantee.” While we no longer provide any additional loan facilitation related guarantee services since November 2019 and have divested the guarantee liabilities in relation to our historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank, which accounted for more than half of the total loans we historically facilitated, to Golden Pacer as a result of the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, we remain subject to certain guarantee liabilities for the rest of the consumer auto loans we historically facilitated through our 2C business. As of the date of this annual report, we have not obtained relevant approvals from regulatory authorities. It is required by the Financing Guarantee Circular 37 for us to properly settle our existing business and we plan to settle and gradually relieve our guarantee obligations from these historically facilitated loans along with the maturity of those remaining outstanding loans.  However, we cannot assure you that our guarantee services in connection with such historical auto loans will be regarded as our “proper settlement” of our existing auto loan guarantee business by the relevant authority, or that our past practices in connection with our loan facilitation services would not be regarded as historical non-compliance. The imposition of any enforcement action would adversely affect our reputation and business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, while we have ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C business since November 2019 as a result of the divestiture to Golden Pacer, we remain subject to a portion of guarantee liabilities in connection with certain loans we historically facilitated. The Office of the Leading Group for Specific Rectification against Online Finance Risks and the Office of the Leading Group for Specific Rectification against P2P Online Lending Risks jointly issued the Circular on Regulating and Rectifying Cash Loan Business, or Circular 141, in December 2017 to regulate “cash loans” related business. The Circular 141 specifies the features of “cash loans” as follows: loans are extended without relying on any consumption scenario in connection with sales of goods; the terms of the loans do not specify the use of loan proceeds; there is no qualification requirement on the part of customers; and the loans are unsecured Circular 141 prohibits a financial institution from participating in the “cash loan” business from accepting credit enhancement services from a third party which has not obtained any license or approval to provide guarantees, including credit enhancement service in the form of a commitment to assume default risks, and requires a financial institution to ensure its service providers in “cash loan” business will not charge any interest or fees from borrowers. Given that the loans we historically facilitated are based on real consumption scenarios with specified use and the majority of the loans are secured with the car collateral, we believe they should not be deemed as “cash loans” under Circular 141, and thus our remaining guarantee liabilities in connection with such loans are not subject to the regulation of Circular 141. However, as the Circular 141 has been issued recently and the laws and regulations governing the online consumer finance industry in China are evolving rapidly, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the regulations, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to ours and view the consumer auto loans historically facilitated through our platform as “cash loans” and the guarantees for such consumer auto loans as credit enhancement service. In such events, we may have to further modify our practice, which might materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

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Furthermore, PRC laws and regulations concerning financial services, including internet financial services, are evolving and the PRC government authorities may promulgate further laws and regulations in the future. We cannot assure you that our past or current practices would not be regarded as non-compliance, and imposition of any enforcement action would adversely affect our reputation and business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, under current regulations, the risk assets of a PRC entity that conducts finance leasing business must not exceed 10 times its total net assets. In addition, PRC regulations stipulate that the amount of auto loans should be capped at 80% of the purchase price for a self-use conventionally-powered new car, 85% for a self-use new energy vehicle, and 70% for a used car. Our financing partners were responsible for designing the financing products that we offered through our historical loan facilitation services and are responsible for the financing products we currently refer to consumers on our platform. The financing products provided by our financing partners on our platform may be deemed to exceed the stipulated cap on the loan amount relative to the car purchase price, in which case we may be required to make adjustments to our cooperation arrangements or cease to cooperate with these financing partners.

 

We may be deemed to operate financing guarantee business by the PRC regulatory authorities.

 

In August, 2017 the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Financing Guarantee Companies, or the Financing Guarantee Rules which became effective on October 1, 2017. Pursuant to the Financing Guarantee Rules, “financing guarantee” refers to the activities in which guarantors provide guarantee to the guaranteed parties as to loans, bonds or other types of debt financing, and “financing guarantee companies” refer to companies legally established and operating financing guarantee business. According to the Financing Guarantee Rules, the establishment of financing guarantee companies are subject to the approval by the relevant governmental authority, and unless otherwise stipulated, no entity may operate financing guarantee business without such approval. If any entity violates these regulations and operates financing guarantee business without approval, the entity may be subject to penalties including ban or suspension of business, fines of RMB500,000 (US$71,821) to RMB1,000,000 (US$143,641), confiscation of illegal gains if any, and criminal liability if the violation constitutes a criminal offense.

 

Prior to divesting our loan facilitation business to Golden Pacer as first announced in July 2019, we provided guarantees to our financing partners in connection with the historical consumer auto loans. While we have ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services since November 2019 as a result of the divestiture, we remain subject to guarantee obligations in relation to a part of our historically-facilitated loans. We do not believe that the Financing Guarantee Rules apply to such guarantee obligations as the guarantees were not provided independently from our principal business. However, due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact definition and scope of “operating financing guarantee business” under the Financing Guarantee Rules is unclear. It is uncertain whether we would be deemed to operate financing guarantee business in violation of relevant PRC laws or regulations because of historical arrangements with certain financial institutions. If the relevant regulatory authorities determine that we were and/or are operating financing guarantee business, we may be required to obtain approval or license for financing guarantee business. In such cases, our business, results of operations and financial conditions could be adversely affected.

 

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We may be held liable for information or content displayed on or linked to our platform, which may materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

We may be held liable for inaccurate or incomplete information, including car listings, that is available through or linked to our platform. The data we collect and use for the car listings may be inaccurate or incomplete due to errors or on the part of our employees or third-party information providers, or frauds. We received a penalty decision and a fine issued by the governmental authority in March 2018 for providing inconsistent car information on our platform. Our failure to ensure the accuracy and integrity of our data, regardless of its source, could undermine customer trust, result in further administrative penalties and adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

 

We depend on our proprietary technology for critical functions of our business. Failure to properly maintain or promptly upgrade our technology may result in disruptions to or lower quality of our services and our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We rely on our proprietary technology, including websites and mobile apps, car inspection system, AI algorithms and VR technology for critical functions of our businesses. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Technology.” Maintaining and upgrading our technology carry certain risks, including the risk of disruptions caused by significant design or deployment errors, delays or deficiencies, which has made and may continue to make our platform and services unavailable. We may also implement additional or enhanced technology in the future to accommodate our growth and to provide additional capabilities and functionalities. The implementation of new or enhanced technologies may be disruptive to our business and can be time-consuming and expensive, and may increase management responsibilities and divert management attention. Additionally, our proprietary AI algorithms are based on data-driven analytics. If we do not have a large amount of data or the quality of data available to us for analysis is unsatisfactory, or if our algorithms have deficiencies, our proprietary AI algorithms may fail to perform effectively. If we fail to properly maintain or promptly upgrade our technology, our services may be disrupted or become of lower quality or unprofitable, and our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our business is subject to risks related to China’s online used car transaction industry, including industry-wide and macroeconomic risks.

 

We operate as a national online used car dealer in China’s used car market. We cannot assure you that this market will continue to grow rapidly in the future. Furthermore, the growth of China’s used car industry could be affected by many factors, including:

 

·                  general economic conditions in China and around the world;

 

·                  outbreaks of COVID-19 or any other serious contagious diseases;

 

·                  the growth of disposable household income and the availability and cost of credit available to finance used car purchases;

 

·                  the growth of China’s automobile industry;

 

·                  the growth of China’s auto financing industry;

 

·                  consumer acceptance of used cars and willingness to purchase used cars online;

 

·                  consumer acceptance of financing car purchases;

 

·                  taxes and other incentives or disincentives related to used car purchases and ownership;

 

·                  environmental concerns and measures taken to address these concerns;

 

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·                  the cost of energy, including gasoline prices, and the cost of car license plates in various cities with license plate lottery or auction systems;

 

·                  the improvement of highway system and availability of parking facilities;

 

·                  other government policies relating to used cars and auto financing in China;

 

·                  fluctuations in the sales and price of new and used cars;

 

·                  ride sharing, transportation networks, and other fundamental changes in transportation pattern; and

 

·                  other industry-wide issues, including supply and demand for used cars, age distribution of cars, and supply chain challenges.

 

Any adverse change to these factors could reduce demand for used cars and hence demand for our services, and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We collect, process, store, share, disclose and use personal information and other data, and any actual or perceived failure to protect such information and data could damage our reputation and brand and harm our business and results of operations.

 

We collect, process, store, share, disclose and use personal information and other data provided by consumers and our business partners. Although we have spent significant resources to protect our user and transaction data against security breaches, our internal control mechanism may not be sufficient and our security measures may be compromised. Any failure or perceived failure to maintain the security of personal and other data that are provided to or collected by us could harm our reputation and brand and may expose us to legal proceedings and potential liabilities, any of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

There are numerous laws and regulations regarding privacy and the collection, processing, storing, sharing, disclosing, using and protecting of personal information and other data. Specifically, personally identifiable and other confidential information is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous domestic and international jurisdictions. The regulatory framework for privacy protection in China and worldwide is currently evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. We could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations in China are expanded to require changes in business practices or privacy policies, or if the PRC governmental authorities interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In November 2016, the Standing Committee of the NPC released the Internet Security Law, which took effect in June 2017. The Internet Security Law requires network operators to perform certain functions related to internet security protection and the strengthening of network information management. For instance, under the Internet Security Law, network operators of key information infrastructure generally shall, during their operations in the PRC, store the personal information and important data collected and produced within the territory of the PRC. We are in the process of evaluating the potential impacts of the Internet Security Law on our current business practices. We strive to comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and legal obligations relating to privacy and data protection, to the extent possible. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in new or inconsistent ways and may conflict with other rules or our practices, or that new regulations may be enacted. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, privacy-related obligations to consumers or other third parties or other privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information or other customer data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause consumers and our business partners to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our business. Additionally, if third parties that we work with violate applicable laws or our policies, such violations may also put our customers’ information at risk and could in turn harm our reputation, business and results of operations.

 

In addition to laws, regulations and other applicable rules regarding privacy and privacy advocacy, industry associations or other private parties may propose new and different privacy standards. Because the interpretation and application of privacy and data protection laws and privacy standards are still uncertain, it is possible that these laws or privacy standards may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices. Any inability to adequately address privacy concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations and privacy standards, could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, inhibit the use of our platform and harm our business.

 

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Any breaches to our security measures, including unauthorized access, computer viruses and “hacking” may adversely affect our database and reduce use of our services and damage our reputation and brand names.

 

The massive data that we have processed and stored makes us or third-party service providers who host our servers a target and potentially vulnerable to cyber-attacks, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, or similar disruptions. Breaches to our security measures, including computer viruses and hacking, may result in significant damage to our hardware and software systems and database, disruptions to our business activities, inadvertent disclosure of confidential or sensitive information, interruptions in access to our platform, and other material adverse effects on our operations, during transfer of data or at any time, and result in persons obtaining unauthorized access to our systems and data. Our systems may be subject to infiltration as a result of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise. While we have taken steps to protect the confidential information that we have access to, techniques used to sabotage or obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access to our platform could cause confidential customer and investor information to be stolen and used for criminal purposes. Security breaches or unauthorized access to confidential information could also expose us to liability related to the loss of the information, time-consuming and expensive litigation and negative publicity. If security measures are breached because of any third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise, or if design flaws in our technology infrastructure are exposed and exploited, our relationships with customers and investors could be severely damaged, we could incur significant liability and our business and operations could be adversely affected.

 

We depend heavily on our management team and other key personnel to manage our business. If we fail to retain their services or to attract talents, our ability to run and grow our business could be severely impaired.

 

Our future success is highly dependent on the ongoing efforts of our senior management and key personnel. We rely on our management team for their extensive knowledge of and experience in China’s automobile and internet industries as well as their deep understanding of the Chinese automobile market, business environment and regulatory regime. The loss of the services of one or more of our senior executives or key personnel may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Competition for senior management and key personnel is intense, and the pool of suitable candidates is very limited, and we may not be able to retain the services of our senior executives or key personnel, or attract and retain senior executives or key personnel in the future. If we fail to retain our senior management, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if any members of our senior management or any of our key personnel join a competitor or form a competing company, we may not be able to replace them easily and we may lose customers, business partners and key staff members.

 

Our business is susceptible to employee misconduct, improper business practices and other fraudulent conduct by or between our employees and third parties.

 

We rely on our employees to carry out our operating objectives. We are exposed to many types of operational risks, including the risk of misconduct and errors by our employees. Our business depends on our employees to interact with potential customers, conduct car inspection, process large numbers of transactions and provide support for other key aspects of our business, all of which involve the use and disclosure of personal information and are susceptible to human errors and mistakes on the part of our employees.

 

We could be materially adversely affected if transactions were redirected, misappropriated or otherwise improperly executed, if personal information was disclosed to unintended recipients or if an operational breakdown or failure in the processing of transactions occurred, whether as a result of human error, purposeful sabotage or fraudulent manipulation of our operations or systems. In addition, the manner in which we store and use certain personal information and interact with customers and other third parties through our marketplace is governed by various PRC laws.

 

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Although we provide periodic trainings to all our employees, it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct or errors by employees, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent potential misconducts and human errors may not be effective in controlling risks or losses. If any of our employees take, convert or misuse funds, documents or data or fail to follow protocol when interacting with customers and among themselves, we could be liable for damages and subject to regulatory actions and penalties. We could also be perceived to have facilitated or participated in the illegal misappropriation of funds, documents or data, or the failure to follow protocol, and therefore be subject to civil or criminal liability. Our employees may also engage in improper business practices and other fraudulent conduct with third parties. As a result of these potential damaging activities, we could incur significant losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property and proprietary information could materially harm our business and operating results.

 

We believe our patents, trademarks, software copyrights, trade secrets, our brand and other intellectual property rights and proprietary information are critical to our success. Any unauthorized use of intellectual property rights and proprietary information could harm our business, reputation and competitive advantages. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright law, our internal control mechanism, and contractual arrangements to protect our intellectual property.

 

Legal protection may not always be effective. Infringement of intellectual property rights continues to pose a serious risk in doing business in China. Monitoring and preventing unauthorized use is difficult. Furthermore, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial risks to us. The practice of intellectual property rights enforcement action by Chinese regulatory authorities is in its early stage of development. In the event that we have to resort to litigation and other legal proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights, such action, litigation or other legal proceedings could result in substantial costs and diversion of our management’s attention and resources and could disrupt our business. There is no assurance that we will be able to enforce our intellectual property rights effectively or otherwise prevent others from the unauthorized use of our intellectual property.

 

We try, to the extent possible, to protect our intellectual property, technology, and confidential information by requiring our employees, third-party service providers, and consultants to enter into confidentiality and assignment of inventions agreements. Due to potential willful or unintentional conduct of personnel who have access to our confidential and proprietary information, these agreements and control measures may not effectively prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, intellectual property, or technology and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, intellectual property, or technology. The enforceability of confidentiality agreements may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Failure to obtain or maintain trade secrets and/or confidential know-how protection could adversely affect our competitive position.

 

Competitors may adopt service names or trademarks similar to ours, thereby harming our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to user confusion. Our competitors may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and may even apply for patent protection. If successful in obtaining such patent protection, our competitors could limit our use of our trade secrets and confidential know-how, and our financial position and operating results would be adversely affected.

 

We have been and may continue to be subject to intellectual property infringement claims or other allegations by third parties, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

 

We depend to a large extent on our ability to develop and maintain the intellectual property rights relating to our technology and online businesses. We have devoted considerable resources to the development and improvement of our car inspection technology, big data and AI capabilities, VR technology, mobile applications, mobile sites and websites and information technology systems. We cannot be certain that third parties will not claim that our business infringes upon or otherwise violates patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights that they hold. Companies operating online businesses and provide technology-based services are frequently involved in litigation related to allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights. The validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights, particularly in China, are still evolving. We are currently subject to several ongoing trademark claims, and may in the future continue to be subject to intellectual property infringement claims from time to time. As we face increasing competition and as litigation becomes a more common method for resolving commercial disputes in China, we face a higher risk of being the subject of intellectual property infringement claims.

 

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Defending against intellectual property claims is costly and can impose a significant burden on our management and resources, and favorable final outcomes may not be obtained in all cases. Such claims, even if they do not result in liability, may harm our reputation. Any resulting liability or expenses, or changes required to our services to reduce the risk of future liability, may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and prospects.

 

We have been named as a defendant in two putative shareholder class action lawsuits that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows and reputation.

 

We will have to defend against the putative shareholder class action lawsuits described in “Item 8, Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings,” including any appeals of such lawsuits should our initial defense be unsuccessful. We are currently unable to estimate the possible outcome or loss or possible range of loss, if any, associated with the resolution of these lawsuits. In the event that our initial defense of these lawsuits is unsuccessful, there can be no assurance that we will prevail in any appeal. Any adverse outcome of these cases, including any plaintiff’s appeal of a judgment in these lawsuits, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows and reputation. In addition, there can be no assurance that our insurance carriers will cover all or part of the defense costs, or any liabilities that may arise from these matters. The litigation process may utilize a significant portion of our resources and divert management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of our company, all of which could harm our business. We also may be subject to claims for indemnification related to these matters, and we cannot predict the impact that indemnification claims may have on our business or financial results.

 

We may be subject to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. If the outcomes of these proceedings are adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We may be subject to legal proceedings from time to time in the ordinary course of our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law could be asserted against us by consumers and businesses that utilize our services, by competitors, or by governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings or by other entities. These claims could be asserted under a variety of laws, including but not limited to consumer finance laws, product liability laws, consumer protection laws, intellectual property laws, unfair competition laws, privacy laws, labor and employment laws, securities laws, real estate laws, tort laws, contract laws, property laws and employee benefit laws. We may also be subject to lawsuits due to actions by our third-party financing partners, or third-party providers of various services, including logistics and delivery service, title transfer service, car repair, car inspection equipment, loan servicing, car collateral repossession, and certain data services.

 

For example, we are subject to ongoing trademark, unfair competition, contractual disputes and other proceedings in the PRC. These cases are still ongoing, but we believe the claims are without merit and we will defend ourselves accordingly. We are unable, however, to predict the outcome of these cases, or reasonably estimate a range of possible loss, if any, given the current status of the proceedings. We have not recorded any accrual for expected loss payments with respect to these cases as of December 31, 2019 and do not believe that any of the intellectual property infringement claims is material to our overall business operations. There is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves in legal and administrative actions or in asserting our rights under various laws. Even if we are successful in our attempt to defend ourselves in legal and administrative actions or to assert our rights under various laws, enforcing our rights against the various parties involved may be expensive, time-consuming and ultimately futile. These actions could expose us to negative publicity and to substantial monetary damages and legal defense costs, injunctive relief and criminal and civil fines and penalties, including but not limited to suspension or revocation of licenses to conduct business. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”

 

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Acquisitions, strategic alliances and investments could be costly, difficult to integrate, disrupt our business and adversely affect our results of operations and the value of your investment.

 

As we continue to expand our operations, we have and may in the future enter into strategic alliances or to acquire substantial asset or equities from a pool of candidates that fit our criteria. We are not certain that we will be able to consummate any such transactions in the future or identify those candidates that would result in the most successful combinations, or that future acquisitions will be able to be consummated at reasonable prices and terms. In addition, increased competition for acquisition candidates could result in fewer acquisition opportunities for us and higher acquisition prices. Strategic investments or acquisitions will involve risks commonly encountered in business relationships, including:

 

·                  lack of suitable acquisition candidates;

 

·                  intense competition with other auction groups or new industry consolidators for suitable acquisitions;

 

·                  deterioration of our financial capabilities;

 

·                  difficulties in assimilating and integrating the operations, personnel, systems, data, technologies, products and services of the acquired business;

 

·                  inability of the acquired technologies, products or businesses to achieve expected levels of revenue, profitability, productivity or other benefits;

 

·                  difficulties in retaining, training, motivating and integrating key personnel;

 

·                  diversion of management’s time and resources from our normal daily operations;

 

·                  difficulties in successfully incorporating licensed or acquired technology and rights into our platform and service offerings;

 

·                  difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies within the combined organizations;

 

·                  difficulties in retaining relationships with customers, employees and third-party service providers of the acquired business;

 

·                  risks of entering markets in which we have limited or no prior experience;

 

·                  regulatory risks, including remaining in good standing with existing regulatory bodies or receiving any necessary pre-closing or post-closing approvals, as well as being subject to new regulators with oversight over an acquired business;

 

·                  assumption of contractual obligations that contain terms that are not beneficial to us, require us to license or waive intellectual property rights or increase our risk for liability;

 

·                  failure to successfully further develop the acquired technology or maintain acquired facilities;

 

·                  liability for activities of the acquired business before the acquisition, including intellectual property infringement claims, violations of laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities;

 

·                  potential disruptions to our ongoing businesses; and

 

·                  unexpected costs and unknown risks and liabilities associated with strategic investments or acquisitions.

 

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We may not make any investments or acquisitions, or any future investments or acquisitions may not be successful, may not benefit our business strategy, may not generate sufficient revenues to offset the associated acquisition costs or may not otherwise result in the intended benefits. In addition, we cannot assure you that any future investment in or acquisition of new businesses or technology will lead to the successful development of new or enhanced service offerings and that any new or enhanced technology or services, if developed or offered, will achieve market acceptance or prove to be profitable.

 

We may need additional capital to achieve our business targets and respond to market opportunities. If we could not obtain sufficient capital through either debt or equity financing, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially harmed.

 

Since we launched our business, we have raised substantial financing to support the growth of our business. We may require additional capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances, including to improve our brand awareness, build and maintain our offline network, develop new products or services or further improve existing products and services, and acquire complementary businesses and technologies. In addition, we issued convertible notes in the total principal amount of US$280 million in 2019, of which US$45.1 million in principal amount will become due and payable in the second half of 2020, and we may require additional capital to repay these debt obligations. However, additional funds may not be available when we need them on reasonable terms, or at all.

 

If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Our ability to retain our existing financial resources and obtain additional financing on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including but not limited to:

 

·                  economic, political and other conditions in China;

 

·                  PRC governmental policies relating to bank loans and other credit facilities;

 

·                  PRC governmental regulations of foreign investment and the automobile industry in China;

 

·                  conditions of capital markets in which we may seek to raise funds; and

 

·                  our future results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

 

If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on satisfactory terms, our ability to continue to pursue our business objectives and to respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances could be significantly limited, and our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be adversely affected.

 

If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

 

Prior to our initial public offering in June 2018, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified two material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

 

The material weaknesses identified related to (i) our lack of adequate number of accounting staff and management resources with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements and (ii) insufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures, specifically those related to period end expenses cut-off and accruals. We are in the process of implementing a number of measures to remedy these control deficiencies. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.” However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address these deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remedied. Our failure to correct these control deficiencies or our failure to discover and address any other control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could significantly hinder our ability to prevent fraud.

 

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Since our initial public offering, we have become subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective for the year ended December 31, 2019. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in the future, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

 

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of the ADSs. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements for prior periods.

 

A severe or prolonged downturn in the Chinese or global economy could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

 

COVID-19 had a severe and negative impact on the Chinese and the global economy in the first quarter of 2020. Whether this will lead to a prolonged downturn in the economy is still unknown. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the global macroeconomic environment was facing numerous challenges. The growth rate of the Chinese economy had already been slowing since 2010. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies which had been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China, even before 2020. Unrest, terrorist threats and the potential for war in the Middle East and elsewhere may increase market volatility across the globe. There have also been concerns about the relationship between China and other countries, including the surrounding Asian countries, which may potentially have economic effects. In particular, there is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. See “—We may need additional capital to achieve our business targets and respond to market opportunities. If we could not obtain sufficient capital through either debt or equity, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially harmed.”

 

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The trade war between the U.S. and China may dampen economic growth in China and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In 2018 and 2019, the U.S. government imposed additional tariffs on specified products imported from China. In response, China has also imposed additional tariffs on specified products imported from the U.S. The U.S.  and the Chinese governments are continuing to conduct negotiations on trade matters. We cannot assure you that the negotiations will result in an agreement between the two countries, or that the proposed tariffs will not be imposed even if an agreement will be reached.

 

Although we are not currently subject to any of these tariff measures, the proposed tariffs may adversely affect the economic growth in China and the financial condition of our customers. With the potential decrease in the spending powers of our target customers, we cannot guarantee that there will be no negative impact on our operations. In addition, the current and future actions or escalations by either the U.S. or China that affect trade relations may result in global economic turmoil, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Allegations or lawsuits against us or our management and related negative publicity may harm our reputation and have a material and adverse impact on our business operations and the trading price of our ADSs.

 

We have been, and may become, subject to allegations or lawsuits brought by our competitors, customers, business partners, short sellers, investment research firms or other individuals or entities. For example, a report was published on April 16, 2019 making various allegations about us, and we responded publicly stating the allegations are unfounded. Any such allegation or lawsuit, with or without merit, or any perceived unfair, unethical, fraudulent or inappropriate business practice by us or perceived malfeasance by our management, or failure or perceived failure to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, alleged accounting or financial reporting irregularities, could harm our reputation and distract our management from our daily operations. Allegations or lawsuits against us or our management may also generate negative publicity that significantly harms our reputation, which may materially and adversely affect our ability to attract customers, third-party service providers and business partners and hence our business operations, and cause the trading price of our ADSs to decline and fluctuate significantly.

 

We may continue to be the target of adverse publicity and detrimental conduct against us, including complaints, anonymous or otherwise, to regulatory agencies regarding our operations, accounting, and regulatory compliance. We may be subject to government or regulatory investigation or inquiries, or shareholder lawsuits, as a result of such third-party conduct and may be required to incur significant time and substantial costs to defend ourselves, and there is no assurance that we will be able to conclusively refute each of the allegations within a reasonable period of time or at all. Our reputation may also be negatively affected as a result of the public dissemination of allegations or malicious statements about us, which in turn may materially and adversely affect the trading price of our ADSs.

 

Any failure by us or our third-party service providers to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations could damage our reputation.

 

Our financing partners and payment companies are subject to anti-money laundering obligations under applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations and are regulated in that respect by the People’s Bank of China, or PBOC. If any of our third-party service provides fail to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, our reputation could suffer and we could become subject to regulatory intervention, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any negative perception of the industry, such as that arises from any failure of other loan facilitation services providers, consumer finance marketplaces or online transaction platforms to detect or prevent money laundering activities, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could compromise our image or undermine the trust and credibility we have established.

 

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We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.

 

We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and the various regulatory authorities in China and the Cayman Islands, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

 

Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.

 

We have limited business, disruption or litigation insurance coverage.

 

The insurance industry in China is still at an early stage of development. Insurance companies in China offer limited business insurance products and are, to our knowledge, not well-developed in the field of business liability insurance. While business disruption insurance is available to a limited extent in China, we have determined that the risks of disruption, cost of such insurance and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to have such insurance. As a result, except for limited property insurance coverage, we do not maintain general business liability, disruption or litigation insurance coverage for our operations in China. We consider our insurance coverage to be reasonable in light of the nature of our business, but we cannot assure you that our insurance coverage is sufficient to prevent us from any loss or that we will be able to successfully claim our losses under our current insurance policies on a timely basis, or at all.

 

We have granted, and may continue to grant, options and other types of awards under our share incentive plan, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.

 

We adopted an amended and restated share incentive plan in February 2018, which was further amended in August 2018 and November 2018 and which we refer to as the 2018 Second Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan, or the Amended and Restated Plan, in this annual report, for the purpose of granting share-based compensation awards to employees, directors and consultants to incentivize their performance and align their interests with ours. We recognize expenses in our consolidated statement of comprehensive loss in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the Amended and Restated Plan is 102,040,053 ordinary shares. For example, in May 2018, we granted 17,742,890 restricted shares to Mr. Kun Dai, which became vested immediately upon completion of our initial public offering in June 2018, and we recorded share-based compensation expense of US$93.8 million (equivalent to RMB653.0 million) in general and administrative expenses.

 

On September 22, 2019, our board of directors approved a reduction in the exercise price for outstanding options previously granted by our company with an exercise price higher than $1.03 per ordinary share to $1.03 per share, provided that any participating option holder agrees to amendment in the number of shares subject to his or her option as determined by the plan administrator. We accounted for this reduction as a share option modification which required the remeasurement of these share options at the time of the modification. The total incremental cost as a result of the modification was US$4.1 million. The incremental cost related to vested options amounted to US$2.1 million and was recorded in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss during the year ended December 31, 2019. The incremental cost related to unvested options amounted to US$2.0 million and will be recorded over the remaining service period.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we recorded an aggregate of RMB165.9 million, RMB1,052.0 million and RMB100.3 million (US$14.4 million), respectively, in share-based compensation expenses. As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of vested and nonvested options granted to employees and management amounted to RMB104.0 million (US$14.9 million) and RMB34.2 million (US$4.9 million), respectively. We believe the granting of share-based compensation is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation to employees in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, the issuance of additional equity upon the exercise of options or other types of awards would result in further dilution to our shareholders.

 

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Our business is dependent on the performance of the internet and mobile internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China, which may not be able to support the demands associated with our growth.

 

Our internet businesses are heavily dependent on the performance and reliability of China’s internet infrastructure, the continual accessibility of bandwidth and servers to our service providers’ networks, and the continuing performance, reliability and availability of our technology platform. We use the internet to deliver services to our customers, who access our websites and mobile apps on the internet.

 

We rely on major Chinese telecommunication companies to provide us with bandwidth for our services, and we may not have any access to comparable alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems. Internet access may not be available in certain areas due to national disasters, such as earthquakes, or local government decisions. Surges in internet traffic on our platform, regardless of the cause, may seriously disrupt services we provide through our platform and in-store or cause our technology systems and our platform to shut down. If we experience technical problems in delivering our services over the internet either at national or regional level or system shut downs, we could experience reduced demand for our services, lower revenues and increased costs. Consequently, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected.

 

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.

 

In addition to the impact of COVID-19, our business could be adversely affected by the effects of Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, or other epidemics. Our business operations could be disrupted if any of our employees is suspected of having Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, SARS, or other epidemics, since it could require our employees to be quarantined and/or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that any of these epidemics harms the Chinese and global economy in general.

 

We are also vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities. Fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide products and services on our platform.

 

In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that any health epidemic, natural disaster or other calamities harms the Chinese and global economies in general. Our headquarters are located in Beijing, where most of our management and employees currently reside. Most of our system hardware and back-up systems are hosted in facilities located in Beijing. Consequently, if any natural disasters, health epidemics or other public safety concerns were to affect Beijing, our operation may experience material disruptions, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business is subject to quarterly fluctuations and unexpected interruptions.

 

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, quarterly fluctuations in our revenues and results of operations. Our revenue trends are a reflection of consumers’ car purchase patterns. The holiday period following the Chinese New Year is usually in the first quarter, which may contribute to lower activity levels in that quarter of each year. As a result, our revenues may vary from quarter to quarter and our quarterly results may not be comparable to the corresponding periods of prior years. Our actual results may differ significantly from our targets or estimated quarterly results. The quarterly fluctuations in our revenues and results of operations could result in volatility and cause the price of our shares to fall. As our revenues grow, these quarterly fluctuations may become more pronounced.

 

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Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

 

If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating some of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

 

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our PRC subsidiaries are currently considered foreign-invested enterprises. Currently, our main websites are operated and our main business are run by our wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, or WFOEs, while our VIEs hold the title of a number of intellectual properties, operate certain of our websites and conduct certain of our business. Our WFOEs have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders, respectively, which enable us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIEs, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIEs, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests and assets in our VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have control over and are the primary beneficiary of our VIEs and hence consolidate their financial results under U.S. GAAP. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure” for further details.

 

In the opinion of JunHe LLP, our PRC legal counsel, (i) the ownership structures of our VIEs in China and our WFOEs that have entered into contractual arrangements with the VIEs, comply with all existing PRC laws and regulations; and (ii) the contractual arrangements between our WFOEs, the VIEs and their respective shareholders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there is substantial uncertainty regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules; accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or any of our VIEs are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:

 

·                  revoking the business licenses and other licenses and permits of our VIEs;

 

·                  discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operation through any transactions between our WFOEs and our VIEs;

 

·                  imposing fines, confiscating the income from our WFOEs or our VIEs, or imposing other requirements with which we or our VIEs may not be able to comply;

 

·                  requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our VIEs and deregistering the equity pledges of our VIEs, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over our VIEs;

 

·                  restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of our initial public offering and the concurrent private placement of convertible notes to finance our business and operations in China; or

 

·                  taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.

 

The imposition of any of these penalties would result in adverse effect on our ability to conduct certain part of our business. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions would have on us and on our ability to consolidate the financial results of our VIEs in our consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our legal structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes us to lose our right to direct the activities of our VIEs or our right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from our VIEs and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of our VIEs in our consolidated financial statements. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on us in this event, would have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We have entered into contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders for a portion of our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

 

We have entered into contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders to conduct certain aspects of our businesses. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our VIEs. For example, our VIEs and their shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct its operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.

 

If we had direct ownership of our VIEs, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIEs, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our VIEs and their respective shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our VIEs. However, the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portions of our business through the contractual arrangements with our VIEs. If any disputes relating to these contracts remain unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See “—Any failure by our VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.” Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIEs may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

 

Our business may be significantly affected by the draft Foreign Investment Law and the newly adopted Foreign Investment Law.

 

In January 2015, MOFCOM published a draft Foreign Investment Law, the 2015 Draft FIL, for soliciting public comments. At the same time, MOFCOM published an accompanying explanatory note of the 2015 Draft FIL, illustrating legislative philosophy and principles of the 2015 Draft FIL. One of the core concepts of the 2015 Draft FIL is “de facto control,” which emphasizes substance over form in determining whether an entity is “Chinese” or foreign controlled. This determination requires consideration of the nature of the investors that exercise control over the entity. “Chinese investors” are individuals who are PRC nationals, PRC government agencies and any domestic enterprise controlled by PRC nationals or government agencies. “Foreign investors” are foreign citizens, foreign governments, international organizations and entities controlled by foreign citizens and entities. Under the 2015 Draft FIL, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangement would also be deemed as foreign-invested enterprises if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. The 2015 Draft FIL proposes significant changes to the PRC foreign investment legal regime and, when implemented, may have a significant impact on businesses in China controlled by foreign invested enterprises primarily through contractual arrangements, such as our business.

 

MOFCOM solicited comments on the 2015 Draft FIL, but no new draft has been published since then. There is substantial uncertainty with respect to the final content, interpretation, adoption timeline and effective date of the 2015 Draft FIL. The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may materially impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations in many aspects.

 

Subsequently, in December 2018, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress published a draft Foreign Investment Law and the National People’s Congress adopted the Foreign Investment Law, or the 2018 FIL on March 15, 2019. The 2018 FIL came into effect on January 1, 2020. The 2018 FIL does not comment on contractual arrangement with variable interest entity, however, it has a catch-all provision under definition of “foreign investment” to include investments made by foreign investors in China through means stipulated by laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. In addition, the concept of “de facto control” and related provisions as proposed in the 2015 Draft FIL are not included in the 2018 FIL. However, it is not explicit whether the 2018 FIL supersedes the 2015 Draft FIL in its entirety. On December 26, 2019, the Supreme People’s Court published the Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues concerning the Application of the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China, which became effective on January, 1, 2020, pursuant to which the court shall rule in favor of the party claiming the invalidity of the investment agreement with respect to foreign investment in the “restricted” industry under the “negative list” or foreign investment in the “restricted” industry under the “negative list” that fails to comply with the requirements unless necessary mitigating measures are taken before the ruling.

 

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Both the 2015 Draft FIL and the 2018 FIL grant national treatment to foreign invested entities, except for those foreign invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list.” Both the 2015 Draft FIL and the 2018 FIL provide that only foreign invested entities operating in foreign restricted or prohibited industries will require entry clearance and other approvals that are not required by PRC domestic entities or foreign invested entities operating in other industries.

 

Since the 2018 FIL is relatively new, uncertainties exist in relation to its implementation and interpretation and there can be no assurance that variable interest entities controlled via contractual arrangements would not be interpreted as foreign investment activities in future practice or legislation. There can be no assurance as to when and whether the 2015 Draft FIL will be officially promulgated, or assurance as to whether our current corporate structure will be considered “Chinese-controlled” under the scheme of the 2015 Draft FIL. In the event that our variable interest entity contractual arrangements under which we operate our business are treated as foreign investment in the “restricted” or “prohibited” industry in the “negative list”, such variable interest entity contractual arrangements may be deemed as invalid and illegal, and we may be required to unwind the variable interest entity contractual arrangements and/or dispose of such business.

 

Any failure by our VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

 

We refer to the shareholders of each of our VIEs as its nominee shareholders because although they remain the holders of equity interests on record in each of our VIEs, pursuant to the terms of the relevant power of attorney, each such shareholder has irrevocably authorized our WFOEs to exercise his, her or its rights as a shareholder of the relevant VIE.

 

If our VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur additional costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure will be effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of our VIEs refuse to transfer their equity interest in our VIEs to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they otherwise act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

 

All of these contractual arrangements are governed by and interpreted in accordance with PRC law, and disputes arising from these contractual arrangements between us and our variable interest entity will be resolved through arbitration in China. These disputes do not include claims arising under the United States federal securities law and thus the arbitration provisions do not prevent our shareholders from pursuing claims under the United Sates federal securities law. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us.” Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

 

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Contractual arrangements in relation to our VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC VIEs owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

 

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. We could face adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the VIE contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm’s length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust the income of our VIEs in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn (i) increase its tax liabilities without reducing our WFOEs’ tax expenses and (ii) limit the ability of our PRC companies to continue to enjoy preferential tax treatment and other financial incentives. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Although our VIEs generate only a limited portion of our total income and incur limited costs and expenses among our PRC companies, our financial position could be adversely affected if our VIEs’ tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

 

In addition, if for any reason we need to cause the transfer of any of the nominee shareholders’ equity interest in any of our VIEs, we might be required to withhold and pay individual income tax on behalf of the transferring shareholder who is an individual, on any capital gain deemed to have been realized by such shareholder on such transfer.

 

The shareholders of our VIEs may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

 

Conflicts of interest may arise out of the dual roles of the individual who is an officer of our company and a shareholder and director of our VIEs, as well as the entity who is both an affiliate of a shareholder of our company and shareholder of our VIEs. These shareholders may breach, or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIEs and receive economic benefits from them. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIEs to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

 

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our VIEs that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business if the entity goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

 

As part of our contractual arrangements with our VIEs, our VIEs and their subsidiaries hold certain assets including intellectual property, license, permits and premise. If our VIEs go bankrupt and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Under the contractual arrangements, our VIEs may not, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of their assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. If our VIEs undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, the independent third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Risks Related to Doing Business in China

 

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

 

Substantially all of our operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole.

 

The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China are still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

 

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. The growth rate of the Chinese economy has gradually slowed since 2010, and the impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese economy in 2020 is likely to be severe. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our products and services and materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us.

 

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and prior court decisions have limited value as precedents. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always consistent and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

 

In particular, PRC laws and regulations concerning the used car e-commerce industry are developing and evolving. Although we have taken measures to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to our business operations and avoid conducting any activities that may be deemed as illegal under the current applicable laws and regulations, the PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating our industry and amend the existing laws and regulations in the future. See “—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Failure to obtain certain filings, approvals, licenses, permits and certificates for our business operations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.” We cannot assure you that our practices would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations. Moreover, developments in the used car service industry and online used car transaction industry may lead to changes in PRC laws, regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application of existing laws, regulations and policies that may limit or restrict online used car transaction platforms like us, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. Any changes in PRC laws and regulations related to foreign investment in China could affect the business environment and our ability to operate our business in China. For example, MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law on January 19, 2015, aiming to, upon its enactment, replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise. “Control” is broadly defined in the draft Foreign Investment Law to cover the following summarized categories: (i) holding directly or indirectly 50% or more of the equity interest, assets, voting rights, or similar equity interest of the subject entity; (ii) holding directly or indirectly less than 50% of the equity interest, assets, voting rights or similar equity interest of the subject entity, but having the power to secure at least 50% of the seats on the board of directors or other equivalent decision-making bodies, or having the voting power to exert material influence over the board of directors, at the shareholders’ meeting or over other equivalent decision-making bodies; or (iii) having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entity’s operations, financial, staffing and technology matters, or other key aspects of business operations. The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China, but ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, will be treated as foreign-invested enterprises. If a foreign-invested enterprise proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment restrictions, the foreign-invested enterprise must go through market entry clearance by MOFCOM before being established. According to the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as foreign-invested enterprises if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, and accordingly would be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft Foreign Investment Law does not address what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with a VIE structure. The draft Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. Substantial uncertainty exists with respect to its enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation. The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may materially impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations in many aspects.

 

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From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

 

Our business is susceptible to changes in government policies, including policies on automobile purchases, ownership, taxation, vehicle title transfers, and used car transactions across regions and provinces. Failure to adequately respond to such changes could adversely affect our business.

 

Government policies on automobile purchases and ownership may have a material impact on our business due to their influence on consumer behaviors. Since 2009, the PRC government has changed the vehicle purchase tax on automobiles with 1.6 liter or smaller engines several times. In addition, in August 2014, several PRC governmental authorities jointly announced that from September 2014 to December 2017, purchases of new energy automobiles designated on certain catalogs will be exempted from vehicle purchase taxes. In April 2015, several PRC governmental authorities also jointly announced that from 2016 to 2020, purchasers of new energy automobiles designated on certain catalogs will enjoy subsidies. In December 2016, relevant PRC governmental authorities further adjusted the subsidy policy for new energy automobiles. We cannot predict whether government subsidies will remain in the future or whether similar incentives will be introduced, and if they are, their impact on automobile retail transactions in China. It is possible that automobile retail transactions may decline significantly upon expiration of the existing government subsidies if consumers have become used to such incentives and postpone purchase decisions in the absence of new incentives. If automobile retail transactions indeed decline, our revenues and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Some local governmental authorities issued regulations and implementation rules in order to control urban traffic and the number of automobiles within particular urban areas. For example, Beijing municipal authorities adopted regulations and implementing rules in December 2010 to limit the total number of license plates issued to new automobile purchases in Beijing each year. Guangzhou municipal authorities also announced similar regulations, which came into effect in July 2013. There are similar policies that restrict the issuance of new automobile license plates in Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Guiyang and Shenzhen. In September 2013, the State Council released a plan for the prevention and remediation of air pollution, which requires large cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, to further restrict the number of motor vehicles. In October 2013, the Beijing government issued an additional regulation to limit the total number of vehicles in Beijing to no more than six million by the end of 2017. In addition to the quantity control of automobiles, some local governmental authorities have also adopted environmental protection policies and regulations in recent years, pursuant to which an automobile, failing to meet certain environmental protection requirements or standards, will not be able to obtain the license plate issued by relevant local governmental authorities.

 

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As some used cars cannot meet the environmental protection standards required in some regions, the above policies and regulations may restrict or adversely impact the transactions of such used cars. Such regulatory developments, as well as other uncertainties, may adversely affect the growth prospects of China’s automobile industry, which in turn may have a material adverse impact on our business.

 

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the annual report based on foreign laws.

 

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and most are PRC residents. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors, none of whom currently reside in the United States and whose assets are located outside the United States. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state.

 

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of reciprocity with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.

 

Shareholder claims that are common in the United States, including securities law class actions and fraud claims, generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China.  For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC and no entities or individuals may provide documents or materials in connection with its securities activities to the overseas without proper authorization. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law have yet to be available, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by investors in protecting your interests. See also “—Risks Relating to the ADSs and this Offering—You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law” for risks associated with investing in us as a Cayman Islands company.

 

Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the internet in China may adversely affect our business, and we may be liable for information displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our websites and mobile apps.

 

China has enacted laws and regulations governing internet access and the distribution of information through the internet. The PRC government prohibits information that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China or the public interest, contains terrorism or extremism content, or is reactionary, obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory, from being distributed through the internet. PRC laws also prohibit the use of the internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leakage of state secrets or the distribution of socially destabilizing content. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in sanctions or penalties such as revocation of licenses to provide internet content and other licenses, the shut-down of the concerned websites or mobile apps, and reputational harm. A website or mobile apps operator may also be held liable for censored information displayed on or linked to its website or mobile apps. We may be subject to potential liability for certain unlawful actions of users of our platform or for content we distribute that is deemed inappropriate. We may be required to delete content that violates PRC laws and report content that we suspect may violate PRC laws, which may reduce our consumer base. It may be difficult to determine the type of content that may result in liability for us, and if we are found to be liable, we may be prevented from operating our business or offering other services in China.

 

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PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents and enterprises may increase our administrative burden and restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activities. If our PRC resident and enterprise shareholders fail to make any applications and filings required under these regulations, we may be unable to distribute profits to such shareholders and may become subject to liability under PRC law.

 

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, to replace the previous SAFE Circular 75, which ceased to be effective upon the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we may make in the future.

 

Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, must be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.

 

In August 2014, MOFCOM promulgated the Measures for the Administration of Overseas Investment, and the National Development Reform Committee, or the NDRC, promulgated the Administrative Measures for the Approval and Filing of Overseas Investment Projects. In December 2017, the NDRC further promulgated the Administrative Measures of Overseas Investment of Enterprises, which became effective in March 2018. Pursuant to these regulations, any outbound investment of PRC enterprises in the area and industry that is not sensitive is required to be filed with MOFCOM and the NDRC or their local branch.

 

Mr. Kun Dai, who indirectly holds our shares through SPVs and who is known to us as a PRC resident, has completed the applicable foreign exchange registrations to the extent acceptable by SAFE in accordance with SAFE Circular 75 and SAFE Circular 37. We cannot assure you, however, that Mr. Kun Dai will continue to make required filings or updates in a timely manner, or at all. Moreover, we can provide no assurance that we are or will in the future continue to be informed of the identities of all PRC residents and PRC enterprises holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and even if we are aware of such shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or PRC enterprises, we may not be able to compel them to comply with SAFE Circular 37 and outbound investment related regulations, and we may not even have any means to know whether they comply with these requirements. Any failure or inability by such individuals or enterprises to comply with SAFE and outbound investment related regulations may subject such individuals or the responsible officers of such enterprises to fines or legal sanctions, and may result in adverse impact on us, such as restrictions on our ability to distribute or pay dividends.

 

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations are relatively new and their interpretation and implementation have been constantly evolving, it is uncertain how these regulations, and any future regulations concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Due to the complexity and constantly changing nature of the foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations as well as the uncertainties involved, we cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

 

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Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

 

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company primarily relies on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi. The PRC government may at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs.

 

Fluctuations in exchange rates of the Renminbi could materially affect our reported results of operations.

 

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

 

Any significant appreciation or depreciation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ADSs in U.S. dollars. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

 

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency or to convert foreign currency into Renminbi.

 

PRC rules on mergers and acquisitions may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.

 

The Anti-Monopoly Law, or the AML, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which became effective in 2008, requires that when a concentration of undertakings occurs and reaches statutory thresholds, the undertakings concerned shall file a prior notification with MOFCOM. Without the clearance from MOFCOM, no concentration of undertakings shall be implemented and effected. Mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to MOFCOM when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, revised in 2008, is triggered. If such prior notification is not obtained, MOFCOM may order the concentration to cease its operations, dispose of shares or assets, transfer the business of the concentration within a time limit, take any other necessary measures to restore the situation as it was before the concentration, and may impose administrative fines.

 

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Also, the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. Such regulation requires, among other things, that MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor acquires control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) it is concerned with certain industries, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have an impact on the national economic security, or (iii) such transaction may lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise that holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. The approval from MOFCOM shall be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies.

 

In addition, PRC national security review rules, i.e. Provisions of Ministry of Commerce on Implementation of Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, which became effective in September 2011 and Notice of the General Office of State Council on Establishment of Security Review System Pertaining to Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, which became effective in March 2011, require acquisitions by foreign investors of PRC companies engaged in military related or certain other industries that are crucial to national security be subject to security review before consummation of any such acquisition. We believe that our business is not in an industry related to national security. However, we cannot preclude the possibility that MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish interpretations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of the security review in the future.

 

Moreover, the Administrative Measures for Enterprises’ Overseas Investment, or the Overseas Investment Rules, adopted by the NDRC on December 26, 2017 and will become effective on March 1, 2018, stipulates that for local enterprises (enterprises that are not managed by the state government), if the amount of investment made by the Chinese investors is less than US$300 million and the target project is non-sensitive, then the overseas investment project will require filing, instead of approval, with the local branch of the CSRC where the enterprise itself is registered. Although the NDRC has deregulated on overseas investment to certain extent, we are still subject to the procedures required by the NDRC before any of our PRC subsidiaries can conduct any overseas investment activities. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—M&A Rules and Overseas Listings.”

 

PRC regulations on loans and direct investments by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC entities.

 

As an offshore holding company of our PRC subsidiaries, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries. Such loans to our PRC subsidiaries or our VIEs in China and capital contributions are subject to PRC regulations and approvals or filing. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local branch. Besides SAFE registration, loans to our VIEs may also need to be filed with the NDRC or its local branches. Information about capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries must be filed with the PRC Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart. In addition, the PRC government also restricts the convertibility of foreign currencies into Renminbi and use of the proceeds. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, which took effect and replaced certain previous SAFE regulations from June 1, 2015. SAFE further promulgated Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. On October 23, 2019, SAFE promulgated Circular 28, which stipulates that non-investment foreign-funded enterprises are allowed to make domestic equity investment with their capital funds on the premise that the Negative List is not violated and the projects invested thereby in China are true and compliant. Violations of the applicable circulars and rules may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations. If our variable interest entity requires financial support from us or our wholly owned subsidiaries in the future and we find it necessary to use foreign currency-denominated capital to provide such financial support, our ability to fund our variable interest entity’s operations will be subject to statutory limits and restrictions, including those described above.

 

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The applicable foreign exchange circulars and rules may significantly limit our ability to convert, transfer and use the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the concurrent private placement of convertible notes or any offering of additional equity securities in China, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As the foreign exchange related regulatory regime and practice are complex and still evolving and involve many uncertainties, we cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange circulars and rules, or that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or filings on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or filings, our ability to contribute additional capital to fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely and materially affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

 

Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

 

China’s overall economy and the average wage in China have increased in recent years and are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to those who pay for our services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules, employers are subject to stricter requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees’ probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

In October 2010, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Social Insurance Law, effective on July 1, 2011 and amended on December 29, 2018. On April 3, 1999, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Funds, which was amended on March 24, 2019. Companies registered and operating in China are required under the Social Insurance Law and the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Funds to, apply for social insurance registration and housing fund deposit registration within 30 days of their establishment and, to pay for their employees different social insurance including pension insurance, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to the extent required by law. However, certain of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs that do not hire any employees and are not a party to any employment agreement, have not applied for and obtained such registration, and instead of paying the social insurance payment on their own for their employees, certain of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs use third-party agencies to pay in the name of such agency. We could be subject to orders by the competent labor authorities for rectification and failure to comply with the orders may further subject us to administrative fines.

 

As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practices do not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all labor-related law and regulations regarding including those relating to obligations to make social insurance payments and contribute to the housing provident funds. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.

 

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Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee share ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

 

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, replacing earlier rules promulgated in 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a qualified PRC agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas-listed company, and complete certain other procedures. The PRC agent shall amend the SAFE registration within three months in the event that there is any material changes to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes.

 

In addition, an overseas-entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options are subject to these regulations. However, we cannot assure you that the SAFE registrations for the grantees of our stock options could be completed and updated in a timely manner. Failure to complete SAFE registrations or to amend such registrations in time may subject us to fines of up to RMB300,000 (US$43,092) for entities and up to RMB50,000 (US$7,182) for individuals, and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans.”

 

Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC may be subject to PRC withholding tax, which could materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay our shareholders.

 

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, classifies enterprises as resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. The EIT Law provides that an income tax rate of 20% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-resident investors, which (i) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or (ii) have an establishment or place of business in the PRC but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The State Council of the PRC reduced such rate to 10% through the implementation regulations of the EIT Law. Further, pursuant to the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement between Hong Kong and Mainland China and the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties issued in February 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation (“SAT”), if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the equity interest in a company in China at all times during the 12-month period immediately prior to obtaining a dividend from such company, the 10% withholding tax on dividends is reduced to 5% provided certain other conditions and requirements under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement between Hong Kong and Mainland China and other applicable PRC laws are satisfied at the discretion of relevant PRC tax authority.

 

We are a Cayman Islands holding company and we have 3 Cayman Islands subsidiaries, 3 British Virgin Islands subsidiaries, and 6 Hong Kong subsidiaries which in turn hold controlling equity interest of 34 PRC subsidiaries. If we and our Cayman Islands and Hong Kong subsidiaries are considered as non-resident enterprises and each of our Hong Kong subsidiaries is considered as a Hong Kong resident enterprise under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied relevant conditions and requirements, then the dividends paid to our Hong Kong subsidiaries by its PRC subsidiaries may be subject to the reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. However, based on the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment; and based on the Notice on the Comprehension and Recognition of Beneficial Owner in Tax Treaties issued in October 2009 by the SAT, conduit companies, which are established for the purpose of evading or reducing tax, transferring or accumulating profits, shall not be recognized as beneficial owner and thus are not entitled to the abovementioned reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. If we are required under the EIT Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our subsidiaries in China, or if any of our Hong Kong subsidiaries is determined by PRC government authority as receiving benefits from reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, it would materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders.

 

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Under the EIT Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China; such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

 

We believe that Uxin Limited is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Tax—Enterprise Income Tax.” However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that Uxin Limited is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

 

In addition to the uncertainty as to the application of the “resident enterprise” classification, we cannot assure you that the PRC Government will not amend or revise the taxation laws, rules, and regulations to impose stricter tax requirements, higher tax rates, or retroactively apply the EIT Law. If such changes occur or if such changes are applied retroactively, such changes could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial conditions.

 

We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC shareholders.

 

In February 2015, the SAT issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Public Notice 7. SAT Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Public Notice 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. In October 2017, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017 and was amended on June 15, 2018. The Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of nonresident enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer other than transfer of Shares of ADSs acquired and sold on public markets may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

 

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We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions that involve PRC taxable assets, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Public Notice 7 or Bulletin 37, or both. We have not filed certain filings under SAT Notice 7 filings for some of our historical share transfers and restructurings. For transfer of shares in our company by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under SAT Public Notice 7 and Bulletin 37. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Public Notice 7 and Bulletin 37, or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

The audit report included in this annual report is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

 

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included in our annual report filed with the SEC as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditors are located in the Peoples’ Republic of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. On April 21, 2020, the SEC and the PCAOB issued another joint statement reiterating the greater risk that disclosures will be insufficient in many emerging markets, including China, compared to those made by U.S. domestic companies. In discussing the specific issues related to the greater risk, the statement again highlights the PCAOB’s inability to inspect audit work paper and practices of accounting firms in China, with respect to their audit work of U.S. reporting companies. These statements reflect a heightened interest in an issue that has vexed U.S. regulators in recent years. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and PCAOB will take to address the problem.

 

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

 

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The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

 

As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress, which if passed, would require the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges such as the Nasdaq of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. Enactment of this legislation or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the ADSs could be adversely affected. It is unclear if this proposed legislation would be enacted. Furthermore, there has been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the United States.

 

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

 

Starting in 2011 the Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, were affected by a conflict between U.S. and Chinese law. Specifically, for certain U.S.-listed companies operating and audited in mainland China, the SEC and the PCAOB sought to obtain from the Chinese firms access to their audit work papers and related documents. The firms were, however, advised and directed that under Chinese law, they could not respond directly to the U.S. regulators on those requests, and that requests by foreign regulators for access to such papers in China had to be channeled through the CSRC.

 

In late 2012, this impasse led the SEC to commence administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the PRC accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm. A first instance trial of the proceedings in July 2013 in the SEC’s internal administrative court resulted in an adverse judgment against the firms. The administrative law judge proposed penalties on the firms including a temporary suspension of their right to practice before the SEC, although that proposed penalty did not take effect pending review by the Commissioners of the SEC. On February 6, 2015, before a review by the Commissioner had taken place, the firms reached a settlement with the SEC. Under the settlement, the SEC accepted that future requests by the SEC for the production of documents will normally be made to the CSRC. The firms were to receive matching Section 106 requests, and are required to abide by a detailed set of procedures with respect to such requests, which in substance require them to facilitate production via the CSRC. If they failed to meet specified criteria, during a period of four years starting from the settlement date, the SEC retained authority to impose a variety of additional remedial measures on the firms depending on the nature of the failure. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four China-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice four years after entry of the settlement. The four-year mark occurred on February 6, 2019. While we cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four China-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions. If additional remedial measures are imposed on the Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, we could be unable to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

 

In the event the Chinese affiliates of the “big four” become subject to additional legal challenges by the SEC or PCAOB, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about any such future proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, U.S.-listed companies and the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected.

 

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If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to the delisting of the ADSs from Nasdaq Global Select Market or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of the ADSs in the United States.

 

The enforcement of stricter advertisement laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

 

In April 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Advertising Law, effective on September 1, 2015 and amended on October 26, 2018. According to the Advertising Law, advertisements shall not have any false or misleading content, or defraud or mislead consumers. Furthermore, an advertisement will be deemed as a “false advertisement” if any of the following situations exist: (i) the advertised product or service does not exist; (ii) there is any inconsistency that has a material impact on the decision to purchase in what is included in the advertisement with the actual circumstances with respect to the product’s performance, functions, place of production, uses, quality, specification, ingredient, price, producer, term of validity, sales condition, and honors received, among others, or the service’s contents, provider, form, quality, price, sales condition, and honors received, among others, or any commitments, among others, made on the product or service; (iii) fabricated, forged or unverifiable scientific research results, statistical data, investigation results, excerpts, quotations, or other information have been used as supporting material; (iv) effect or results of using the good or receiving the service are fabricated; or (v) other circumstances where consumers are defrauded or misled by any false or misleading content. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations On Advertisement” for further details.

 

Our current marketing relies on advertising, via both online and offline channels. The laws and regulations of advertising are relatively new and evolving and there is substantial uncertainty as to the interpretation of “false advertisement” by the SAMR. If any of the advertisements that we publish is deemed to be a “false advertisement” by the SAMR or its local branch, we could be subject to various penalties, such as discontinuation of publishing the target advertisement, imposition of fines and obligations to eliminate any adverse effects incurred by such false advertisement. Some of our outdoor advertisements has historically been deemed as giving misstatement, resulting in fines by the local SAMR. The amount of the fine was not significant. We cannot assure you that the advertisement we publish in the future will not be subject to further penalties. And any such penalties may disrupt our business and our competition with competitors, which could affect our results of operations and financial conditions.

 

Certain of our leased property interests may be defective and we may be forced to relocate operations affected by such defects, which could cause a significant disruption to our business.

 

As to most of our leased properties, we are not provided with sufficient property title certificates or other supporting documents to prove the legitimate possession of the leased properties by the lessors. Our lease agreements therefore may not be enforceable, our rights as the lessee could be challenged by third parties and we may be forced to relocate if the lessors do not have legitimate rights upon the properties. We cannot assure you that such defects could be cured in time, or at all, and our business may be significantly disrupted with additional costs and expenses if we have to relocate.

 

Some of our leases have expired or will expire soon. We may not be able to successfully extend or renew such leases upon expiration of the current term on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and may therefore be forced to relocate our affected operations. This could disrupt our operations and result in significant relocation expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, we compete with other businesses for premises at certain locations or of desirable sizes. As a result, even though we could extend or renew our leases, rental payments may significantly increase as a result of the high demand for the leased properties. In addition, we may not be able to locate desirable alternative sites for our facilities as our business continues to grow and failure in relocating our affected operations could adversely affect our business and operations.

 

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Most of our lease agreements have not been registered with relevant governmental authorities. Failure to register the lease agreement will not affect its effectiveness between the lessor and the lessee, but such defectiveness may subject us to administrative fines, which will have a negative impact upon our financial results.

 

Although the planned purpose of certain of our leased properties is for residence only, we lease from our lessors for purpose of business. Pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, if our lessors have not obtained the consent of the owners of other properties in the same building in advance, the other owners may request our lessors to remove the impairment and compensate for their damages. Under such circumstances, our lessors may force us to relocate and our business will be interrupted.

 

We have been and may in the future be involved in legal and administration proceedings initiated by government authorities, property owners or any other third parties regarding our leasehold interests in or use of such properties. We cannot assure you that we can successfully defend ourselves against those claims or that our use of such leased properties will not be challenged in the future. In the event that our use of properties is successfully challenged, we may be subject to fines and forced to relocate the affected operations. In addition, we may become involved in disputes with the property owners or third parties who otherwise have rights to or interests in our leased properties. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to find suitable replacement sites on terms acceptable to us on a timely basis, or at all, or that we will not be subject to material liability resulting from third parties’ challenges on our use of such properties. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We may be required to register our business premises outside of our registered residence addresses as branch offices under PRC law.

 

Under PRC law, a company doing business at a fixed venue outside its registered residence address is required to register with the local branch of the SAMR where the business premise is located to set it up as branch office and obtain business license. We have not been able to complete the registration or establish branch offices for each of business premise operated by ourselves, and some of our service centers have been fined for such violation by the governmental authority as a result. The amounts of the fines were not significant. We have been making continual efforts to register and set up branch offices nationwide for our newly opened business premise and we cannot assure you that all required registration can be completed in a timely manner, due to the rapid growth of our business across the country and complex procedural requirements of governmental authority. If the PRC regulatory authorities determine that we are in violation of the relevant laws and regulations, we may be subject to penalties, including fines, confiscation of income and suspension of operation and our business, results of operations and financial condition could thus be adversely affected.

 

Risks Related to Our ADSs

 

The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

 

Since our ADSs became listed on Nasdaq on June 27, 2018, the trading price of our ADSs has ranged from US$1.41 to US$5.86 per ADS in 2019. The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, including the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for the ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

 

·                  variations in our revenues, earnings and cash flow;

 

·                  actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations;

 

·                  announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors;

 

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·                  announcements of new service offerings, solutions and expansions by us or our competitors;

 

·                  changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

 

·                  conditions in China’s used car market and used car consumer financing market;

 

·                  changes in the operating performance or market evaluations of other online used car transaction platforms;

 

·                  detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services or our industry;

 

·                  additions or departures of key personnel;

 

·                  release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities;

 

·                  short seller reports that make allegations against us or our affiliates, even if unfounded;

 

·                  potential litigation or regulatory investigations; and

 

·                  general economic or political conditions in China or elsewhere in the world.

 

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the ADSs will trade.

 

We have been named as a defendant in two class action lawsuits, which could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We have been named as a defendant in six putative shareholder class action lawsuits that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows and reputation.” and “Item 8, Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”

 

In addition, the stock market in general, and the market prices for internet-related companies and companies with operations in China in particular, have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the operating performance of such companies. The securities of some China-based companies that have listed their securities in the United States have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings in recent years, including, in some cases, substantial declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of these companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies listed in the United States in general, which consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or other matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have engaged in any inappropriate activities. In particular, the global financial crisis, the ensuing economic recessions and deterioration in the credit market in many countries have contributed and may continue to contribute to extreme volatility in the global stock markets. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. Volatility or a lack of positive performance in our ADS price may also adversely affect our ability to retain key employees, most of whom have been granted options or other equity incentives.

 

Our dual-class share structure with different voting rights will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

 

We have a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares with disparate voting powers. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, holders of Class A ordinary shares will be entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to ten votes per share based on our dual-class share structure. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon (i) any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof or direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such number of Class B ordinary shares through voting proxy or otherwise to any person or any entity which is not an affiliate of such holder, or (ii) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such voting securities through voting proxy or otherwise, or the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of, a holder of Class B ordinary shares to any person that is not an affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary shares, or (iii) of Mr. Kun Dai ceases to be the ultimate beneficial owner of any outstanding Class B ordinary shares.

 

As of February 29, 2020, Mr. Kun Dai, the beneficially owner of all our issued Class B ordinary shares, beneficially owned 39.9% of the aggregate voting power of our company. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of Class B ordinary shares will have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers and consolidations, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. Such holders may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

 

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The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our ADSs.

 

S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have recently announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our ADSs.

 

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

 

The trading market for the ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.

 

The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of the ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

 

Sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and materially impair our ability to raise capital through offerings of equity or equity linked securities in the future. As of February 29, 2020, we had 887,617,391 ordinary shares outstanding, comprising of (i) 846,807,530 Class A ordinary shares (excluding the 16,562,988 Class A ordinary shares issued to our depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our Share Incentive Plan), and (ii) 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares. Among these shares, 435,420,642 Class A ordinary shares are in the form of ADSs, which are freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. The remaining Class A ordinary shares outstanding and the Class B ordinary shares will be available for sale, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. To our knowledge, certain of our shareholders, including those affiliated with Mr. Kun Dai, our chairman and chief executive officer, had pledged a total of 93,170,300 Class A ordinary shares that represent approximately 10.5% of our share capital as of February 29, 2020 in favor of third-party lenders in connection with certain loans in an aggregate principal amount of approximately US$163.1 million, most proceeds of which were used to fund the purchase of shares in our company in the latest rounds of pre-IPO equity financings. The loans became due in June, November and December 2019, respectively, and the borrowers are currently in discussion with the lenders to seek extensions of the loans. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—E. Share Ownership footnote (1).” Subsequent to our initial public filing, the loan agreements with the third-party lenders were amended to add margin call provisions and top-up requirements regarding our shares. If any lender enforces its security interests in such pledged shares upon an event of default, triggering of the margin call and top-up requirements or other circumstances, or any borrower needs to use the pledged shares to repay the loan, the pledged shares may be sold on the public market. For example, in connection with a loan in the principal amount of US$100.0 million under a facility agreement entered into between Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Limited as borrower and Cathay Rong IV Limited as lender, Cathay Rong IV Limited enforced its security interests in shares pledged by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Limited and as a result, 57,045,450 Class A ordinary shares were transferred to Cathay Rong IV Limited. Cathay Rong IV Limited may hold or dispose of these securities at its discretion, including on the public market, as repayment of the outstanding loan and satisfaction of other obligations under the facility agreement. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—E. Share Ownership footnotes (8) and (10).” We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of the ADSs.

 

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Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on a price appreciation of the ADSs for return on your investment.

 

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

 

Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.

 

Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and the ADSs.

 

Our memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions, including a dual-class voting structure that gives disproportionate voting power to the Class B ordinary shares held by Xin Gao Group Limited, of which our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Kun Dai, is the sole shareholder and sole director. Through Xin Gao Group Limited, and other entities affiliated with Mr. Dai which hold Class A ordinary shares, Mr. Dai beneficially owned an aggregate of 39.9% of the total voting power of our company as of February 29, 2020. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our Class A ordinary shares, in the form of the ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of the ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares and the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

 

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

 

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

 

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Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies.

 

Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

 

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.

 

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

 

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, most of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

 

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to direct the voting of the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADS.

 

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights as our registered shareholders. As a holder of the ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights which are attached to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you may vote only by giving voting instructions to the depositary, as the holder of the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as is practicable, to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. Where any matter is to be put to a vote at a general meeting, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares unless you withdraw the shares, and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the underlying shares represented by your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. Where any matter is to be put to a vote at a general meeting, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. Under our memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders for convening a general meeting is seven days. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the underlying shares represented by your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the underlying shares represented by your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

 

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You may experience dilution of your holdings due to the inability to participate in rights offerings.

 

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

 

You may be subject to limitations on the transfer of your ADSs.

 

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems it expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of the ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

 

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we remain an emerging growth company. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new and revised accounting standards. Although we have adopted all the new accounting standards that have become effective so far, we intend to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards in the future. If we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements or take advantage of other exemptions permitted under the JOBS Act, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important and our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates for new and revised accounting standards.

 

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

 

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq Global Select Market, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also permits an emerging growth company to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. However, we do not plan to “opt out” of such exemptions afforded to an emerging growth company.

 

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After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. Operating as a public company also makes it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers.

 

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.

 

Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

 

·                  the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;

 

·                  the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

 

·                  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

 

·                  the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

 

We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

 

As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards.

 

As a Cayman Islands exempted company listed on the Nasdaq, we are subject to the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. However, Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. Currently, we rely on home country exemption for the requirement under Nasdaq Rule 5605(b)(1) that majority of the board of directors must be comprised of independent directors as defined under Nasdaq Rule 5605(a)(2). We also relied on home country practice in adopting our 2018 Second Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan in November 2018 without seeking shareholder approval and not holding an annual shareholders meeting for the fiscal year of 2019.  If we continue to rely on these and other exemptions available to foreign private issuers in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under the Nasdaq governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

 

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We believe that we were a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes for the taxable year ended December 31, 2019 as a result of the volatility of the market price of our ADSs, which could subject United States holders of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares to significant adverse United States income tax consequences.

 

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income, or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (generally based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”). A separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC for that year. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, annuities, net gains from the sale or exchange of property producing such income and net foreign currency gains. For this purpose, cash and assets readily convertible into cash are categorized as passive assets and our goodwill associated with active business activity is taken into account as a non-passive asset.

 

In addition, a non-U.S. corporation will be treated as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value) of the stock. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our VIEs as being beneficially owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes because we control their management decisions, we are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with these entities, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our U.S. GAAP financial statements.

 

Based on the market price of our ADSs and the composition of our assets (in particular the substantial amount of cash and other cash-like assets), we believe that we were a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes for the taxable year ended December 31, 2019 because the volatility of the market price of our ADSs caused us to narrowly exceed the asset test percentage threshold. Further, we believe that we will likely be classified as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2020 unless the market price of our ADSs increases and/or we invest a substantial amount of the cash and other passive assets we hold in assets that produce or are held for the production of non-passive income.

 

If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (defined below) held an ADS or an ordinary share, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to the U.S. Holder. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

 

Item 4.                                                         Information on the Company

 

A.                                    History and Development of the Company

 

We commenced operations in August 2011 through Youxin Internet (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Youxin Hulian, to conduct used car auctions and other transaction related services.

 

In December 2011, we incorporated Uxin Limited in the Cayman Islands as our offshore holding company to facilitate financing and offshore listing. Shortly following its incorporation, Uxin Limited established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, Uxin Hong Kong Limited. In June 2012, in connection with our Series A financing, Uxin Hong Kong Limited established a wholly-owned subsidiary in China, Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd., referred to as Youxinpai or one of our WFOEs. Since its incorporation, Youxinpai has established and acquired several wholly-owned subsidiaries, among which are Youhan (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Youhan, and Baogu Automobile Technology Services (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

 

In November 2014, we established UcarShow Holding Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uxin Limited. UcarShow Holding Limited established UcarShow HK Limited in Hong Kong. In January 2015, we established Uxin Used Car Limited, and in February 2015, UcarShow Holding Limited transferred all the interests it held in UcarShow HK Limited to Uxin Used Car Limited. In March 2015, UcarShow HK Limited established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Yougu (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd, or Yougu. Yougu acquired Youzhen (Beijing) Business Consulting Co., Ltd. from Youxinpai in September 2016.

 

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In November 2014, we established UcarEase Holding Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uxin Limited. UcarEase Holding Limited acquired GloryFin International Group Holding Company Limited, or GloryFin, which was incorporated in Hong Kong, and its three wholly-owned subsidiaries, Kai Feng Finance Lease (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., or Kaifeng, Youqin (Shanxi) Finance Lease Co., Ltd., and Boyu Finance Lease (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.

 

In November 2014, we established UcarBuy Holding Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uxin Limited. UcarBuy Holding Limited established UcarBuy HK Limited, which established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Youxin (Shanghai) Used Car Business Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Youxin Shanghai. In July 2019, Youxin Shanghai became a wholly-owned subsidiary of GloryFin.

 

Youxinpai and Yougu entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Youxin Hulian and Youxin Yishouche (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Yishouche, respectively, and their respective shareholders. Youxin Hulian and Yishouche are collectively referred to as our VIEs.

 

We have been conducting our 2C business through Yougu and Yishouche. Yougu operates the website www.xin.com and mobile apps for our 2C business and has obtained approval from Shanghai Communications Administration to conduct value-added telecommunications services in the scope of online data processing and transaction processing (operating e-commerce).

 

On June 27, 2018, our ADSs commenced trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “UXIN.” We raised from our initial public offering US$204.8 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting commissions and the offering expenses payable by us.

 

On April 26, 2020, our board of directors approved the change in our fiscal year end from December 31 to March 31. We will file a transition report on Form 20-F to cover the transition period from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020.

 

Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses

 

Since early 2018, when we began to fulfill online used car transactions for consumers, we have gradually shifted our strategic focus to our 2C online transaction business, which was previously referred to as “2C cross-regional business.” Through our 2C online transaction business, we help consumers buy the car of their choice online by providing them with a nationwide selection of used cars, a wide range of car-related value-added products and services as well as a full suite of supporting services to fulfill these online used car transactions. With our innovative online used car product and service offerings, we have created an innovative and unique used car buying experience for consumers centered around four key values — more selection, better prices, premium service and convenience. As a result, in order to better devote all our attention and resources towards developing and scaling up our 2C online transaction business, we have recently divested to our strategic partners our loan facilitation, salvage car and 2B related businesses, which are collectively referred to as the Divested Businesses.

 

Divestiture of loan facilitation business

 

In July 2019 and September 2019, we entered into a bind term sheet and definitive agreements respectively, with Golden Pacer to divest our loan facilitation related business, which we refer to as the Loan Facilitation Divestiture. In April 2020, we entered into supplemental agreements with Golden Pacer to modify and supplement certain terms and conditions in connection with the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, pursuant to which we divested our entire 2C intra-regional business and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C online transaction business. In addition, we have divested the assets and liabilities in relation to our historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank to Golden Pacer as one of the pre-conditions for the transaction. As a result, assets and liabilities related to the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank were reclassified on a net basis as net assets transferred on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, and results of operations related to the divested business were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. Prior to the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, we facilitated consumer auto loans for both new and used car transactions through our 2C business by entering into a series of arrangements with our customers and third-party financing partners who primarily funded the auto loans to our customers. After the Loan Facilitation Divestiture and through our business cooperation with Golden Pacer, Golden Pacer becomes our financing solution provider who directly works with third-party financing partners to facilitate auto loans, and we no longer provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C online used car transactions. By referring the used car financing options provided by our financing solution providers to our customers, we continue to enable our consumers to conveniently access various auto financing products on our platform. The transaction closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements in April 2020.

 

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Divestiture of salvage car business

 

In January 2020, we divested our salvage car related business to Boche, which we refer to as the Boche Divestiture. Assets and liabilities associated with the Boche Divestiture were reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019. The divested business was not presented as discontinued operations due to its insignificance to our overall business. The transaction closed in January 2020.

 

Divestiture of 2B business

 

In March 2020, we entered into definitive agreements to divest our 2B business to 58.com, which we refer to as the 2B Divestiture. Assets and liabilities associated with the 2B Divestiture were reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, and results of operations related to the 2B Divestiture were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. The transaction closed in April 2020. As part of the transaction, we also entered into a business cooperation agreement with 58.com, pursuant to which we will provide 58.com with information related to used cars for sale by individuals.

 

B.                                    Business Overview

 

We are a leading national online used car dealer in China. As the online destination in China for consumers to buy used cars, we make it possible for consumers to choose from our nationwide selection of used cars and buy the car directly online from our platform through our 2C business. Prior to Mach 2020, we also operated 2B business where we primarily facilitated used car transactions between business customers via online auction. We have divested our 2B business pursuant to definitive agreements we entered into in March 2020. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.”

 

Our mission is to enable people to buy the car of their choice. Consumers in China have been facing significant challenges when buying used cars via traditional supply chains, such as limited access to a wide selection of used cars, inconvenience in buying used cars from other cities and regions, lack of transparent and reliable information about car condition and complex transaction processes. Operated under the brand Uxin Used Car (优信二手车), our platform addresses these issues by providing consumers with a reliable and one-stop online car buying experience and enabling consumers to select from our nationwide selection of Uxin Certified used cars and access various car-related value-added products and services online throughout China.

 

We have transformed the used car buying experience in China through our innovative integrated online platform and offline service and fulfilment networks, which takes care of each step of the transaction process and covers the entire value chain. Our online platform ensures that consumers have access not only to an extensive nationwide selection of used cars, but also to a wide range of value-added products and services. Our offline infrastructure and networks allow us to effectively serve consumers and fulfill the transactions made online, such as car inspection, in-person car-buying consulting, car delivery, title transfers and other after-sales services. In particular, our inspection capabilities allow us to collect proprietary data, images and videos of used cars and generate accurate car condition reports, which allows for convenient car comparison and is crucial to consumers’ decision-making process of buying used cars online. With a significant amount of data aggregated on our platform, we are able to continue to innovate and improve our products and services to meet consumers’ varied needs. Together, our products and services provide consumers with the superior experience and peace of mind that our brand embodies. In fact, our name, Uxin (优信), translates to quality and trust in Chinese.

 

Our comprehensive products and services are supported by a number of critical foundations, including proprietary technology and data analytics capabilities, an extensive service network and unique online used car transaction fulfillment capabilities.

 

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·                  Data and Technology: Our patented and industry-leading car inspection system, Check Auto (查客), provides a comprehensive overview of a used car’s condition. Our AI- and big data-driven Manhattan pricing engine provides consumers and dealers with pricing insights based on each used car’s condition, as well as serving as an algorithmic foundation for determining the ranking of used cars listed on our platform according to each car’s price and performance data. In addition, based on a wealth of data we have on user behavior and used car inventory, our AI-enabled Lingxi (灵犀) intelligent recommendation system provides personalized car recommendations to consumers by analyzing their preferences, which makes it easier for them to find the car of their choice; and our AI-powered Edison intelligent user profiling system helps our customer service personnel and sales consultants better understand consumer profiles by analyzing their preferences in real time and predicting which used cars they are likely to buy, which enables us to create more effective sales strategies. Additionally, we provide 360-degree online car viewing functionality enabled by VR technology for some of the best-selling makes and models tagged as “super value cars” on our platform.

 

·                  Service Network: We leverage our service network to provide consumers with services and assistance at each step of the transaction process. We provide them with car-buying services through our sales and service network which covers more than 260 cities at prefecture level or above across China. To enhance customer experience, our sales consultants visit consumers at their convenience, such as coffee shop or their workplace, to provide professional car-buying consulting service and assist them in buying the car of their choice. In addition, we continue to upgrade and transform the entire buying process and transition online each step in the sales process. We are now offering online sales consulting and assistance services without the need to assign our sales consultant offline to assist in a purchase once the consumer demonstrates intention to purchase on our platform. Starting from December 2018, we have worked with third-party agents to enlarge our sales force in the effort to effectively expand our service outreach across China. Our agents provide in-person car-buying services primarily in local service centers. In addition, we have our customer service team process consumers’ pre-sales inquiries and after-sales matters through online chat and hotlines.

 

·                  Online Transaction Fulfillment Capabilities: Our unique transaction fulfillment capabilities are empowered by our nationwide logistics and delivery network, nationwide title transfer and vehicle registration service and industry-leading warranty programs. Our nationwide logistics and delivery network ensure timely delivery of used cars to consumers. Our title transfer and vehicle registration service efficiently handles a potentially time-consuming and complex process for consumers. Our warranty programs provide consumers with comprehensive post-sale protection.

 

We also collaborate with various third-party partners to provide a wide range of value-added products and services on our platform, such as auto financing options and insurance products, as well as after-sales services. For example, Golden Pacer, as our financing solution provider, assesses car buyers’ credit and connects those who apply for used car loans with financial institutions who subsequently fund the loans, which streamlines the car-buying process on our platform.

 

In May 2019, we entered into a strategic partnership with 58.com, China’s largest online market place for classifieds. Under the partnership, we are collaborating with 58.com to optimize and strengthen traffic and inventory acquisition, used car inspection, big data analytics and SaaS development. We further deepened our strategic partnership with 58.com through the divestiture of our 2B business to 58.com and the entry into a business cooperation agreement pursuant to which we will provide 58.com with information related to used cars for sale by individuals. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.”

 

Since we launched our online used-car-buying product and service offerings in early 2018, we have been shifting our strategic focus to 2C online used car transactions. Our established relationships with approximately 25,000 dealers have enabled us to provide a nationwide selection of used cars on our platform, which attracts an increasing number of consumers to select and buy used cars from us. The growing recognition from consumers in turn attracts more dealers to join our network. Our dealer partners are typically small- or medium-sized retail dealers. This network effect will help us form a vibrant ecosystem among ourselves, our customers and our deal partners. Since we started to provide 2C online used car transaction services in 2018, we have witnessed significant growth in our business. The total number of online used cars transactions completed through our 2C platform has increased from 38,264 in 2018 to 97,100 in 2019, representing a 153.8% increase. The total 2C GMV of online used car transactions has grown from RMB4.4 billion in 2018 to RMB11.3 billion (US$1.6 billion) in 2019, representing a 155.3% increase.

 

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Our Platform and Services

 

As a leading national online used car dealer in China, we enable consumers to buy used cars online through an innovative integrated online platform and offline service and fulfilment networks through our 2C business. We mainly generate revenues from the fees we charge for fulfilling 2C online used car transactions and providing relevant value-added services. Before the divestiture of our 2B business, we also generated revenue from the fee we charge for facilitating 2B used car transactions on our 2B auction platform.

 

Our 2C business

 

Uxin Used Car (优信二手车), our 2C business, caters to consumers and primarily provides them with a nationwide selection of used cars, various car-related value-added products and services, and a full suite of supporting services to fulfill these online used car transactions. We historically provided services to consumers attracted to our platform by accompanying them to visit offline dealerships in local used car markets and assisting them in buying used cars from the dealers, which services we previously referred to as our “2C intra-regional business.” Starting in early 2018, we shifted our focus to enabling consumers to purchase used cars entirely online from our platform without the need to visit offline dealerships or see the actual car when making the purchase, which services we previously referred to as our “2C cross-regional business.” In July 2019, September 2019 and April 2020, we entered into a binding term sheet, definitive agreements and supplemental agreements, respectively, with Golden Pacer to divest our loan facilitation related business (the “Loan Facilitation Divestiture”), pursuant to which we divested our entire 2C intra-regional business to Golden Pacer. Before the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, our 2C business generated revenues from the fees we charged for transaction facilitation and loan facilitation services. We no longer provide any loan facilitation services since November 2019 as a result of the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, and our 2C business currently generates revenues from commission and value-added service fees. Our commission rate, as defined by the used car commission revenue divided by the GMV of our 2C business, increased from 4.6% in 2018 to 6.3% in 2019. Our value-added service take rate, as measured by the used car value-added service revenue divided by the GMV of our 2C business, increased from 3.8% in 2018 to 5.6% in 2019.

 

Since the launch of our online used car transaction services in early 2018, Uxin Used Car has achieved significant scale and growth. We had a real-time listing of over 110,000 used cars in the fourth quarter of 2019. In 2018 and 2019, our 2C business facilitated 38,264 and 97,100 online used car transactions, respectively, resulting in GMV of approximately RMB4.4 billion and RMB11.3 billion (US$1.6 billion), respectively.

 

User journey in our 2C business

 

For a typical Uxin Used Car consumer, the consumer’s buying journey is as follows:

 

·                  Online search: We provide an intuitive user interface to help the consumer navigate through a vast selection of used cars. The consumer can search by brand, price and other features. Built upon our technology capabilities in user categorizing and deep learning, our platform also personalizes and prioritizes the display of high-quality listings according to the consumer’s specific needs and requirements, which can make the decision-making process much more efficient.

 

·                  Evaluation of car condition: To improve transparency of the transaction process and strengthen consumer trust, each car listing on our platform includes an in-depth car condition report generated by our Check Auto system, including photos and videos of the interior and exterior of the car, records of prior accidents, repair and maintenance history, among others. Moreover, our Manhattan pricing engine also makes assessments on the fair value of listed cars by analyzing the car’s selling price and its condition as well as comparing it with the price estimate output from our Manhattan pricing engine. Our system marks the used cars of particularly good value as “super value cars.” We also provide VR-enabled 360-degree online car viewing functionality for some of the best-selling makes and models tagged as “super value cars.” Based on our comprehensive inventory database, our system also accommodates easy comparison of different cars across a multitude of features, including price, car condition and residual value. All this enables the consumer to make an informed buying decision.

 

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·                  Products and services:  When searching for used cars, the consumer can also view and choose from various value-added products and services, such as used car financing options and auto insurance products, offered by third-party providers on our platform. Once the consumer buys a car, we provide a full suite of supporting services to fulfill the online car purchase, such as nationwide logistics and delivery service, nationwide title transfer service, and assistance with vehicle registration for license plate. All of these products and services significantly lower the barrier to buy used cars online from our platform.

 

·                  Customer support:  At any step of the transaction process, the consumer can contact our pre-sales and after-sales customer service personnel through online chat or hotlines. Our online customer service center primarily handles pre-sales car-buying enquiries, such as preliminary questions on car price, car condition and used car financing options. Our sales consultants visit the consumer in person and provide professional car-buying consulting and assistance services. For example, our sales consultant assists the consumer in person in reading through the car condition report generated by Check Auto, recommends customized used car financing options and answers any car-buying-related questions. In addition, we continue to upgrade and transform the entire buying process and transition online each step in the sales process. We are now offering online sales consulting and assistance services without the need to assign our sales consultant offline to assist in a purchase once the consumer demonstrates intention to purchase on our platform. Our AI-enabled sales consultant assistance system, which integrates Lingxi intelligent recommendation system, Edison intelligent user profiling system and communication records generated from our online customer service center, empowers our sales consultants to provide more personalized and professional services by enabling them to understand the consumer’s specific needs and requirements in greater detail and automatically generating car comparison and recommendations accordingly. Our fulfillment management center primarily handles after-sales enquiries, such as questions on auto loan repayment, insurance claim and car repair covered by our warranty programs, as well as resolves customer complaints.

 

·                  Signing and delivery:  Once the consumer decides to buy the car, our service personnel will have him sign a purchase agreement after the consumer makes an earnest payment if the purchase is made with cash or down payment if the consumer chooses a financing option. Our nationwide logistics and delivery service ensures the car to be shipped in a timely manner to our fulfillment center, where our fulfillment service consultant will carry out a pre-fulfillment check on the car’s condition when the car arrives. Once confirmed the car is in good condition, we will register the car at local vehicle bureau and complete title transfers on behalf of our customer. We will invite the consumer to our fulfillment center to pick up the car when all procedures are completed. The consumer will make the rest of the payment at the fulfillment center if the consumer buys the car with cash in the first place.

 

·                  Post-transaction warranty: We provided two categories of certification, “Gold” and “Silver”, under our Uxin Certified (优信认证) program in 2019. Every Uxin Certified used car carries a 30-day return policy covering certain major damages caused by severe accidents provided that such damages exist as of the date of sale. In addition, we also provide a 3-day no-questions-asked return policy for some of the super value cars. The total return rate for 2019 was approximately 3%. For the used cars certified as “Gold”, we provide a one-year or 20,000-kilometer warranty covering repair of 15 major structural components; for those certified as “Silver”, we provide a half-year or 10,000-kilometer warranty covering repair of 5 major structural components. To further strengthen consumer trust in our platform, we have recently further upgraded and integrated our certification program. Every certified used car currently carries a one-year return policy covering certain major damages caused by severe accidents that occurred prior to the sale but were not originally identified through Uxin’s certificate program, as well as a one-year or 20,000-kilometer warranty covering repair of 15 major structural components. We provide these warranty programs to the consumer for no extra charge over our commission fee.

 

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For a typical Uxin Used Car dealer, the dealer’s journey is as follows:

 

·                  Inventory sorting:  Our offline employees who act as our “inventory shoppers” visit local used car markets on a daily basis and sort out the dealer’s used car inventory by employing a systematic approach which includes using scanning technology and image recognition software to ensure that the car is authentic and its condition is accurately reflected before it is listed, as well as to make sure that all the listings are up-to-date. Once the dealer has a new inventory, our inventory shopper will pre-negotiate the car price with him. If the dealer’s asking price is excessively high compared to the fair value estimate output from our Manhattan pricing engine, we will notify the dealer and propose a price adjustment before the car is inspected and listed on our platform to make sure our listing price is competitive.

 

·                  Inspection: We assign our inspection professionals to a standard and comprehensive inspection by using our Check Auto inspection system if the dealer’s asking price is within reasonable range.

 

·                  Listing:  Once inspected and qualified, the car will be listed on our platform for sale. Each car listing is accompanied by a Check Auto car condition report in the form of both picture and video. Additionally, our daily inventory sorting tour in local used car markets ensures any cars already sold are removed from our platform in a timely fashion. If the car has been listed on our platform for a certain period of time without being sold, we will contact the dealer and propose downward price adjustment to reflect the car’s latest fair value or make the price more competitive.

 

·                  Signing and delivery:  Once the car is sold on our platform, we will arrange for a pre-shipment check on the car’s condition before it is shipped to make sure the car is authentic and its condition is consistent with what our car inspection report describes. At the same time, our local inventory shopper verifies the car’s documentation. We will have the dealer sign a sales agreement if the car’s condition and documentations are both valid. Our inventory shopper also assists the dealer with logistics arrangement. When the car is shipped via our logistics and delivery network and arrives at our fulfillment center, we will contact the consumer for the rest of the fulfillment procedures.

 

We are dedicated to optimizing the selection of used cars listed on our platform. In addition to taking a more systematic approach to select and manage our online virtual inventory, we have established our dealer management system to ensure competitive inventory quality and prices as well as strengthen our relationships with the dealers.

 

Our 2B business

 

Launched in 2011, our 2B business, Uxin Auction (优信拍) catered to business buyers and sellers with a comprehensive suite of transaction solutions through our auction service, connecting businesses with one another across China, helping them source used cars and optimize their turnover as well as facilitating transactions among our business customers of different sizes across China. Business sellers included used car dealers, 4S dealerships which are authorized to sell the products of a single brand of automobiles and provide key automobile-related services, car rental companies, auto manufacturers and large corporations that may need to dispose of large fleets of used cars. Used cars were sold on Uxin Auction through online auction. In 2019, approximately 370,000 used cars were listed on our platform for auction. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, our 2B business achieved GMV of RMB17.4 billion, RMB15.3 billion and RMB6.8 billion (US$976.8 million), respectively. Our 2B business mainly generated revenues from the fee we charge for transaction facilitation services in 2019.

 

In March 2020, we entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to divest the entire 2B business. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.”

 

Others

 

In 2019, we also generated revenues from other businesses including salvage car business and dealer inventory financing business.

 

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Salvage car business

 

Prior to the divestiture of our salvage car related business to Boche in January 2020, we facilitated salvage car transactions through our historical subsidiaries, Fairlubo Auction Company Limited and Zhejiang Dongwang. The sellers were primarily insurance companies and the buyers were primarily business buyers of salvage cars, such as car repair shops and used car dealers. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.”

 

Dealer inventory financing (Easy Loan program)

 

We provide short-term inventory financing to retail dealers for up to two months through our Easy Loan program. We collect information from the dealer to assess the dealer’s credit profile and make credit decisions. If the dealer’s application is approved, we will work with third-party financing partners to provide funding to the dealer.

 

Our Service and Transaction Fulfillment Capabilities

 

Our nationwide service and transaction fulfillment capabilities comprise the follow components that provide crucial support to our online used car transaction business:

 

·                  Nationwide sales and service network. We provide consumers with car-buying services through our sales and service network which covers more than 250 cities at prefecture level or above across China. To enhance customer experience, our sales consultants visit consumers at their convenience, such as coffee shop or their workplace, to provide professional car-buying consulting service and assist them in buying the car of their choice. For example, our sales consultant may recommend a personalized used car or financing option according to the consumer’s specific needs and requirements, help him learn about the car’s condition by interpreting Check Auto video inspection report for him, and arrange for signing and delivery once he buys the car. As of December 31, 2019, we had a total of approximately 1,400 sales consultants across the country. We are currently upgrading and transforming the entire buying process and transitioning online each step in the sales process. We are now offering online sales consulting and assistance services without the need to assign our sales consultant offline to assist in a purchase once the consumer demonstrates intention to purchase on our platform. Starting from December 2018, we have also worked with third-party agents to enlarge our sales force in the effort to effectively expand our service network across China. Our agents provide in-person car-buying services primarily in local service centers. We follow a disciplined and systematic expansion process with respect to new service center openings. Once our agents select potential locations for the service centers, we will help them assess the feasibility based on various factors, including existing market competition, the size of potential customer base, population, car PARC, foot and vehicle traffic, local regulations on title transfers and license plate registration, and economic condition. As of December 31, 2019, we had over 1,100 service centers operated by third-party agents across China.

 

·                  Warranty and repair services.  We provided two categories of certification, “Gold” and “Silver”, under our Uxin Certified (优信认证) program in 2019. Every Uxin Certified used car carries a 30-day return policy covering certain major damages caused by severe accidents provided that such damages exist as of the date of sale. In addition, we also provide a 3-day no-questions-asked return policy for some of the super value cars. To further strengthen consumer trust in our platform, we have recently further upgraded and integrated our certification program. Every certified used car currently carries a one-year return policy covering certain major damages caused by severe accidents that existed prior to the sale, as well as a one-year or 20,000-kilometer warranty covering repair of 15 major structural components. We provide these warranty programs to the consumer for no extra charge over our commission fee.

 

·                  Value-added products and services. In addition to providing a nationwide selection of used cars for consumers to choose from, we also have a wide range of car-related value-added products and services available on our platform to make consumers’ car buying process a one-stop experience. We cooperate with used car financing solution providers and recommend personalized used car financing options to our customers according to their needs and profiles. We also cooperate with insurance solution providers to meet consumers’ need for auto insurance products. As of December 31, 2019, we partnered with 6 insurance companies and referred their auto insurance solutions to our customers through our platform.

 

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·                  Customer service. Our customer service team processes consumers’ pre-sales inquiries and after-sales matters through online chat and hotlines. Our online customer service center is primarily responsible for pre-sales car-buying enquiries, such as preliminary questions on car price, car condition and used car financing options. Our fulfillment management center mainly handles after-sales enquiries, such as questions on auto loan repayment, insurance claim and car repair covered by our warranty programs, as well as resolves customer complaints.

 

·                  Nationwide logistics and delivery network. We believe we are the first company in China which has built a nationwide logistics and delivery network for used cars. We currently collaborate with approximately 100 third-party logistics providers to ship used cars to our customers across China. All the logistics planning and delivery solutions are automated and output from our integrated intelligent logistics and routing system, which ensures a timely delivery and standard delivery fee. Through our order management system (OMS), transportation management system (TMS) and warehouse management system (WMS), we operate and manage our logistics and delivery network in a centralized and transparent fashion, which allows us to take a systematic approach to assigning shipment orders to logistics providers, coordinating the loading and unloading of used cars at each warehouse as well as monitoring and managing delivery progress. In addition, our fast-growing transaction volume brings better economy of scale to our platform, which in turn enables us to increase overall resource utilization and delivery efficiency by optimizing route planning and coordinating used car shipments among warehouses. As a result of the above, we have significantly improved our capabilities in operating used car logistics and delivery across China. For the purpose of monitoring each shipment, we temporarily install GPS device to track the car’s location in real time. A used car sold through our platform can be delivered to our customers typically within three to four business days via our logistics and delivery network. In 2019, our average delivery distance reached approximately 1,000 kilometers.

 

·                  Nationwide title transfers and vehicle registration. Title transfers for used cars in China typically involve de-registering a car with one owner and registering the car with another owner. As of December 31, 2019, we partnered with over 200 title transfer service providers to handle the entire title transfer process for our customers, which significantly simplifies their car buying process on our platform. In addition, we also provide flexible vehicle registration solutions to assist our customers in applying for license plates.

 

Technology

 

We leverage sophisticated technology to provide a differentiated user experience and improve our operations.

 

Check Auto inspection system

 

Our proprietary Check Auto system is an integrated, interactive vehicle inspection system that enables our inspection professionals to conduct a comprehensive examination of used cars listed on our platform. A significant portion of the inspection process is automated by our proprietary, state-of-the-art technology, including wearable digital glasses to record the inspection process, automatic diagnostics of car condition from video footage and image recognition technology that can automatically identify certain car condition. As a result, Check Auto improves both inspection accuracy and efficiency.

 

A mobile device serves as the hardware management and data collection terminal during each car inspection. Equipped with touch screen and voice command features, the mobile device is a highly interactive platform powered by our Check Auto inspection software. The mobile device is also connected to multiple inspection hardware devices, including wearable digital glasses, the vehicle on-board diagnostics system and a coating thickness gauge. Our inspection professionals follow the instructions prompted by the mobile device and interact with the software system through the touch screen and voice commands during the inspection process.

 

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An inspection by Check Auto involves a standard procedure that covers more than 300 documented check points. The inspection process may be adjusted depending on different makes and models.

 

After each inspection, our system automatically generates a comprehensive, standardized Check Auto report. Each condition report includes extensive information on the exterior and interior of the car, structure and engine condition, among many other characteristics. Key inspection points are indexed and marked in the comprehensive inspection video, and consumers can easily navigate through the video by selecting the inspection points that they are most interested in.

 

In addition to data collected through our systems, we cooperate with a number of third-party data providers for supplemental data included in our Check Auto condition report, such as details on each car’s accident and repair history, insurance claims and ownership records.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had obtained 16 patents in relation to vehicle inspection. Check Auto is also recognized and trusted by both consumers and businesses. For example, we have licensed the system to several top car manufacturers for their own car inspection needs.

 

Manhattan pricing engine

 

Our AI- and data-driven Manhattan pricing engine provides significant pricing insights based on specific car condition. We leverage our Manhattan pricing engine to evaluate the residual values of used cars, which lays a solid foundation for many of our core services. In addition, we also continue to optimize the accuracy of residual value estimates based on the latest used car transaction data gathered on our platform as well as external data, such as the latest selling price of related new cars. In our 2C business, we also rely on the output from the Manhattan pricing engine to help consumers assess whether the listing price is in line with its fair market value, in order to enable consumers to make informed buying decisions.

 

Our platform has aggregated a wealth of data on user behavior, car condition and information as well as related transactions, which empowers and continually improves the Manhattan pricing engine. In addition, our Manhattan pricing engine maintains high accuracy by updating its algorithms on a real-time basis with the transaction data collected in the latest week. Since 2018, our platform has completed over 135,000 online used cars transactions through our 2C business, which has contributed valuable transaction-related data to our database. We have also cumulatively listed and collected proprietary data on over 4 million used cars for sale on our 2C platform.

 

Lingxi intelligent recommendation system

 

Based on a plethora of data we have on user behavior and used car inventory, our AI-enabled Lingxi (灵犀) intelligent recommendation system makes personalized car recommendations to consumers on our platform by analyzing their preferences, making it easier for them to find the car of their choice. Lingxi can also adjust its recommendations in real time according to the change of user preferences as it receives user behavior data on a real-time basis. In addition, Lingxi is also embedded with the module of user categorization which reveals user preference on every feature for a car and allows Lingxi to predict user preference for certain features. Our Lingxi intelligent recommendation system serves as a significant foundation for our business operations.

 

Edison intelligent user profiling system

 

Our AI-powered Edison intelligent system helps our sales consultants and customer service personnel to better understand potential buyers and provide effective services to them. Edison effectively studies and predicts user preferences for specific car features, such as certain make and model, car color, engine and gearbox, and constantly adjusts its prediction by monitoring user behavior data on a real-time basis. In addition, Edison can provide our sales consultants with insights on which used car the consumer is likely to buy through a process of matching car features with the consumer’s profile.

 

Virtual reality-enabled car viewing system

 

To further enhance user experience, we introduced a virtual reality-enabled car view system in the second half of 2018, which comprises of VR filming studio, automatic shooting system and back-end system. The VR viewing system enables us to capture consistent and high-resolution panorama car images and display these images on our mobile app and website. Our virtual reality-enabled car viewing system enables consumers to inspect every detail of the car, such as small scratches and wheel parts, in high-resolution images and enables a smooth viewing experience.

 

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Marketing and Brand Promotion

 

We focused our marketing efforts mainly on user acquisition in 2019. We have promoted our Uxin Used Car mobile app in various mobile application stores, such as Apple App Store and Xiaomi App Store. Our mobile apps are constantly ranked among the top in mobile app stores in online used car transaction category. We have also partnered with major search engines, auto vertical websites and apps as well as news feed apps to attract traffic to our platform. For example, we have entered into a strategic partnership with 58.com in May 2019, under which we have agreed to collaborate in the areas of traffic and inventory acquisition, used car inspection, big data analysis and SaaS development. As an established used car brand in China, Uxin has enjoyed high brand awareness among Chinese consumers. In May 2019, we were named as the only used car e-commerce brand in BrandZ’s 2019 Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands and the 71st most valuable Chinese brand on the list. As we continue to optimize our traffic acquisition channels, starting from 2020, we have also been working on enhancing NPS (Net Promoter Score) among our customers by continuously improving our service quality and customer satisfaction to further increase our brand awareness as well as the likelihood of existing customers to recommend or refer our products and services to other potential customers.

 

Competition

 

We operate in a highly competitive online used car market in every aspect of our business. We face intense competition from other used car transaction platforms and may also face competition from online used car listing services. Competition with other used car transaction platforms is primarily centered on the quality of service and customer acquisition. We may also face competition in attracting used car inventory.

 

Seasonality and Cyclicality

 

Seasonal fluctuations and industry cyclicality have affected, and are likely to continue to affect, our business. We generally generate less revenue during Lunar New Year holidays in the first quarter of each year. The market for used cars is also affected by the release of new cars. In addition, spending on automobiles in China has historically been cyclical, reflecting overall economic conditions as well as the budgeting and buying patterns of our consumers and businesses. Our rapid growth has lessened the impact of the seasonal fluctuations and cyclicality. However, we expect that the seasonal fluctuations and cyclicality will cause our quarterly and annual operating results to fluctuate.

 

Facilities

 

Our corporate headquarters are located in Beijing with office space of approximately 8,000 square meters as of December 31, 2019. We also have an office space of approximately 5,000 square meters in Xi’an mainly for our online customer service personnel and some of our product and technology personnel. We also have a total space of approximately 7,500 square meters in 32 cities for VR filming. In addition, we have local offices with an aggregate gross area of over 17,000 square meters for our 2C business in 102 cities. In 2019, we also had 7 regional transaction centers with an aggregate gross area of approximately 350,000 square meters for our 2B business across China. We lease all the facilities to conduct our business.

 

Intellectual Properties

 

Our intellectual property contributes to our competitive advantages among online used car transaction platforms in China. To protect our brand and other intellectual property, we rely on a combination of patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws in China as well as imposing procedural and contractual confidentiality and invention assignment obligations on our employees, contractors and others. As of December 31, 2019, we had obtained 84 patents (of which 16 patents have been transferred and 16 patents have been non-exclusively licensed to an affiliate of 58.com in 2020 as part of the 2B Divestiture),  and two patents have been exclusively licensed in 2020 as part of the Loan Facilitation Divestiture), 940 trademarks (of which 11 trademarks have been transferred, 10 trademarks have been non-exclusively licensed and 79 trademarks have been exclusively licensed to an affiliate of 58.com in 2020 as part of the 2B Divestiture), 232 software copyrights (of which 25 software copyrights have been transferred and 16 software copyrights have been non-exclusively licensed to an affiliate of 58.com in 2020 as part of the 2B Divestiture, and 4 have been exclusively licensed in 2020 as part of the Loan Facilitation Divestiture), and 14 works copyrights (of which one works copyright has been transferred in whole, one has been transferred in part, and one has been non-exclusively licensed to an affiliate of 58.com in 2020 as part of the 2B Divestiture), 168 domain names (of which www.youxinpai.com has been transferred and www.chake.net has been non-exclusively licensed to an affiliate of 58.com in 2020 as part of the 2B Divestiture) and have entered into confidentiality and proprietary rights agreement with employees, consultants, contractors, and other business partners.

 

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Regulation

 

This section sets forth a summary of the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities in China.

 

Regulations on Company Establishment and Foreign Investment

 

The establishment, operation and management of companies in China is governed by the PRC Company Law, as amended in 2005, 2013 and 2018. According to the PRC Company Law, companies established in the PRC are either limited liability companies or joint stock limited liability companies. The PRC Company Law applies to both PRC domestic companies and foreign-invested companies, unless otherwise provided in the relevant foreign investment laws and regulations. Additionally, the registration for a PRC Company’s establishment, modification, and termination shall comply with the provision of Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Company Registration which was amended by the State Council on February 6, 2016, and information about investment activities of foreign investors shall be filed in accordance with the Measures of Information Reporting of Foreign Investment promulgated by the MOFCOM and the SAMR on December 30, 2019 and went into effect on January 1, 2020.

 

Foreign Investment Law

 

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law and on December 26, 2019, the State Council published the Implementation Rules of the Foreign Investment Law, both of which went into effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced three existing laws on foreign investments in China, namely, the PRC Equity Joint Venture Law, the PRC Cooperative Joint Venture Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic invested enterprises in China. The Foreign Investment Law establishes the basic framework for the access to, and the promotion, protection and administration of foreign investments in view of investment protection and fair competition.

 

According to the Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investment” refers to investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by one or more natural persons, business entities, or otherwise organizations of a foreign country (collectively referred to as “foreign investor”) within China, and the “investment activities” include the following situations: (i) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, establishes a foreign-invested enterprise within China; (ii) a foreign investor acquires stock shares, equity shares, shares in assets, or other like rights and interests of an enterprise within China; (iii) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, invests in a new project within China; and (iv) investments in other means as provided by laws, administrative regulations, or the State Council.

 

According to the Foreign Investment Law, the State Council shall publish or approve to publish a negative list stipulating the special management measures for the access of foreign investment in certain industries, or the “negative list.” The Foreign Investment Law grants national treatment to foreign-invested entities, except for those foreign-invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list.” The Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign investors shall not invest in the “prohibited” industries, and shall meet certain conditions stipulated under the “negative list” for making investment in “restricted” industries. The currently effective “negative list” is the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2019 version), or the 2019 Negative List, jointly published by NDRC and the Ministry of Commerce on June 20, 2019 and went into effect on July 30, 2019. On December 26, 2019, the Supreme People’s Court published the Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues concerning the Application of the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China, which went into effect on January, 1, 2020, pursuant to which the court shall rule in favor of the party claim the invalidity of the investment agreement with respect to foreign investment in the “restricted” industry under the “negative list” or foreign investment in the “restricted” industry under the “negative list” that fails to comply with the requirements unless necessary mitigating measures are taken before the ruling.

 

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Furthermore, the Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign-invested enterprises established according to the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law of the PRC, the Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law of the PRC or the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law of the PRC may maintain their current structure and corporate governance within five years after the implementing of the Foreign Investment Law.

 

In addition, the Foreign Investment Law also provides several protective rules and principles for foreign investors and their investments in the PRC, including, among others, that local governments shall abide by their commitments to the foreign investors; foreign-invested enterprises are allowed to issue stocks and corporate bonds; except for special circumstances, in which case statutory procedures shall be followed and fair and  reasonable compensation shall be made in a timely manner, expropriation or requisition of the investment of foreign investors is prohibited; mandatory technology transfer is prohibited; and the capital contributions, profits, capital gains, proceeds out of asset disposal, licensing fees of intellectual property rights, indemnity or compensation legally obtained, or proceeds received upon settlement by foreign investors within China, may be freely remitted inward and outward in RMB or a foreign currency. Also, foreign investors or the foreign investment enterprise should be imposed legal liabilities for failing to report investment information in accordance with the requirements.

 

Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunications Services

 

China’s telecommunication related businesses (including internet business) are still at an early stage of development, the laws and regulations of which still remain subject to many uncertainties. On September 25, 2000, the Telecommunications Regulations of the People’s Republic of China, or the Telecom Regulation, was issued by the PRC State Council, which was amended and became effective on February 6, 2016, as the primary governing law on telecommunication services by PRC companies. The Telecom Regulation draws a distinction between “basic telecommunication services” and “value-added telecommunication services.” The Catalog of Telecommunications Business, or the Telecommunication Catalog, was issued as an appendix to the Telecom Regulations to categorize telecommunications services as basic or value-added, and information services via public communication networks such as fixed networks, mobile networks and Internet are classified as value-added telecommunications services. According to the Telecommunication Catalog, value-added telecommunication services include online data processing and transaction processing business (operating e-commerce business), internet information services business and other value-added telecommunication services.

 

On March 5, 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, issued the Administrative Measures for Telecommunications Business Operating Permit, or the Telecom Permit Measures, which took effect on April 10, 2009. The Telecom Permit Measures were later amended on July 3, 2017 and the amendment took effect on September 1, 2017. The Telecom Permit Measures confirm that there are two types of telecom operating licenses for operators in China, namely, licenses for basic telecommunications services and licenses for value-added telecommunications services, or the VATS License. The license granted will set out the operation scope of the enterprise which details the permitted activities of such enterprise. An approved telecommunication services operator shall conduct its business in accordance with the specifications listed in its VATS License. In addition, a VATS License holder is required to obtain approval from the original permit-issuing authority in respect of any change to its shareholders.

 

Regulation Relating to Internet Information Services

 

On September 25, 2000, the State Council promulgated the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or the Internet Measures, which were later amended in January 8, 2011. Under the Internet Measures, a VATS License shall be obtained before conducting profitable internet information services in the PRC, and a filing requirement shall be satisfied before conducting non-profitable internet information service. The provision of information services through mobile apps is subject to the PRC laws and regulations governing Internet information services.

 

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In addition, on June 28, 2016, the State Internet Information Office promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Mobile Internet Application Information Services, or the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, to strengthen the regulation of the mobile apps information services. Pursuant to the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, an internet application program provider must verify each user’s mobile phone number and other identity information under the principle of mandatory real name registration at the back-office end and voluntary real name display at the front-office end. An internet application program provider must not enable functions that can collect a user’s geographical location information, access user’s contact list, activate the camera or recorder of the user’s mobile smart device or other functions irrelevant to its services, nor is it allowed to conduct bundle installations of irrelevant application programs, unless it has clearly indicated to the user and obtained the user’s consent on such functions and application programs. Furthermore, in December 16, 2016, the MIIT promulgated the Interim Measures on the Administration of Pre-Installation and Distribution of Applications for Mobile Smart Terminals, or the Mobile Application Interim Measures, which took effect on July 1, 2017. The Mobile Application Interim Measures require, among others, that internet information service providers must ensure that a mobile apps, as well as its ancillary resource files, configuration files and user data can be uninstalled by a user easily, unless it is a basic function software, which refers to a software that supports the normal functioning of hardware and operating system of a mobile smart device.

 

The content of the internet information is highly regulated in China and pursuant to the Internet Measures, the PRC government may shut down the websites of internet information providers and revoke their VATS Licenses (for profitable Internet information services) if they produce, reproduce, disseminate or broadcast internet content that contains content that is prohibited by law or administrative regulations. Internet information services operators are also required to monitor their websites. They may not post or disseminate any content that falls within the prohibited categories, and must remove any such content from their websites, save the relevant records and make a report to the relevant governmental authorities. Additionally, as the internet information service providers, under the PRC Tort Liability Law, which became effective in July 2010, they shall bear tortious liabilities in the event they infringe upon other person’s rights and interests due to providing wrong or inaccurate content through the internet. Where an internet service provider conducts tortious acts through internet services, the infringed person has the right to request the internet service provider take necessary actions such as deleting contents, screening and de-linking. Failing to take necessary actions after being informed, the internet service provider will be subject to its liabilities with regard to the additional damages incurred. Where an internet service provider knows that an internet user is infringing upon other persons’ rights and interests through its internet service but fails to take necessary actions, it is jointly and severally liable with the internet user.

 

Regulation Relating to E-Commerce

 

Online data processing and transaction processing business (operating e-commerce business) is a value-added telecommunication service, and e-commerce operation shall be required to obtain VATS License.

 

On January 26, 2014, the SAMR, promulgated the Administrative Measures for Online Trading, which strengthen the protection of consumers and impose stringent requirements and obligations on online business operators and third-party online marketplace operators. Online business operators and third-party online marketplace operators are prohibited from collecting any information on consumers and business operators, or disclosing, selling or providing any such information to any third party, or sending commercial electronic messages to consumers without their consent. Fictitious transactions, deletion of adverse comments and technical attacks on competitors’ websites are prohibited as well. In addition, third-party online marketplace operators are required to examine and verify the identifications of the online business operators and set up and retain relevant records for at least two years. Moreover, any third-party online marketplace operator that simultaneously engages in online trading for products and services should clearly distinguish itself from other online business operators on its marketplace platform.

 

On August 31, 2018, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC E-Commerce Law, or the E-Commerce Law, which became effective on January 1, 2019. The E-Commerce Law establishes the regulatory framework for the e-commerce sector in the PRC for the first time by laying out certain requirements on e-commerce operators, including e-commerce platform operators like us. Pursuant to the E-Commerce Law, e-commerce platform operators are required to (i) take necessary actions or report to relevant competent government authorities when such operators notice any illegal production or services provided by merchants on the e-commerce platforms; (ii) verify the identity of the business operators on the platforms;(iii) provide identity and tax related information of merchants to local branches of State Administration for Market Regulation and relevant tax authorities; or (iv) record and preserve goods and service information and transaction information on the e-commerce platform. The E-Commerce Law also specifically stipulates that e-commerce platform operators shall not impose unreasonable restrictions or conditions on the transactions of their business operators on the platforms. According to the E-Commerce Law, failures to comply with these requirements may subject the e-commerce platform operators to administrative penalties, fines and/or suspension of business. In addition, for goods and services provided via e-commerce platforms and pertinent to the life and health of consumers, e-commerce platform operators shall bear relevant responsibilities, which may give rise to civil or criminal liabilities if the consumers suffered damages due to the e-commerce platform operators’ failure to duly verify the qualifications or the licenses of the business operators on the platforms or to duly perform their safety protection obligations as required by the E-Commerce Law.

 

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Regulation Relating to Foreign Investment Restriction on Value-Added Telecommunications Services

 

Pursuant to the Provisions on Administration of Foreign Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, or the FITE Regulation, promulgated by the State Council on December 11, 2001 and amended on September 10, 2008 and February 6, 2016, except as otherwise provided by MIIT, the ultimate foreign equity ownership in a value-added telecommunications services provider shall not exceed 50%. Pursuant to the Circular of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology concerning Lifting Restrictions on the Proportion of Foreign Equity in Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing Business (Operating E-commerce Business) promulgated by the MIIT on June 19, 2015, the online data processing and transaction processing businesses (operating e-commerce business) could be 100% owned by foreign investors. Moreover, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a value-added telecommunications business in China, it must satisfy a number of stringent performance and operational experience requirements, including demonstrating good track records and experience in operating value-added telecommunications business overseas. Foreign investors that meet these requirements must obtain approvals from the MIIT and MOFCOM or their authorized local counterparts, which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals. Pursuant to publicly available information, the PRC government has issued telecommunications business operating licenses to Sino-foreign joint ventures in very limited circumstances.

 

The 2019 Negative List also imposes the 50% restrictions on foreign ownership in value-added telecommunications business except for operating e-commerce, domestic multi-party communications services, store and forward services, and call center services business. In addition, the services for releasing information by the public through internet are listed as businesses that are prohibited for foreign investors under 2019 Negative List.

 

On July 13, 2006, the MIIT issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in and Operation of Value-added Telecommunications Business, or the MIIT Circular, which requires foreign investors to set up a value-added telecommunications business foreign-invested enterprise and obtain a VATS License to conduct relevant value-added telecommunications business in China. Under the MIIT Circular, a domestic company that holds a VATS License is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the license to foreign investors in any form, and from providing any assistance, including providing resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors that conduct value-added telecommunications business illegally in China. Furthermore, the relevant trademarks and domain names that are used in the value-added telecommunications business must be owned by the local VATS License holder or its shareholder. The MIIT Circular further requires each VATS License holder to have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license and all value-added telecommunications services providers shall improve network and information security, enact relevant information safety administration regulations and set up emergency plans to ensure network and information safety.

 

Regulations on Information Security and Privacy Protection

 

Internet content in China is regulated and restricted from a state security standpoint. On December 28, 2000, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress enacted the Decisions on Maintaining Internet Security, later amended on August 27, 2009, which subject violators to criminal punishment in China for any effort to: (i) use the internet to market fake and substandard products or carry out false publicity for any commodity or service; (ii) use the internet for the purpose of damaging the commercial goodwill and product reputation of any other person; (iii) use the internet for the purpose of infringing on the intellectual property of any person; (iv) use the internet for the purpose of fabricating and spreading false information that affects the trading of securities and futures or otherwise jeopardizes the financial order; or (v) create any pornographic website or webpage on the internet, provide links to pornographic websites, or disseminate pornographic books and magazines, movies, audiovisual products, or images. The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit use of the Internet in ways which, among other things, would result in a leakage of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content, and require internet service providers to take proper measures including anti-virus, data back-up and other related measures, to keep records of certain information about its users (including user registration information, log-in and log-out time, IP address, content and time of posts by users) for at least 60 days, and to detect illegal information, stop transmission of such information, and keep relevant records. If an internet information service provider violates these measures, the Ministry of Public Security and the local security bureaus may revoke its operating license and shut down its websites.

 

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PRC governmental authorities have enacted laws and regulations on internet use to protect personal information from any unauthorized disclosure. In December 28, 2012, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress promulgated the Decision on Strengthening Network Information Protection to enhance the legal protection of information security and privacy on the internet. In July 2013, the MIIT promulgated the Provisions on Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunication and Internet Users to regulate the collection and use of users’ personal information in the provision of telecommunication services and internet information services in China. Telecommunication business operators and internet service providers are required to establish its own rules for collecting and use of users’ information and cannot collect or use users’ information without users’ consent. Telecommunication business operators and internet service providers are prohibited from disclosing, tampering with, damaging, selling or illegally providing others with, collected personal information.

 

On November 7, 2016, Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress published the Cyber Security Law of the PRC, which took effect on June 1, 2017 and requires network operators to perform certain functions related to cyber security protection and the strengthening of network information management. For instance, under the Cyber Security Law, network operators of key information infrastructure shall store within the territory of the PRC all the personal information and important data collected and produced within the territory of PRC and their purchase of network products and services that may affect national securities shall be subject to national cybersecurity review. On May 2, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a trial version of the Measures for the Security Review of Network Products and Services (Trial), which took effect on June 1, 2017, to provide for more detailed rules regarding cybersecurity review requirements.

 

Regulations on Auction Business

 

On April 24, 2015, Auction Law of the People’s Republic of China was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for the purpose of regulating and administrating the business operation of auction. Pursuant to the Auction Law, “auction” refers to a way of selling particular goods or property rights to the bidder who offers the highest price in the form of public bidding. According to the Measures for the Administration of the Circulation of Used Cars promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce and three other ministries on August 29, 2005 and amended on September 14, 2017, “used car auction” refers to the business activities whereby a used car auction enterprise transfers a used car to a bidder that offers the highest price through public bidding. According to The Specifications for Used Cars Transaction promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce on March 24, 2006, where an auction is conducted through the internet, the color photo of the car and information of auctioned car shall be published on internet. The publication period shall not be less than seven days. An enterprise engaging in activities of auction should undergo the review and approval procedure with relevant government authority and obtain the license for auction business. Any entity engaging in the auction business without the license may be subject to enforcement action, including orders issued by the relevant regulatory authorities to cease the auction business, confiscation of any illegal gains, or imposition of fines.

 

Regulations on the Circulation of Used Cars

 

On August 29, 2005, the Measures for the Administration of the Circulation of Used Cars, or the Used Cars Measures, were promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the Ministry of Public Security, the SAMR, and the State Administration of Tax, or the SAT, for the purpose of intensifying the administration of the circulation of used cars, regulating the business operations of used cars, guaranteeing the legitimate interests and rights of both parties to transactions of used cars and promoting the sound development of the circulation of used cars. The Used Cars Measures stipulate that an archival filing system for the operators of used car markets and operators of used cars shall be established. The operators of used car markets and operators of used cars that have handled the registration in the administrative department of industry and commerce according to law and obtained the business license shall go to the administrative department of commerce at the provincial level for archival filing within 2 months as of obtaining their business license. The administrative department of commerce at the provincial level shall report the information on the archival filing of the operators of used car markets as well as operational subjects of used cars to the administrative department of commerce of the State Council on a periodic base. The Used Cars Measures further stipulate that (i) a business operator of a used car market, a retail enterprise and brokerage entity of used cars shall possess the qualification of an enterprise legal-person and shall complete the registration procedures with the administrative department of industry and commerce, and (ii) the establishment of an auction enterprise of used cars (including a foreign-funded auction enterprise of used cars) shall comply with the relevant provisions of the Auction Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Measures for the Administration of Auction, and shall be handled according to the procedures as prescribed by the Measures for the Administration of Auction, which means that an auction enterprise of used cars shall obtain an Approval License for Operation of Auction before it engages in auction of used cars. On March 24, 2006, the MOFCOM promulgated the Specifications for Used Car Trade, or the Specifications, which set forth detailed criteria and requirements for the purchase, sale, dealing, auction, evaluation, trading and post-sale services in respect of used car.

 

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Regulations on Financing Lease

 

In September 18, 2013, MOFCOM issued the Administration Measures of Supervision on Financing Lease Enterprises, or the Leasing Measures, to regulate and administer the business operations of financing lease enterprises. According to the Leasing Measures, financing lease enterprises are allowed to carry out financing lease business in such forms as direct lease, sublease, sale-and-lease-back, leveraged lease, entrusted lease and joint lease in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws, regulations and rules. However, the Leasing Measures prohibit financing lease enterprises from engaging in financial business such as accepting deposits, providing loans or entrusted loans. Without the approval from relevant authorities, financing lease enterprises shall not engage in inter-bank borrowing and other businesses. In addition, financing lease enterprises are prohibited from carrying out illegal fund-raising activities in the name of financing lease. The Leasing Measures require financing lease enterprises to establish and improve their financial and internal risk control systems, and a financing lease enterprise’s risk assets shall not exceed ten times of its total net assets. Risk assets generally refer to the adjusted total assets of a financing lease enterprise excluding cash, bank deposits, sovereign bonds and entrusted leasing assets.

 

The main regulation governing foreign investment in the PRC financing lease industry included the Administrative Measures on Foreign-Invested Lease Industry, as amended on October 28, 2015. However, it has recently been repealed by MOFCOM on February 22, 2018. The above measures require that foreign investors investing directly in the PRC financing lease industry must have total assets of no less than US$5 million. MOFCOM is the competent administrative authority in charge of the foreign-invested lease industry and is also responsible for the examination and approval of such business. A foreign-invested financing lease enterprise may undertake the following business: (i) the financing lease business; (ii) the lease business; (iii) the purchase of leased properties from onshore and offshore; (iv) the disposal of scrap value of and maintenance of leased properties; (v) the consultancy and guaranty business relating to lease transactions; and (vi) other business approved by the examination and approval department. In addition, a foreign-invested financing lease enterprise shall meet the following requirements: (i) have corresponding professionals, with its senior management personnel having relevant professional qualifications and experience of at least three years, (ii) the operating period of a foreign-invested financing lease enterprise established in the form of limited liability company shall not exceed thirty years. The risk assets of a foreign-invested financing lease enterprise shall not exceed ten times of its total net assets.

 

Regulations on Financing Guarantee

 

On August 2, 2017, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Financing Guarantee Companies, or the Financing Guarantee Regulations, which became effective on October 1, 2017. Pursuant to the Financing Guarantee Regulations, “financing guarantee” refers to the activities in which guarantors provide guarantee to the guaranteed parties as to loans, bonds or other types of debt financing, and “financing guarantee companies” refer to companies legally established and operating financing guarantee business. According to the Financing Guarantee Regulations, the establishment of financing guarantee companies shall be subject to the approval by the competent government authority, and, among other things, shall meet the following requirements: (i) its shareholders shall have good credit standing and have no record of major illegal or improper act within the latest three years, (ii) the registered capital shall not be less than RMB20 million, and shall be the paid-in monetary capital. The competent government authorities of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government may raise the required minimum registered capital. The Financing Guarantee Regulations further stipulated that balance amount of guarantee liability of a financing guarantee company shall not exceed 10 times of the amount of its net assets. The percentage of the balance amount of guarantee liability of a financing guarantee company for the same debtor to the net assets of the financing guarantee company shall not exceed 10%, and the balance amount of guarantee liability of a financing guarantee company for the same debtor and its related parties to the net assets of the financing guarantee company shall not exceed 15%. Moreover, a financing guarantee company shall not provide financing guarantee for its controlling shareholder and actual controlling party, and the conditions for provision of financing guarantee for related parties shall not be more favorable than that of the same type of guarantee for non-related parties.

 

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On October 9, 2019, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, or the CBIRC, together with several other governmental authorities, jointly issued the Circular on Issuing the Supplementary Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Financing Guarantee Companies, or the Financing Guarantee Circular 37. According to the Financing Guarantee Circular 37, automobile dealers and automobile sales service providers shall be prohibited from operating the automobile consumer loan guarantee business unless approved by the relevant regulatory authorities and shall established financing guarantee company in accordance with the Financing Guarantee Regulations if such business is needed. All existing auto loan guarantee business shall be properly settled by the service provider or dealt with by the authorities. The authorities shall intensify the crackdowns on the financing guarantee companies with illegal operation or those who committed serious infringement of consumer’s (and guaranteed person’s) rights and shall timely report such cases to the banks so as to work together to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the consumers. The Financing Guarantee Circular 37 also stipulates that, without prior approval, any institution which provides customer promotion, credit evaluation and other services for any lending institution shall be prohibited from providing financing guarantee services or doing so in a disguised form. Any entity operating the financing guarantee business without a financing guarantee business license shall be banned by the regulatory authorities.

 

Regulations on Motor Vehicle Maintenance

 

On June 24, 2005, the MOT promulgated the Administration of Motor Vehicle Maintenance, which was amended on August 8, 2015, April 19, 2016 and June 21, 2019, pursuant to which, a motor vehicle maintenance operator shall file with the local road transport administration for record after completing registration with the local SAMR in accordance with the law and shall operate business in accordance with the registered business scope. “Motor vehicle maintenance” refers to business activities of maintenance, repair and maintenance aids as carried out with maintaining or recovering the technical state and normal functions of motor vehicles, and extending the serving term thereof as operational tasks. The operational business of automobile maintenance is classified into operational business of Grades I, II and III in light of their operational items and serving capabilities. A maintenance operator of automobiles of Grade I and Grade II may undertake entire automobile repair, assembly repair, entire automobile maintenance, minor repair, maintenance aids, specific repair and the examination work after the completion of maintenance of corresponding vehicle types. A maintenance operator of automobiles of Grade III may undertake general minor repair and special repair, such as repair and maintenance of engines, vehicle bodies and electric systems. Anyone failing to carry out the filing for motor vehicle maintenance in accordance with the Motor Vehicles Maintenance or unlawfully engaging in the motor vehicle maintenance business shall be ordered to make rectification, and, in case of refusing to rectify, be subject to a fine of RMB5,000 to RMB20,000.

 

Regulations on Advertisement

 

The PRC government regulates advertising principally through the SAMR. The PRC Advertising Law, or the Advertising Law, as amended in April 2015 and on October 26, 2018, outlines the regulatory framework for the advertising industry. The Advertising Law stipulates that advertisements shall not contain any false or misleading content or defraud or mislead consumers. Any advertisement that defrauds or misleads consumers with any false or misleading content is considered a false advertisement. An advertiser shall be responsible for the veracity of contents of advertisement. Violation of these regulations may result in penalties calculated on the basis of advertising expenses.

 

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Regulations on Online Consumer Finance and Debt Collection

 

The regulation on online consumer finance industry in China is still under development. In December 2017, the Internet Financial Risks Rectification Office and the P2P Online Lending Risks Rectification Office jointly issued the Circular 141, outlining general requirements on the “cash loan” business conducted by network microcredit companies, banking financial institutions and online lending information intermediaries. The Circular 141 specifies the features of “cash loans” as not relying on consumption scenarios, with no specified use of loan proceeds, no qualification requirement on customers and unsecured etc. The Circular 141 further requires that financial institutions that participate in the “cash loan” business not to accept any credit enhancement services or other similar services from third parties without qualification to provide guarantee, and third party cash loan facilitators are prohibited from directly charging fees from borrowers. However, there is no clear definition of “cash loan” set forth in the Circular 141.

 

In addition, according to the Circular 141, institutions or the engaged third party institutions shall not collect loan debts by methods of violence, intimidation, insult, defamation, or harassment. In case of violation, the regulatory authorities may, depending on the seriousness of the case, urge such institution to rectify by taking measures such as suspending its business, ordering it to make correction, circulating a notice of criticism, rejecting its filing or revoking its business qualification. In case where malicious fraud or violent debt collection or other serious illegal conducts were suspected, such cases shall be promptly transferred to the Ministry of Public Security and may subject to criminal liability.

 

Regulations on Intellectual Property

 

Copyright and Software Products

 

The National People’s Congress adopted the Copyright Law on September 7, 1990 and amended it on October 27, 2001 and February 26, 2010, respectively. The amended Copyright Law extends copyright protection to internet activities, products disseminated over the internet and software products. In addition, there is a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center.

 

In order to further implement the Computer Software Protection Regulations promulgated by the State Council on December 20, 2001 and amended on January 30, 2013, the State Copyright Bureau issued the Computer Software Copyright Registration Procedures on February 20, 2002, which apply to software copyright registration, license contract registration and transfer contract registration.

 

According to the Copyright Law, an infringer will be subject to various civil liabilities, which include cessation of the infringement and apologizing to and compensating the actual loss suffered by the copyright owner. If the actual loss of the copyright owner is difficult to calculate, the income received by the infringer as a result of the infringement will be deemed as the actual loss or if such illegal income is also difficult to calculate, the court can decide the amount of the actual loss up to RMB500,000 (US$71,821).

 

Trademarks

 

Trademarks are protected by the PRC Trademark Law adopted in August 23, 1982 and subsequently amended in February 22, 1993, October 27, 2001, August 30, 2013 and November 1, 2019 as well as the Implementation Regulation of the PRC Trademark Law adopted by the State Council in August 3, 2002 and amended on April 29, 2014. The Trademark Office under the SAMR handles trademark registrations and grants a term of ten years to registered trademarks and another ten years if requested upon expiry of the first or any renewed ten-year term. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office for record. The PRC Trademark Law has adopted a “first-to-file” principle with respect to trademark registration. Where a trademark for which a registration has been made is identical or similar to another trademark which has already been registered or been subject to a preliminary examination and approval for use on the same kind of or similar commodities or services, the application for registration of such trademark may be rejected. Any person applying for the registration of a trademark may not prejudice the existing right first obtained by others, nor may any person register in advance a trademark that has already been used by another party and has already gained a “sufficient degree of reputation” through such party’s use. After receiving an application, the PRC Trademark Office will make a public announcement if the relevant trademark passes the preliminary examination. During the three months after this public announcement, any person entitled to prior rights and any interested party may file an objection against the trademark. The PRC Trademark Office’s decisions on rejection, objection or cancellation of an application may be appealed to the PRC Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, whose decision may be further appealed through judicial proceedings. If no objection is filed within three months after the public announcement or if the objection has been overruled, the PRC Trademark Office will approve the registration and issue a registration certificate, at which point the trademark is deemed to be registered and will be effective for a renewable ten-year period, unless otherwise revoked. Trademark license agreements should be filed with the Trademark Office or its regional offices.

 

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Domain Names

 

Internet domain name registration and related matters are primarily regulated by the Measures on Administration of Domain Names for the Chinese Internet , issued by MIIT on November 5, 2004 and effective as of December 20, 2004 which was replaced by the Measures on Administration of Internet Domain Names issued by MIIT as of November 1, 2017, and the Implementing Rules on Registration of Domain Names issued by China Internet Network Information Center on May 28, 2012, which became effective on May 29, 2012. Domain name registrations are handled through domain name service agencies established under the relevant regulations, and the applicants become domain name holders upon successful registration.

 

Patent

 

On March 12, 1984, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Patent Law, which was amended in September 4, 1992, August 25, 2000 and December 27, 2008. On June 15, 2001, the State Council promulgated the Implementation Regulation for the Patent Law, which was amended in January 9, 2010. According to these laws and regulations, the State Intellectual Property Office is responsible for administering patents in the PRC. The Chinese patent system adopts a “first to file” principle, which means that where more than one person files a patent application for the same invention, a patent will be granted to the person who filed the application first. To be patentable, invention or utility models must meet three conditions: novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. A patent is valid for 20 years in the case of an invention and 10 years in the case of utility models and designs. A third-party user must obtain consent or a proper license from the patent owner to use the patent. Otherwise, third-party use constitutes an infringement of patent rights. As of December 31, 2019, we had been issued 84 patents in the PRC.

 

Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange

 

Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange

 

Pursuant to the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, as amended on August 5, 2008, Renminbi is freely convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest payments, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for capital account items, such as direct investments, loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of China, unless prior approval is obtained from State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE, and prior registration with SAFE is made.

 

On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign invested Enterprises, or the SAFE Circular 19, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142. SAFE further promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or the SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for purposes beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 or SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties.

 

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From 2012, SAFE has promulgated several circulars to substantially amend and simplify the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to these circulars, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts, the reinvestment of RMB proceeds by foreign investors in the PRC and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer require the approval or verification of SAFE. In addition, domestic companies are allowed to provide cross-border loans not only to their offshore subsidiaries, but also to their offshore parents and affiliates. SAFE also promulgated the Circular on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors and the Supporting Documents in May 2013, as amended on October 10, 2018 and December 30, 2019, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC shall be conducted by way of registration and banks shall process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Exchange Management Policies for Direct Investment, or the SAFE Circular 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015 and amended on December 30, 2019. SAFE Circular 13 delegates the power to enforce the foreign exchange registration in connection with inbound and outbound direct investments under relevant SAFE rules from local branches of SAFE to banks, thereby further simplifying the foreign exchange registration procedures for inbound and outbound direct investments.

 

On January 26, 2017, SAFE issued the Notice on Improving the Check of Authenticity and Compliance to Further Promote Foreign Exchange Control, or the SAFE Circular 3, which stipulates several capital control measures with respect to the outbound remittance of profit from domestic entities to offshore entities, including (i) under the principle of genuine transaction, banks shall check board resolutions regarding profit distribution, the original version of tax filing records and audited financial statements; and (ii) domestic entities shall hold income to account for previous years’ losses before remitting the profits. Moreover, pursuant to SAFE Circular 3, domestic entities shall make detailed explanations of the sources of capital and utilization arrangements, and provide board resolutions, contracts and other proof when completing the registration procedures in connection with an outbound investment.

 

Regulations on Dividend Distribution

 

The principal regulations governing distribution of dividends of foreign-invested enterprises include the PRC Company Law and the Foreign Investment Law. Under these laws and regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with China accounting standards and regulations. In addition, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. Wholly foreign-owned companies may, at their discretion, allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on China accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

 

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas Investment by PRC Residents

 

SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or the SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions.

 

SAFE Circular 37 was issued to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles issued by SAFE in October 2005. SAFE further enacted SAFE Circular 13, which allows PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. However, remedial registration applications made by PRC residents that previously failed to comply with the SAFE Circular 37 continue to fall under the jurisdiction of the relevant local branch of SAFE. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from distributing profits to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls.

 

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Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans

 

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Foreign Exchange Administration of PRC Residents Participating in Share Incentive Plans of Offshore Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Rules, replacing the previous rules issued by SAFE in March 2007. Under the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, domestic individuals, which means the PRC residents and non-PRC citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to a few exceptions, who participate in a stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas publicly-listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. The participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of stock options, the purchase and sale of corresponding stocks or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. The PRC agents must, on behalf of the PRC residents who have the right to exercise the employee share options, apply to SAFE or its local branches for an annual quota for the payment of foreign currencies in connection with the PRC residents’ exercise of the employee share options. The foreign exchange proceeds received by the PRC residents from the sale of shares under the stock incentive plans granted and dividends distributed by the overseas listed companies must be remitted into the bank accounts in the PRC opened by the PRC agents before distribution to such PRC residents. In addition, SAFE Circular 37 provides that PRC residents who participate in a share incentive plan of an overseas unlisted special purpose company may register with SAFE or its local branches before exercising rights.

 

Regulations Relating to Tax

 

Enterprise Income Tax

 

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or the EIT Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was subsequently amended on February 24, 2017 and December 29, 2018, and its implementing rules, enterprises are classified as resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. PRC resident enterprises typically pay an enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% while non-PRC resident enterprises without any branches in the PRC should pay an enterprise income tax in connection with their income from the PRC at the tax rate of 10%. An enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management bodies” located within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a PRC domestic enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. The implementing rules of the EIT Law define a de facto management body as a managing body that in practice exercises “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise. Enterprises qualified as “High and New Technology Enterprises” are entitled to a 15% enterprise income tax rate rather than the 25% uniform statutory tax rate. The preferential tax treatment continues as long as an enterprise can retain its “High and New Technology Enterprise” status.

 

The EIT Law and the implementation rules provide that an income tax rate of 10% should normally be applicable to dividends payable to investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” and gains derived by such investors, which (a) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or (b) have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business to the extent such dividends and gains are derived from sources within the PRC. Such income tax on the dividends may be reduced pursuant to a tax treaty between China and other jurisdictions. Pursuant to the Arrangement Between the Mainland of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, and other applicable PRC laws, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied the relevant conditions and requirements under such Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable laws, the 10% withholding tax on the dividends the Hong Kong resident enterprise receives from a PRC resident enterprise may be reduced to 5% upon receiving approval from in-charge tax authority. However, based on the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties issued on February 20, 2009 by the SAT, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment; and based on the Announcement on Relevant Issues Concerning the “Beneficial Owners” in Tax Treaties issued on February 3, 2018 by the SAT and effective from April 1, 2018, which replaces the Notice on the Interpretation and Recognition of Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties and the Announcement on the Recognition of Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties by the SAT, comprehensive analysis based on the stipulated factor therein and actual circumstances shall be adopted when recognizing the “beneficial owner” and agents and designated wire beneficiaries are specifically excluded from being recognized as “beneficial owners.”

 

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Value-added Tax

 

Pursuant to applicable PRC regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Finance and the SAT, any entity or individual conducting business in the service industry is required to pay a valued-added tax, or VAT, with respect to revenues derived from the provision of services. A taxpayer is allowed to offset the qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on the revenue from services provided.

 

M&A Rules and Overseas Listings

 

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, adopted the Regulations on Mergers of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. Foreign investors shall comply with the M&A Rules when they purchase equity interests of a domestic company or subscribe the increased capital of a domestic company, and thus changing the nature of the domestic company into a foreign-invested enterprise; or when the foreign investors establish a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC, purchase the assets of a domestic company and operate the assets; or when the foreign investors purchase the asset of a domestic company, establish a foreign-invested enterprise by injecting such assets and operate the assets. The M&A Rules purport, among other things, to require offshore special purpose vehicles formed for overseas listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange.

 

On December 26, 2017, the NDRC adopted the Administrative Measures for Enterprises’ Overseas Investment, or the Overseas Investment Rules, which will become effective on March 1, 2018. The New M&A Rules provides that, for local enterprises (enterprises that are not managed by the state government), if the amount of investment made by the Chinese investors is less than US$300 million, and the target project is non-sensitive, then the overseas investment project will require online filing with the local branch of the NDRC where the enterprise itself is registered. And “overseas investment” shall mean activities where an PRC enterprise, directly or through an overseas enterprise controlled by it, acquires overseas any ownership, right of control, right of business management, or other relevant rights and interests, by contributing assets or rights and interests, providing financing and/or guarantee, or any other means.

 

Employment Laws

 

Pursuant to the PRC Labor Law, the PRC Labor Contract Law and the Implementing Regulations of the Employment Contracts Law, labor relationships between employers and employees must be executed in written form. Wages may not be lower than the local minimum wage. Employers must establish a system for labor safety and sanitation, strictly abide by state standards and provide relevant education to its employees. Employees are also required to work in safe and sanitary conditions.

 

Under PRC laws, rules and regulations, including the Social Insurance Law, the Interim Regulations on the Collection and Payment of Social Security Funds and the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Accumulation Funds, employers are required to contribute, on behalf of their employees, to a number of social security funds, including funds for basic pension insurance, unemployment insurance, basic medical insurance, occupational injury insurance, maternity leave insurance and housing accumulation funds. These payments are made to local administrative authorities and any employer who fails to contribute may be fined and ordered to pay the deficit amount.

 

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Regulations on Leasing

 

Pursuant to the Law on Administration of Urban Real Estate which took effect in January 1995 with the latest amendment in August 2019, lessors and lessees are required to enter into a written lease contract, containing such provisions as the term of the lease, the use of the premises, liability for rent and repair, and other rights and obligations of both parties. Both lessor and lessee are also required to register the lease with the real estate administration authorities. Pursuant to implementing rules stipulated by certain provinces or cities, such as Tianjin, if the lessor and lessee fail to go through the registration procedures, both lessor and lessee may be subject to fines.

 

According to the PRC Contract Law which took effect in October 1999, the lessee may sublease the leased premises to a third party, subject to the consent of the lessor. Where the lessee subleases the premises, the lease contract between the lessee and the lessor remains valid. The lessor is entitled to terminate the lease contract if the lessee subleases the premises without the consent of the lessor. In addition, if the lessor transfers the premises, the lease contract between the lessee and the lessor should still remain valid. Pursuant to the PRC Property Law which took effect in October 2007, if a mortgagor leases the mortgaged property before the mortgage contract is executed, the previously established leasehold interest should not be affected by the subsequent mortgage, but where a mortgagor leases the mortgaged property after the creation and registration of the mortgage interest, the leasehold interest should be subordinated to the registered mortgage.

 

In addition, the Supreme People’s Court issued the Interpretation on Several Issues with respect to the Specific Application of Law in the Trial of Disputes over Partitioned Ownership of Buildings, pursuant to which, if the landlord uses his property, which is designated for residential use, for business purposes without prior consents of other owners whose interests are involved, the other owners may request for removing impairment, eliminating danger, reinstatement or compensation for losses.

 

Regulations on Unfair Competition

 

On April 23, 2019, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the amended Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, which became effective on April 23, 2019.

 

Pursuant to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, a business operator shall not conduct any false or misleading commercial publicity in respect of the performance, functions, quality, sales, user reviews, and honors received of its commodities, in order to defraud or mislead consumers. A business operator publishing any false advertisements in violation of this provision shall be punished in accordance with the Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China.

 

The Anti-Unfair Competition Law also stipulated that a business operator engaging in production or distribution activities online shall abide by the provisions of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law. No business operator may, by technical means to affect users’ options, among others, commit the acts of interfering with or sabotaging the normal operation of online products or services legally provided by another business operator.

 

In addition, according to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, a business operator is prohibited from any of the following unfair activities: i) committing act of confusion to mislead a person into believing that a commodity is one of another person or has a particular connection with another person; ii) seeking transaction opportunities or competitive edges by bribing relevant entities or individuals with property or by any other means; iii) infringing trade secrets; iv) premium campaign violating the provision of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law; and v) fabricating or disseminating false or misleading information to damage the goodwill or product reputation of a competitor.

 

C.                                    Organizational Structure

 

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F:

 

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GRAPHIC

 


(1)         Youhan operated the website and mobile app for our 2B business prior to the divestiture of 2B business to 58.com and held various licenses for our subsidiaries.

 

(2)         Shareholders of Youxin Hulian are Mr. Kun Dai, our CEO and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd., an affiliate of our shareholder, Redrock Holding Investments Limited. Mr. Kun Dai holds 99.9923% and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. holds 0.0077% of the equity interest in Youxin Hulian.

 

(3)         Shareholders of Yishouche are Mr. Kun Dai, our CEO and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd., an affiliate of our shareholder, Redrock Holding Investments Limited. Mr. Kun Dai holds 99.9999% and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. holds 0.0001% of the equity interest in Yishouche. We have been conducting our 2C business through our VIE Yishouche and our WFOE Yougu.

 

Contractual Agreements with the VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders

 

In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements restricting foreign ownership of internet information services, value-added telecommunications, and certain other businesses in China, in the past we primarily conducted our business through our VIE, Youxin Hulian. In January 2015, Ministry of Industry & Information Technology announced the Notice of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Removing the Restrictions on Foreign-owned Shareholding Percentage in Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing (operating e-commerce) Business in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, or SHFTZ Notice. Pursuant to SHFTZ Notice, there are no restrictions on foreign investors maximum shareholding percentage in an enterprise established in Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone that conducts value-added telecommunications services in the scope of online data processing and transaction processing (Operating E-commerce). Therefore, our eligible PRC subsidiaries Yougu and Youhan, have applied for and obtained approval from Shanghai Communications Administration to conduct e-commerce, and since then they have been operating our main online businesses instead of our VIEs, Youxin Hulian and Yishouche. Currently, Youxin Hulian and Yishouche hold valid ICP licenses.

 

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We have entered into a series of contractual arrangements, including exclusive option agreements, equity pledge agreements and exclusive business cooperation agreements, with our VIEs and their respective shareholders.

 

These contractual arrangements allow our WFOEs to:

 

·                  exercise effective control over our VIEs and their subsidiaries;

 

·                  receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIEs; and

 

·                  have exclusive options to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our VIEs when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

 

As a result of our direct ownership in our WFOEs and the contractual arrangements relating to our VIEs, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIEs, and we treat them and their subsidiaries as our consolidated affiliated entities under U.S. GAAP. We have consolidated the financial results of our VIEs and their respective subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements (i) by and among Youxinpai (one of our WFOEs), Youxin Hulian (one of our VIEs) and Youxin Hulian’s shareholders and (ii) by and among Yougu (one of our WFOEs), Yishouche (one of our VIEs) and Yishouche’s shareholders.

 

Contractual Arrangements relating to Youxin Hulian

 

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among Youxinpai, Youxin Hulian and the shareholders of Youxin Hulian.

 

Agreements that Provide Us with Effective Control over Youxin Hulian

 

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements.  Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, each shareholder of Youxin Hulian has pledged all of his or her equity interests in Youxin Hulian to guarantee the shareholder’s and Youxin Hulian’s performance of their obligations under the amended and restated exclusive business cooperation agreement, loan agreement entered into between Mr. Kun Dai and Youxinpai, exclusive option agreement and power of attorney. If Youxin Hulian or its shareholders breach their contractual obligations under these agreements, Youxinpai, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests, including receiving proceeds from the auction or sale of all or part of the pledged equity interests of Youxin Hulian in accordance with the law. Each shareholder of Youxin Hulian agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreements, he or she will not dispose of the pledged equity interests or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interests without the prior written consent of Youxinpai. The equity interest pledge agreements remain effective until Youxin Hulian and its shareholders discharge all their obligations under the contractual arrangements. We have registered the equity pledge with the local branches of the Administration for Industry and Commerce in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

 

Powers of Attorney.  Pursuant to the powers of attorney, each shareholder of Youxin Hulian has irrevocably appointed Youxinpai to act as such shareholder’s exclusive attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights, including, but not limited to, voting on all matters of Youxin Hulian requiring shareholder approval, disposing of all or part of the shareholder’s equity interests in Youxin Hulian, and appointing directors and executive officers. Youxinpai is entitled to designate any person to act as such shareholder’s exclusive attorney-in-fact without notifying or the approval of such shareholder, and if required by PRC law, Youxinpai shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise such right. Each power of attorney will remain in force for so long as the shareholder remains a shareholder of Youxin Hulian. Each shareholder of Youxin Hulian, has waived all the rights which have been authorized to Youxinpai and will not exercise such rights.

 

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Agreement that Allows us to Receive Economic Benefits from Youxin Hulian

 

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.  Under the amended and restated exclusive business cooperation agreement between Youxinpai and Youxin Hulian, Youxinpai has the exclusive right to provide Youxin Hulian with technical support, consulting services and other services. Without Youxinpai’s prior written consent, Youxin Hulian agrees not to accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party. Youxinpai may designate other parties to provide services to Youxin Hulian. Youxin Hulian agrees to pay service fees on a quarterly basis and at an amount determined by Youxinpai after taking into account multiple factors, such as the complexity and difficulty of the services provided, the time consumed, the content and commercial value of services provided, the market price of comparable services and the operation conditions. Youxinpai owns the intellectual property rights arising out of the performance of this agreement. In addition, Youxin Hulian has granted Youxinpai an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase any or all of the assets and businesses of Youxin Hulian at the lowest price permitted under PRC law. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties or terminated by Youxinpai unilaterally, this agreement will remain effective permanently.

 

Agreements that Provide Us with the Option to Purchase the Equity Interest in Youxin Hulian

 

Exclusive Option Agreement.  Pursuant to the exclusive option agreements, each shareholder of Youxin Hulian has irrevocably granted Youxinpai an exclusive option to purchase, or have its designated person or persons to purchase, at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of the shareholder’s equity interests in Youxin Hulian. The purchase price shall be RMB10 (US$1.4) or the minimum price required by PRC law. If Youxinpai exercises the option to purchase part of the equity interest held by a shareholder, the purchase price shall be calculated proportionally. Without Youxinpai’s prior written consent, Youxin Hulian shall not amend its articles of association, increase or decrease the registered capital, sell or otherwise dispose of its assets or beneficial interest, create or allow any encumbrance on its assets or other beneficial interests, provide any loans to any third parties, enter into any material contract with a value of more than RMB500,000 (US$71,821) (except those contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business), merge with or acquire any other persons or make any investments, or distribute dividends to the shareholders. Each shareholder of Youxin Hulian has agreed that, without Youxinpai’s prior written consent, he or she will not dispose of his or her equity interests in Youxin Hulian or create or allow any encumbrance on their equity interests. Moreover, without Youxinpai’s prior written consent, no dividend will be distributed to Youxin Hulian’s shareholders, and if any of the shareholders receives any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of share transfer or liquidation, the shareholder must give such profit, interest, dividend and proceeds to Youxinpai or its designated person(s). These agreements will remain effective until all equity interests of Youxin Hulian held by its shareholder and all of the assets of Youxin Hulian have been transferred or assigned to Youxinpai or its designated person(s).

 

Loan Agreement.  Pursuant to the loan agreement between Youxinpai and Mr. Kun Dai shareholder of Youxin Hulian, dated November 23, 2016, Youxinpai made loans in an aggregate amount of RMB96.0 million (US$13.8 million) to Mr. Kun Dai solely for the capitalization of Youxin Hulian. Pursuant to the loan agreement, Youxinpai may at its sole discretion request the borrower to repay the loan by the sale of all his equity interest in Youxin Hulian to Youxinpai or its designated person(s) pursuant to the exclusive option agreement. Mr. Kun Dai must pay all of the proceeds from sale of such equity interests to Youxinpai. In the event the borrower sells his equity interests to Youxinpai or its designated person(s) with a price equivalent to or less than the amount of the principal, the loans will be interest free. If the price is higher than the amount of the principal, the excess amount will be paid to Youxinpai as the loan interest. The loan must be repaid immediately under certain circumstances, including, among others, if a foreign investor is permitted to hold majority or 100% equity interest in Youxin Hulian and Youxinpai elects to exercise its exclusive equity purchase option. The term of the loans is ten years and can be extended upon mutual written consent of the parties.

 

Contractual Arrangements relating to Yishouche

 

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among Yougu, Yishouche and the shareholders of Yishouche.

 

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Agreements that Provide Us with Effective Control over Yishouche

 

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements.  Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, each shareholder of Yishouche has pledged all of his or her equity interests in Yishouche to guarantee the shareholder’s and Yishouche’s performance of their obligations under the exclusive business cooperation agreement, exclusive option agreement and power of attorney. If Yishouche or any of its shareholders breaches their contractual obligations under these agreements, Yougu, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests, including receiving proceeds from the auction or sale of all or part of the pledged equity interests of Yishouche in accordance with the law. Each of the shareholders of Yishouche agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreements, he or she will not dispose of the pledged equity interests or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interests without the prior written consent of Yougu. The equity interest pledge agreements remain effective until Yishouche and its shareholders discharge all their obligations under the contractual arrangements. We have registered the equity pledge with the local branches of the Administration for Industry and Commerce in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

 

Powers of Attorney.  Pursuant to the powers of attorney, each shareholder of Yishouche has irrevocably appointed Yougu to act as such shareholder’s exclusive attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights, including, but not limited to, voting on all matters of Yishouche requiring shareholder approval, disposing of all or part of the shareholder’s equity interests in Yishouche, and appointing directors and executive officers. Yougu is entitled to designate any person to act as such shareholder’s exclusive attorney-in-fact without notifying or the approval of such shareholder, and if required by PRC law, Yougu shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise such right. Each power of attorney will remain in force for so long as the shareholder remains a shareholder of Yishouche. Each shareholder has waived all the rights which have been authorized to Yougu and will not exercise such rights.

 

Agreement that Allows us to Receive Economic Benefits from Yishouche

 

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.  Under the exclusive business cooperation agreement between Yougu and Yishouche, Yougu has the exclusive right to provide Yishouche with technical support, consulting services and other services. Without Yougu’s prior written consent, Yishouche agrees not to accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party. Yougu may designate other parties to provide services to Yishouche. Yishouche agrees to pay service fees on a monthly basis and at an amount determined by Yougu and Yishouche after taking into account multiple factors, such as the complexity and difficulty of the services provided, the time consumed, the content and commercial value of services provided and the market price of comparable services and the operation conditions. Yougu owns the intellectual property rights arising out of the performance of this agreement. In addition, Yishouche has granted Yougu an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase any or all of the assets and businesses of Yishouche at the lowest price permitted under PRC law. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties or terminated by Yougu unilaterally, this agreement will remain effective permanently.

 

Agreements that Provide Us with the Option to Purchase the Equity Interest in Yishouche

 

Exclusive Option Agreements.  Pursuant to the exclusive option agreements, each shareholder of Yishouche has irrevocably granted Yougu an exclusive option to purchase, or have its designated person or persons to purchase, at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of the shareholder’s equity interests in Yishouche. The purchase price shall be RMB10 (US$1.4) or the minimum price required by PRC law. Without Yougu’s prior written consent, Yishouche shall not amend its articles of association, increase or decrease the registered capital, sell or otherwise dispose of, or create or allow any encumbrance on its assets or beneficial interest with a value of more than RMB500,000 (US$71,821), provide any loans to any third parties, enter into any material contract with a value of more than RMB500,000 (US$71,821) (except those contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business), merge with or acquire any other persons or make any investments, or distribute dividends to the shareholders. The shareholders of Yishouche have agreed that, without Yougu’s prior written consent, they will not dispose of their equity interests in Yishouche or create or allow any encumbrance on their equity interests. Moreover, without Yougu’s prior written consent, no dividend will be distributed to Yishouche’s shareholders, and if any of the shareholders receives any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of share transfer or liquidation, the shareholder must give such profit, interest, dividend and proceeds to Yougu or its designated person(s). These agreements will remain effective until all equity interests of Yishouche held by its shareholders and all of the assets of Yishouche have been transferred or assigned to Yougu or its designated person(s).

 

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In the opinion of JunHe LLP, our PRC counsel:

 

·                  the ownership structures of our VIEs in China and our WFOEs that have entered into contractual arrangements with the VIEs will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and

 

·                  the contractual arrangements among Youxinpai, Youxin Hulian and the shareholders of Youxin Hulian and the contractual arrangements among Yougu, Yishouche and the shareholders of Yishouche governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and do not and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

 

However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. The PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC counsel. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our online businesses do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in value-added telecommunications services businesses, such as internet content provision services and online data processing and transaction processing businesses (operating e-commerce business), we could be subject to penalties, including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Item 3. Key Information— D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating some of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations,” “Item 3. Key Information— D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Failure to obtain certain filings, approvals, licenses, permits and certificates required for our business operations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations”,  “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Our business may be significantly affected by the draft Foreign Investment Law and the newly adopted Foreign Investment Law.”

 

D.                                    Property, Plant and Equipment

 

Our corporate headquarters are located in Beijing with office space of approximately 8,000 square meters as of December 31, 2019. We also have an office space of approximately 5,000 square meters in Xi’an mainly for our online customer service personnel and some of our product and technology personnel. We also have a total space of approximately 7,500 square meters in 32 cities for VR filming. In addition, we have local offices with an aggregate gross area of over 17,000 square meters for our 2C business in 102 cities. In 2019, we also had 7 regional transaction centers with an aggregate gross area of approximately 350,000 square meters for our 2B business across China. We lease all the facilities to conduct our business.

 

Item 4A.                                                Unresolved Staff Comments

 

None.

 

Item 5.                                                         Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

 

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this annual report on Form 20-F. This report contains forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Information.” In evaluating our business, you should carefully consider the information provided under the caption “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” in this annual report on Form 20-F. We caution you that our businesses and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

 

In July 2019, September 2019 and April 2020, we entered into a binding term sheet, definitive agreements and supplemental agreements (the “Loan facilitation transaction agreements”), respectively, with Golden Pacer, a limited liability company incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands that operates a leading financial technology platform in China, to divest our loan facilitation related business. Pursuant to the Loan facilitation transaction agreements, we have divested our entire 2C intra-regional business and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services in connection with our 2C business since November 2019. In addition, we have divested the assets and liabilities in relation to our historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank to Golden Pacer as one of the pre-conditions for the divestiture. As a result, net assets related to the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank were reclassified as net assets transferred on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, and results of operations related to the divested business were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. The transactions contemplated under the Loan facilitation transaction agreements were closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements in April 2019.

 

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In addition, we have entered into definitive agreements with Boche in January 2020 to divest our salvage car related business. Assets and liabilities associated with the divestiture of salvage car related business were reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, while results of operations related to the divested business were not presented as discontinued operations due to its insignificance to our overall business. The transaction with Boche closed in January 2020.

 

In March 2020, we entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to divest our 2B business. Assets and liabilities associated with the divestiture of 2B business were reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, and results of operations related to the divested business were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. The transaction with 58.com closed in April 2020.

 

Unless indicated otherwise, the discussion of our financial data in this Item 5 and throughout this annual report relates to continuing operations only.

 

A.                                    Operating Results

 

Overview

 

We are a leading national online used car dealer in China. Through our 2C business — Uxin Used Car, we provide consumers with a one-stop online used-car-buying experience, including access to a nationwide selection of used cars and various car-related value-added products and services, as well as a full suite of supporting services to fulfill these online used car transactions. Historically, we also operated 2B business — Uxin Auction, where we primarily facilitated used car transactions between business customers via online auction, which has been divested to 58.com pursuant to definitive agreements we entered into in March 2020. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.”

 

Our 2C business currently generates revenues from (i) commission fee in relation to assisting consumers buying our inspected and certified used cars directly online and providing relevant fulfillment services, such as logistics and delivery, title transfers and vehicle registration, which equals to a certain percentage of final car sales price and (ii) value-added service fee in relation to the additional services provided to consumers, for example, we help consumers select and apply for customized auto financing options that are provided by our financing partners, assist them purchasing suitable insurance policies that are provided by insurance companies, and provide well-rounded warranty programs. Prior to the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business to Golden Pacer as first announced in July 2019, our 2C business generated revenues from the transaction facilitation and loan facilitation services we provided to car buyers. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.” In addition, prior to the divestiture of our 2B business, we generated revenues from transaction facilitation service fee charged in relation to connecting business buyers with used car sellers and facilitating car sales through our auction service, as well as the title transfer service we provide.

 

Since we shifted our focus to 2C online used car transactions, we have witnessed a significant growth of our business. After taking into consideration the effect of the divestiture of loan facilitation related business described above, in 2019, we facilitated 97,100 online used car transactions for our 2C business, representing a 153.8% increse from 2018, and the total GMV for our 2C business reached RMB11.3 billion (US$1.6 billion) in 2019, representing 155.3% increase from 2018. Our total revenues increased significantly by 140.9% from RMB659.1 million in 2018 to RMB1,588.0 million (US$228.1 million) in 2019. Our net loss from continuing operations was RMB1,327.7 million (US$190.7 million) in 2019, compared to a net loss of RMB1,351.8 million in 2018.

 

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Major Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

 

General Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

 

Our business and operating results are affected by general factors affecting China’s online used car transaction industry, which include:

 

·                  China’s overall economic growth and level of per capita disposable income;

 

·                  outbreaks of COVID-19 or any other serious contagious diseases;

 

·                  changes in the supply and demand for used cars, and changes in geographic distribution of cars;

 

·                  consumers and dealers’ acceptance of the online used car transaction model; and

 

·                  regulations and policies affecting the used car industry and consumer auto finance industry.

 

Unfavorable changes in any of these general industry conditions could negatively affect demand for our services and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

While the duration of the current COVID-19 pandemic and its disruption to our business and related financial impacts cannot be accurately estimated at this time, we expect that our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows for the first half of 2020 will be materially and adversely affected with potential continuing impacts on subsequent periods. In particular, our business operations during the first quarter of 2020 have been materially and adversely affected as a result of the closure of used car markets and dealerships, the significant disruptions to the logistics and delivery of used cars, and barriers to title transfers, among others. In addition, borrowers’ ability or willingness to repay their auto loans has also been negatively affected by general economic downturns. As the impact of the pandemic will be fully considered in the credit loss assessment under the new accounting standards effective on January 1, 2020, we will provide a significant provision for credit losses and losses from guarantee liabilities for the first quarter of 2020 associated with our historically-facilitated loans that were not transferred to Golden Pacer.

 

We will continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows for the first half of 2020 and subsequent periods. The global spread of COVID-19 pandemic in a significant number of countries around the world has resulted in, and may intensify, global economic distress, and the extent to which it may affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry— The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.”

 

Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

 

While our business is influenced by general factors affecting China’s online used car transaction industry, we believe our results of operations are more directly affected by company specific factors, including the following:

 

Ability to increase transaction volume on our platform

 

We operate our business as a leading national online used car dealer in China, which is supported by a nationwide service network and our online used car transaction fulfillment capabilities. Our ability to continue to increase our transaction volume and GMV affects the growth of our business and our revenues. As we continued to shift our focus to 2C online used car transactions since we launched this business in early 2018, the total number of online used car transactions completed through our 2C business increased by 153.8% from 38,264 in 2018 to 97,100 in 2019, and our total 2C GMV grew by 155.3% from RMB4.4 billion in 2018 to RMB11.3 billion (US$1.6 billion) in 2019. We anticipate that our future revenue growth will continue to depend largely on the increase of transaction volume on our platform. Our ability to increase transaction volume depends on, among other things, our ability to continually improve the service and user experience that we offer, increase brand awareness, expand our service network and enhance our online used car transaction fulfillment and technology capabilities.

 

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Ability to capture more service opportunities and increase take rate

 

Our comprehensive coverage of a customer’s entire buying journey positions us well to provide a variety of services to customers. Through our 2C business, in addition to enabling consumers buy used cars online from our platform, we also provide a comprehensive suite of other services to our customers that include various car-related value-added products and services, such as referrals of auto financing options and insurance products, as well as a full suite of supporting services to fulfill these online used car transactions. By offering these services, we generate more revenues and increase our overall take rate from the transactions. We will continue to strengthen our services and provide more value-added products and services from time to time to capture additional opportunities.

 

By providing a variety of services, we were able to achieve an average total 2C take rate of 8.4% in 2018 and 12.0% in 2019, as measured by the total revenue from 2C business divided by our total 2C GMV. Our ability to maintain or increase fees charged for our services and provide more services affects our take rate and financial performance.

 

Ability to enhance operational efficiency

 

Our results of operations are directly affected by our scale and operational efficiency. In addition to our own sales team, we have also worked with third-party agents to enlarge our sales force efficiently across China. We currently have a nationwide service network of over 1,100 service centers operated by our local agents. As our business grows, we expect to achieve greater operating leverage, improve the efficiency and utilization of our personnel, and obtain more favorable terms from our business partners.

 

Marketing is critical to our business. Given the relatively low online penetration rate for the used car market in China, we need to educate the market about the benefits of buying used cars online and to raise our brand awareness. We also need to invest to acquire user traffic from different online channels. As a result, sales and marketing expenses have historically represented a substantial majority of our total operating expenses, amounting to 225.9% and 74.6% of our total revenues in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Our ability to lower our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenues depends on our ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency, including through increasing sales productivity, optimizing our traffic acquisition channels and improving traffic-to-sales conversion, as well as leveraging our brand value and word-of-mouth referrals. We may also continue to increase our sales and marketing expenses in absolute amounts in order to further expand our business across China as well as acquire customers and raise our brand awareness.

 

Selected Statements of Operations Items

 

Revenues

 

We derive our revenues from our 2C and other businesses. Prior to the divesture of our 2B business in April 2020, we also generated revenues from 2B business, which was presented as discontinued operations. The following table presents our revenues by category, in terms of absolute amounts and as percentages of our total revenues for the periods presented.

 

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

US$

 

%

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To consumers (“2C”)

 

 

 

369,640

 

56.1

 

1,347,408

 

193,543

 

84.8

 

- Commission revenue

 

 

 

203,158

 

30.8

 

711,362

 

102,181

 

44.8

 

- Value-added service revenue

 

 

 

166,482

 

25.3

 

636,046

 

91,362

 

40.0

 

Others

 

309,133

 

100.0

 

289,450

 

43.9

 

240,623

 

34,563

 

15.2

 

Total revenues

 

309,133

 

100.0

 

659,090

 

100.0

 

1,588,031

 

228,106

 

100.0

 

 

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2C business

 

Our 2C business currently generates revenues from commission and value-added services. For each used car sold through our 2C business, we charge a commission fee equivalent to a certain percentage of final car sales price. The commission fee is for services provided through our platform in enabling consumers to buy the car of choice online from our nationwide selection of inspected and certified used cars, and fulfilling these online transactions, such as car delivery, title transfers and vehicle registration. We generate value-added service revenue from value-added service fee, which is charged for the additional services provided to consumers for their online used car purchase, for example, we help consumers select and apply for customized auto financing options, assist them purchasing suitable insurance policies, and provide well-rounded warranty programs.

 

Prior to the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, we also generated loan facilitation revenue from the consumer auto loans facilitated on our platform. As a result of the divestiture, we are relieved of the guarantee obligations in relation to the historically-facilitated loans associated with XW Bank. Immediately prior to the divestiture, the remaining outstanding balance of the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank was RMB17.0 billion (US$2.4 billion). In accordance with the applicable accounting standards, net assets of RMB827.7 million (US$118.9 million) related to the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank were reclassified as net assets transferred on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 as the divestiture of such assets and liabilities was a pre-condition of the transaction. Results of operations related to the divested business were reported as loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.

 

Prior to the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, for each used car sold through our intra-regional 2C business with financing solutions and each used car sold through our cross-regional 2C business with or without financing solutions, we charged a transaction facilitation service fee to the consumer that equaled to the higher of a certain percentage of the price of the car and a minimum fee. Prior to the second half of 2018, we used to charge transaction facilitation service fees to car dealers for each used car sold through our intra-regional 2C business without financing solutions. Starting in the second half of 2018, to further facilitate our market expansion, we gradually discontinued charging car dealers transaction facilitation service fees in intra-regional transactions without financing solutions. The transaction facilitation service fee was for services provided through our platform in connecting consumers with used car sellers, facilitating car sales to consumers and providing after-sale warranty. We recognized transaction facilitation revenue when the service was rendered, except that the revenue relating to warranty services was deferred and recognized over the warranty period, which was typically one year. In 2019, we discontinued charging transaction facilitation service fees for intra-regional transactions without financing solutions. Thus, service fees have not been charged to the car dealers at all since then.

 

Others

 

Our other revenues mainly include commission from salvage cars sales and interest income from financial leases. Prior to the divestiture of our salvage car business in January 2020, we generated revenue from our salvage car business primarily by charging the buyers a commission.

 

Cost of Revenues

 

Cost of revenues primarily consists of salaries and benefits for personnel involved in car inspection, quality control, customer service and after-sales service, fulfillment costs related to logistics and delivery as well as title transfers and vehicle registration, cost of GPS tracking devices, and cost of warranty services. We expect that our cost of revenues will increase in absolute dollar amounts as we continue to expand our business.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Our operating expenses primarily consist of (i) sales and marketing expenses, (ii) research and development expenses, and (iii) general and administrative expenses.

 

Sales and marketing expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits for our sales and marketing personnel, customer acquisition expenses and branding expenses. Customer acquisition expenses primarily include online traffic acquisition costs. Branding expenses primarily include brand advertising costs. We expect that our sales and marketing expenses will increase in absolute dollar amounts in the foreseeable future as we plan to engage in effective sales and marketing activities to further attract new customers and grow our businesses.

 

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Research and development expenses

 

Research and development expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits for our research and development personnel and IT infrastructure services-related expenses. We expect our research and development expenses will increase in absolute dollar amounts in the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in technology to attract customers and enhance customer experience.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

General and administrative expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits as well as share-based compensation for our management and administration employees involved in general corporate functions, office rental expenses, and professional service fees. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase as we incur additional expenses relating to improving our internal controls, complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and maintaining investor relations as a public company.

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

The fair value change of derivative liabilities is primarily related to bifurcated conversion features of our preferred shares, and to a lesser extent, related to the bifurcated share swap feature and redemption feature of our redeemable non-controlling interests. Upon the completion of our initial public offering, all of our preferred shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, and as such the derivative liabilities related to the bifurcated conversion features of our preferred shares became shareholders’ equity.

 

Discontinued operations

 

Discontinued operations relate to our historical loan facilitation related business which was divested to Golden Pacer, and 2B business which was divested to 58.com. Our salvage car related business divested to Boche was not presented as discontinued operations as it did not meet the criteria for discontinued operation under ASC205-20. See “Item 4. Information on the Company— A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.”

 

Taxation

 

Cayman Islands

 

Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, our company and its subsidiaries incorporated in the Cayman Islands are not subject to tax on income or capital gain. In addition, payments of dividends and capital in respect of our ordinary shares (and any consequential payments to the holders of our ADSs) will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of dividends or capital to any holder of our ordinary shares or ADSs, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our ordinary shares or ADSs be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax. The Cayman Islands currently have no income, corporation or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.

 

British Virgin Islands

 

Some of our subsidiaries are companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Under the current law of the British Virgin Islands, we are not subject to income, corporation or capital gains tax in the British Virgin Islands. In addition, payment of dividends by the British Virgin Islands subsidiaries to their respective shareholders who are not resident in the British Virgin Islands, if any, is not subject to withholding tax in the British Virgin Islands.

 

Hong Kong

 

Our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to the uniform tax rate of 16.5%. Under Hong Kong tax law, our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are exempted from income tax on their foreign-derived income and there is no withholding tax in Hong Kong on remittance of dividends. No provision for Hong Kong profits tax was made as we had no estimated assessable profit that was subject to Hong Kong profits tax in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

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PRC

 

Generally, our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their subsidiaries are subject to enterprise income tax on their taxable income in the PRC at a rate of 25%. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the entity’s global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards. Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. obtained High and New Technology Enterprises, or HNTE, status in December 2016, and is eligible to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% from 2016 to 2019. Youxin Internet (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. has been qualified as “Software Enterprises” eligible for preferential tax treatments, and thus was exempted from corporate income tax in PRC in 2016 and 2017 and will be allowed a 50% tax reduction at a statutory rate of 25% in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

 

Our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their subsidiaries are subject to VAT at a rate of 6% on the services provided and related surcharges, and 17% before April 30, 2018 and 16% since May 1, 2018 for the new cars sold.

 

Under the EIT Law and its Implementation Rules, subject to any applicable tax treaty or similar arrangement between the PRC and the jurisdiction where the shareholders of our PRC subsidiaries reside that provides for a different income tax arrangement, PRC withholding tax at the rate of 10% is normally applicable to dividends from PRC sources payable to the shareholders that are non-PRC resident enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or which have such establishment or place of business if the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business. Under the PRC Individual Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, dividends from sources within the PRC paid to foreign individual shareholders who are not PRC residents are generally subject to a PRC withholding tax at a rate of 20%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties and PRC laws. Although substantially all of our business operations are based in the PRC, it is unclear whether dividends we pay with respect to our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs would be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and as a result be subject to PRC income tax if we were considered a PRC resident enterprise, as described below. See “Item 3. Key Information— D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Under the EIT Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China; such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.”

 

Results of Operations

 

The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations, both in absolute amounts and as percentages of our total revenues, for the periods presented.

 

 

 

For the Year Ended
December 31

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

US$

 

%

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To consumers (“2C”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Commission revenue

 

 

 

203,158

 

30.8

 

711,362

 

102,181

 

44.8

 

- Value-added service revenue

 

 

 

166,482

 

25.3

 

636,046

 

91,362

 

40.0

 

Others

 

309,133

 

100.0

 

289,450

 

43.9

 

240,623

 

34,563

 

15.2

 

Total revenues

 

309,133

 

100.0

 

659,090

 

100.0

 

1,588,031

 

228,106

 

100.0

 

Cost of revenues(!)

 

(92,735

)

(30.0

)

(418,852

)

(63.6

)

(689,292

)

(99,011

)

(43.4

)

Gross Profit

 

216,398

 

70.0

 

240,238

 

36.4

 

898,739

 

129,096

 

56.6

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing(1)

 

(179,328

)

(58.0

)

(1,488,699

)

(225.9

)

(1,184,997

)

(170,214

)

(74.6

)

Research and development(1)

 

 

 

(124,513

)

(18.9

)

(140,006

)

(20,111

)

(8.8

)

General and administrative(1)

 

(389,072

)

(125.9

)

(1,070,419

)

(162.4

)

(402,040

)

(57,749

)

(25.3

)

Gains/(losses) from guarantee liabilities(2)

 

1,840

 

0.6

 

(4,414

)

(0.7

)

(194,385

)

(27,922

)

(12.2

)

Provision for credit losses

 

(38,075

)

(12.3

)

(40,626

)

(6.2

)

(271,372

)

(38,980

)

(17.1

)

Total operating expenses

 

(604,635

)

(195.6

)

(2,728,671

)

(414.0

)

(2,192,800

)

(314,976

)

(138.1

)

Other operating income

 

 

 

 

 

1,925

 

277

 

0.1

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

(388,237

)

(125.6

)

(2,488,433

)

(377.6

)

(1,292,136

)

(185,604

)

(81.4

)

Interest income

 

2,234

 

0.7

 

24,554

 

3.7

 

14,958

 

2,149

 

0.9

 

Interest expense

 

(199

)

(0.1

)

(63,880

)

(9.7

)

(112,587

)

(16,172

)

(7.1

)

Other income

 

4,248

 

1.4

 

23,721

 

3.6

 

71,142

 

10,219

 

4.5

 

Other expenses

 

(3,808

)

(1.2

)

(25,568

)

(3.9

)

(36,569

)

(5,253

)

(2.3

)

Foreign exchange (losses)/gains

 

(627

)

(0.2

)

(8,232

)

(1.2

)

4,247

 

610

 

0.3

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

(885,821

)

(286.6

)

1,185,090

 

179.8

 

 

 

 

Gain from disposal of investment, net

 

 

 

 

 

28,257

 

4,059

 

1.8

 

Impairment of long-term investment

 

 

 

 

 

(37,775

)

(5,426

)

(2.4

)

Loss from continuing operations before income tax expense

 

(1,272,210

)

(411.5

)

(1,352,748

)

(205.2

)

(1,360,463

)

(195,418

)

(85.7

)

Income (tax expense)/credit

 

(211

)

(0.1

)

(1,644

)

(0.2

)

2,554

 

367

 

0.2

 

Equity in income of affiliates

 

3,597

 

1.2

 

2,631

 

0.4

 

30,231

 

4,342

 

1.9

 

Net loss from continuing operations, net of tax

 

(1,268,824

)

(410.4

)

(1,351,761

)

(205.1

)

(1,327,678

)

(190,709

)

(83.6

)

 

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(1)         Share-based compensation in the amount of RMB165.9 million, RMB1,052.0 million and RMB100.3 million (US$14.4 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, was charged to cost of revenues, sales and marketing expenses, research and development expenses, and general and administrative expenses.

 

(2)   The following table sets forth the notional balance of our guarantee obligation by loan-to-value categories as of December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

Loan-to-value ratio

 

 

 

90%

 

80%

 

70%

 

50%

 

Outstanding loan balance as of December 31, 2019 (RMB in thousands)

 

3,138,931

 

202,362

 

11,387,397

 

799,431

 

 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2018

 

Revenues

 

Our revenues increased by 140.9% from RMB659.1 million in 2018 to RMB1,588.0 million (US$228.1 million) in 2019.

 

2C business.  Revenues of our 2C business increased significantly by 264.5% from RMB369.6 million in 2018 to RMB1,347.4 million (US$193.5 million) in 2019 , which was primarily attributable to increases in 2C transaction volume, GMV and the take rate of our 2C business. The take rate of our 2C business, as measured by the revenue of our 2C business divided by the GMV of our 2C business, was 8.4% and 12.0% in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

·                  Commission revenue.  The commission revenue increased significantly by 250.2% from RMB203.2 million in 2018 to RMB711.4 million (US$102.2 million) in 2019, primarily due to increases in transaction volume, GMV and commission rate. The number of 2C online used cars transactions increased by 153.8% from 38,264 units in 2018 to 97,100 units in 2019, and the corresponding GMV increased by 155.3% from RMB4.4 billion to RMB11.3 billion (US$1.6 billion) during the same period. Our unique value proposition to consumers along with an improved user experience and higher pricing power contributed to the increase in our commission rate from 4.6% in 2018 to 6.3% in 2019.

 

·                  Value-added service revenue.  Our value-added service revenue increased significantly by 282.1% from RMB166.5 million in 2018 to RMB636.0 million (US$91.4 million) in 2019, primarily driven by increases in transaction volume, GMV and VAS take rate. Our VAS take rate increased to 5.6% in 2019 from 3.8% in 2018, primarily driven by higher pricing power as a result of our increasingly optimized and diversified services.

 

Others.  Our other revenues was RMB240.6 million (US$34.6 million) in 2019, compared to RMB289.5 million in 2018.

 

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Cost of revenues

 

Our cost of revenues increased by 64.6% from RMB418.9 million in 2018 to RMB689.3 million (US$99.0 million) in 2019, primarily as a result of an increase from RMB71.0 million in 2018 to RMB207.8 million (US$29.8 million) in 2019 in salaries and benefits of employees engaged in car inspection, quality control, customer service and after-sales service, as well as an increase in fulfilment cost driven by an increase in the transaction volume.

 

Gross profit

 

As a result of the foregoing, our total gross profit increased by 274.1% from RMB240.2 million in 2018 to RM898.7 million (US$129.1 million) in 2019. Our gross profit margin increased from 36.4% in 2018 to 56.6% in 2019.

 

Sales and marketing expenses

 

Our sales and marketing expenses decreased by 20.4% from RMB1,488.7 million in 2018 to RMB1,185.0 million (US$170.2 million) in 2019 as a result of our continuous efforts in enhancing operating efficiency.

 

Research and development expenses

 

Our research and development expenses increased by 12.4% from RMB124.5 million in 2018 to RMB140.0 million (US$20.1 million) in 2019, primarily attributable to an increase from RMB78.6 million in 2018 to RMB105.8 million (US$15.2 million) in 2019 in salaries and benefits for employees engaged in research and development as a result of our continued efforts to strengthen our AI and other technological capabilities.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

Our general and administrative expenses decreased by 62.4% from RMB1,070.4 million in 2018 to RMB402.0 million (US$57.7 million) in 2019, primarily attributable to a decrease in share-based compensation expenses.

 

Losses from guarantee liabilities

 

Our losses from guarantee liabilities increased from RMB4.4 million in 2018 to RMB194.4 million (US$27.9 million) in 2019, which resulted from the guarantee obligations associated with the remaining portion of our historically-facilitated loans that were not transferred to Golden Pacer, as well as the adversely-affected performance of the aforementioned loans which was impacted by a series of lending and debt collection-related regulations promulgated in the fourth quarter of 2019.

 

Provision for credit losses

 

Our provision for credit losses increased from RMB40.6 million in 2018 to RMB271.4 million (US$39.0 million) in 2019 as a result of the adversely-affected performance of our financial assets and impact from a series of lending and debt collection-related regulations promulgated in the fourth quarter of 2019, mainly including loans recognized as result of payment under the guarantee and financial lease receivables.

 

Interest income

 

We had interest income of RMB24.6 million in 2018 and RMB15.0 million (US$2.1 million) in 2019.

 

Interest expenses

 

We had interest expense of RMB63.9 million in 2018 and RMB112.6 million (US$16.2 million) in 2019. The increase in interest expense was mainly attributable to an increase in our borrowings and convertible notes. Since we recognize the deposits of interest at present value, the gap between actual amount of disbursement and book value of deposits of interests is recognized as interest expense.

 

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Other income

 

Other income increased from RMB23.7 million in 2018 to RMB71.1 million (US$10.2 million) in 2019.

 

Other expenses

 

Other expenses increased from RMB25.6 million in 2018 to RMB36.6 million (US$5.3 million) in 2019.

 

Foreign exchange gains/(losses)

 

We had foreign exchange gains of RMB4.2 million (US$0.6 million) in 2019, compared to foreign exchange losses of RMB8.2 million in 2018.

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

Our fair value change of derivative liabilities was nil in 2019, compared to a gain of RMB1,185.1 million in 2018. The impact of derivative liabilities is no longer exist as the preferred shares were converted into ordinary shares at the time of IPO.

 

Gain from disposal of investment, net

 

Our gain from disposal of investment was RMB28.3 million (US$4.1 million) in 2019, compared to nil in 2018. Gain from disposal of investment in 2019 was primarily attributable to our disposal of our equity investments in a technology company focusing on pilotless automobile systems.

 

Impairment of long-term investment

 

Impairment of long-term investment was RMB37.8 million (US$5.4 million) in 2019, compared to nil in 2018. The increase in impairment of long-term investment was primarily attributable to our equity investment in a technology company which incurred continuous losses starting from 2019 and began to liquidate its business in June 2019.

 

Income tax credit/expense

 

We had income tax credit of RMB2.6 million (US$0.4 million) in 2019, compared to a tax expense of RMB1.6 million in 2018.

 

Equity in income of affiliates

 

Equity in income of affiliates increased from RMB2.6 million in 2018 to RMB30.2 million (US$4.3 million), primarily attributable to an equity pick-up income from one of our invested companies.

 

Net loss from continuing operations, net of tax

 

As a result of the foregoing, our net loss from continuing operations decreased from RMB1,351.8 million in 2018 to RMB1,327.7 million (US$190.7 million) in 2019.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2018 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2017

 

To facilitate the comparison of our operating results in 2017 and 2018, the financial results of our Divested Businesses in 2017 and 2018 are presented on the same basis as in 2019.

 

Revenues

 

Our revenues increased by 113.2% from RMB309.1 million in 2017 to RMB659.1 million in 2018.

 

2C business.  Revenues of our 2C business increased from nil in 2017 to RMB369.6 million in 2018. We launched our 2C online used car transaction business in early 2018, which was previously referred to as “2C cross-regional business” and is currently the sole component of our 2C business.

 

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·                  Commission revenue.  The commission revenue increased from nil in 2017 to RMB203.2 million in 2018.

 

·                  Value-added service revenue.  Our value-added service revenue increased from nil in 2017 to RMB166.5 million in 2018.

 

Others.  Our other revenues decreased by 6.4% from RMB309.1 million in 2017 to RMB289.5 million in 2018.

 

Cost of revenues

 

Our cost of revenues increased by 351.7% from RMB92.7 million in 2017 to RMB418.9 million in 2018, primarily as a result of an increase in salaries and benefits of employees engaged in car inspection, quality control, customer service and after-sales service, an increase in fulfilment cost driven by an increase in the transaction volume.

 

Gross profit

 

As a result of the foregoing, our total gross profit increased by 11.0% from RMB216.4 million in 2017 to RMB240.2 million in 2018.

 

Sales and marketing expenses

 

Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 730.2% from RMB179.3 million in 2017 to RMB1,488.7 million in 2018.

 

Research and development expenses

 

Our research and development expenses increased from nil in 2017 to RMB124.5 million in 2018.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

Our general and administrative expenses increased by 175.1% from RMB389.1 million in 2017 to RMB1,070.4 million in 2018.

 

Losses/gains from guarantee liabilities

 

We recorded losses from guarantee liabilities of RMB4.4 million in 2018, compared to gains from guarantee liabilities of RMB1.8 million in 2017. The change was primarily due to the increased delinquency rate.

 

Interest income

 

We had interest income of RMB2.2 million in 2017 and RMB24.6 million in 2018.

 

Interest expense

 

We had interest expense of RMB0.2 million in 2017 and RMB63.9 million in 2018, attributable to an increase in our borrowings and convertible notes. Since we recognize the deposits of interest at present value, the gap between actual amount of disbursement and book value of deposits of interests is recognized as interest expense.

 

Other income

 

Other income increased from RMB4.2 million in 2017 to RMB23.7 million in 2018.

 

Other expenses

 

Other expenses increased from RMB3.8 million in 2017 to RMB25.6 million in 2018.

 

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Foreign exchange losses

 

We had foreign exchange losses of RMB0.6 million and RMB8.2 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The change was primarily attributable to the appreciation of U.S. dollars against RMB in 2018.

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

Our fair value change of derivative liabilities was a gain of RMB1,185.1 million in 2018, compared to a loss of RMB885.8 million in 2017. The increase in value between 2017 and 2018 was primarily due to a decrease in the value of our company.

 

Income tax expense

 

We had income tax expense of RMB0.2 million and RMB1.6 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively, primarily resulting from the net taxable income position of certain operating entities in the PRC.

 

Equity in income of affiliates

 

Equity in income of affiliates decreased from RMB3.6 million in 2017 to RMB2.6 million in 2018. The balance in 2017 was primarily attributable to the investment income recognized from revaluation of the previously held equity interest in Chefang and Baogu upon our acquisitions of the two entities in 2017.

 

Net loss from continuing operations, net of tax

 

As a result of the foregoing, we had net losses from continuing operations of RMB1,268.8 million and RMB1,351.8 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

Critical Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates

 

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. We continually evaluate these judgments and estimates based on our own historical experience, knowledge and assessment of current business and other conditions, our expectations regarding the future based on available information and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, which together form our basis for making judgments about matters that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, our actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of our accounting policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their application.

 

The selection of critical accounting policies, the judgments and other uncertainties affecting application of those policies and the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions are factors that should be considered when reviewing our financial statements. We believe the following accounting policies involve the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. You should read the following description of critical accounting policies, judgments and estimates in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and other disclosures included in this annual report.

 

Consolidation of variable interest entity (VIE)

 

We account for entities qualifying as VIEs in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Boards, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification Topic 810, Consolidation, or ASC 810. In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements restricting foreign ownership of internet information services, value-added telecommunications, and certain other businesses in China, we have been conducting our online auction platforms through VIEs. In 2015, the restrictions on foreign-owned shareholding percentage in online data processing and transaction processing (operating E-commerce) business in China was partially removed. Therefore, certain of our eligible WFOEs have applied for and obtained approval from Shanghai Communications Administration to conduct value-added telecommunications services in the scope of online data processing and transaction processing (operating E-commerce). As a result, certain of our WFOEs have been operating our main online platforms instead of our VIEs since then. Our VIEs mainly conduct other online platforms to provide internet information services and they are holding some of our intellectual properties as well. Revenues from VIEs accounted for approximately 12.5%, 10.2% and 4.6% of our total revenues in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

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We have entered into a series of contractual arrangements, including exclusive option agreement, equity pledge agreements and exclusive business cooperation agreements, with our VIEs and their respective shareholders. As a result of our direct ownership in our WFOEs and the contractual arrangements relating to our VIEs, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIEs In accordance with ASC 810, and we treat them and their subsidiaries as our consolidated affiliated entities under U.S. GAAP. We have consolidated the financial results of our VIEs and their respective subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

Any changes in PRC laws and regulations that affect our ability to control our VIEs might preclude us from consolidating the entities in the future. We will continually evaluate whether we are the primary beneficiary of our VIEs as facts and circumstances change.

 

Revenue recognition

 

We primarily engage in used car business as a leading national online used car dealer through our mobile app — Uxin Used Car and website — www.xin.com, providing consumers with a nationwide selection of used and various car-related value-added products and services. Prior to the divestiture of our 2B business, we also operated the mobile app — Uxin Auction and website — www.youxinpai.com to facilitate transactions between business customers via online auction service. Revenue principally represents 2C commission revenue and value-added service revenue as well as other revenue. 2B transaction facilitation revenue is currently recognized as discontinued.

 

We adopted ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” for all periods presented. Consistent with the criteria of Topic 606, we recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

 

To achieve that core principle, an entity should apply five steps defined under Topic 606. We assess our revenue arrangements against specific criteria in order to determine if we are acting as principal or agent. Revenue arrangements with multiple performance obligations are divided into separate units of accounting. We considered appropriate method to allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation based on the relative standalone selling prices of the services being provided. In estimating the standalone selling price for the services that are not directly observable, we considered the suitable methods included in ASC 606-10-21-34, and determined the adjusted market assessment approach is the most appropriate method. When estimating the relative standalone selling prices, we consider selling prices of similar services. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised goods or services to a customer.

 

From time to time, we provide incentives to consumers. These incentives are given in the form of discount coupon to consumers, and are applied to the same transaction. As these incentives were provided without any distinct good or service in return, these incentives have been recorded as reduction of revenue, pursuant to the guidance under ASC 606.

 

Revenue is recorded net off cash incentives and value-added-tax collected from customers.

 

Online used car transaction services (2C Business)

 

Our online platform and offline infrastructure enable consumers to buy used cars online via our online used car transaction services. Our online used car transaction services help individual consumers complete their purchases of cars without having to physically inspect the cars on-site, in particular when the consumers are located in different cities from where the cars are. Our offline infrastructure provides consumers with vehicle inspection, payment and settlement, fulfilment services (including logistics and delivery, title transfers and vehicle registration), and warranty services. We have identified two types of services — commission-related services and value-added services. We recognize commission revenue and value-added service revenue upon the closing of car sales, except that the revenue relating to warranty services is deferred and recognized over the warranty period as we stand ready to perform the service during that period, which is typically 6 months or one year.

 

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Others

 

Other revenue mainly comprises of revenues from commission from salvage car sales and interest income from financial leases, etc.

 

We continue to provide loans through our Easy Loan program to selected dealers in the form of financial lease agreements to help finance their inventory. In the third quarter of 2018, we started to provide funds in the form of financial lease agreements to selected borrowers in addition to facilitating loans for the purchase of cars. In these arrangements, we are considered the loan originator and hold such loans on our balance sheet. We generate interest income from these arrangements. Interest income is recognized over the financial lease period, taking into account of the principal outstanding and the effective interest rate over the period to maturity.

 

Remaining performance obligations

 

Revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations represent deferred revenue that has not yet been recognized. As of December 31, 2019, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations was RMB31.3 million (US$4.5 million). We expect to recognize approximately 100% of this revenue over the next 12 months.

 

Financial lease receivables

 

Financial lease receivables include dealer inventory financing receivables and receivables generated from finance lease arrangements.

 

We provide short-term inventory financing to certain selected car dealers. Those car dealers can apply and obtain loans through the Easy Loan program. We provide funding to the dealer and may in turn obtain financing from one of our financing partners to fund the Easy Loan program. In order to fund the Easy Loan program, we and a third-party financing partner enter into a financing business cooperation agreement, which establishes that loans provided to dealers are made in direct connection to the financial lease contracts entered into between us and the dealers for the underlying cars. Accordingly, we are considered as the primary obligor in the lending relationship and therefore record the liabilities to the third-party financing partner on our consolidated balance sheets. Consequently, we consider that the financial lease receivables generated from financial lease contracts with car dealers are not settled or extinguished. Therefore, we continue to account for the financial lease receivables on our consolidated balance sheets.

 

We started to cooperate with third-party financing partners in September 2015. Before September 2015, we entered into finance lease arrangements with consumers who needed financing in the car purchases. In the third quarter of 2018, we started to provide funds in the form of financial lease agreements to selected borrowers in addition to facilitating loans for the purchase of cars.

 

Financial lease receivables are measured at amortized cost and reported on our consolidated balance sheets at outstanding principal adjusted for the allowance for credit losses. Allowance for financial lease receivables is provided when we have determined the balance is impaired.

 

Goodwill

 

In accordance with ASC 805 Business Combination, goodwill represents the excess of the purchase consideration over the fair value of assets and liabilities of businesses acquired.

 

Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be impaired based on the requirements of ASC 350-20. In accordance with the FASB guidance on “Testing of Goodwill for Impairment,” we have elected to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether the two-step impairment testing of goodwill is necessary. In this assessment, we consider primary factors such as industry and market considerations, overall financial performance of the reporting unit, and other specific information related to the operations. Based on the qualitative assessment, if it is more likely than not that the fair value of each reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is performed. Otherwise, no further testing is required. Recoverability of goodwill is evaluated using a two-step process. In the first step, the fair value of a reporting unit is compared to its carrying value. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets assigned to a reporting unit, goodwill is considered not impaired and no further testing is required. If the carrying value of the net assets assigned to a reporting unit exceeds the fair value of a reporting unit, the second step of the impairment test is performed in order to determine the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill. Determining the implied fair value of goodwill requires valuation of a reporting unit’s tangible and intangible assets and liabilities in a manner similar to the allocation of purchase price in a business combination. If the carrying value of a reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, goodwill is deemed impaired and is written down to the extent of the difference. We estimate the total fair value of the reporting unit using discounted cash flow analysis, and make assumptions regarding future revenue, gross margins, working capital levels, tax and cash flows of the reporting unit. As of December 31, 2019, there was no event or any circumstance that we identified, which indicates that the fair value of our reporting unit was substantially lower than the respective carrying value.

 

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In 2017, we acquired Chefang and Baogu and have consolidated their financial results in our consolidated financial statements since the respective dates of acquisitions. As of December 31, 2019, we recorded goodwill in the amount of RMB4.1 million (US$0.6 million) and RMB4.2 million (US$0.6 million) for Chefang and Baogu, respectively. As there were no identifiable intangible assets from the acquisitions of Chefang and Baogu, the goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment in accordance with ASC350. In 2018, RMB3.7 million of goodwill impairment loss was recorded for Chefang.

 

In 2018, we acquired Zhejiang Dongwang Internet Technology Co., Ltd., or Dongwang, and have consolidated its financial results in our consolidated financial statements since the date of acquisition. As of December 31, 2019, we recorded goodwill in the amount of RMB38.2 million (US$5.5 million) and reclassified as held-for-sale assets due to the divestiture of our salvage car business. There were identifiable intangible assets from the acquisition of Dongwang. Those intangible assets were recognized and measured at fair value upon acquisition and amortized over five years. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment in accordance with ASC350.

 

Share-based compensation

 

We follow ASC 718 to determine whether a share option or a restricted share unit should be classified and accounted for as a liability award or equity award. All grants of share-based awards to employees and directors classified as equity awards are recognized in the financial statements based on their grant-date fair values which are calculated using an option pricing model. We classify the share-based awards granted to employees as equity awards, and have elected to recognize compensation expense relating to the share-based awards with service condition on a graded vesting basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period.

 

Under ASC 718, we apply the Binomial option pricing model in determining the fair value of options granted. ASC 718 requires forfeiture rates to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates. Share-based compensation expense is recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recorded only for those share-based awards that are expected to vest.

 

In February 2018, we adopted the Amended and Restated Plan, which was later amended and renamed as the 2018 Second Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan (the “Amended and Restated Plan”). Under the Amended and Restated Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Class A ordinary shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards granted under the Amended and Restated Plan is 102,040,053.

 

On September 22, 2019, our board of directors approved a reduction in the exercise price for outstanding options previously granted by our company with an exercise price higher than $1.03 per ordinary share, up to US$3.00 per ordinary share, to $1.03 per share, provided that any participating option holder agrees to amendment in the number of shares subject to his or her option as determined by the plan administrator. We accounted for this reduction as a share option modification which required the remeasurement of these share options at the time of the modification. The total incremental cost as a result of the modification was US$4.1 million. The incremental cost related to vested options amounted to US$2.1 million and was recorded in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss during the year ended December 31, 2019. The incremental cost related to unvested options amounted to US$2.0 million and will be recorded over the remaining service period.

 

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Options

 

We granted 12,819,330, 25,224,000 and 4,247,500 options to our employees, with a weighted average exercise price of US$2.13, US$2.90 and US$1.36, for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019. No options granted to employees were exercisable as of December 31 2017, whereas 18,659,232 and 19,698,819  options were exercisable as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively. 9,800,000, 7,300,000 and 10,570,575  options granted to key management became exercisable as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

Under the Amended and Restated Plan, employees are generally subject to a four-year service schedule, under which an employee earns an entitlement to vest in 25% of his or her option grants at the end of each year of completed service.

 

As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of vested and nonvested options granted to employees and management amounted to RMB104.0 million (US$14.9 million) and RMB34.2 million (US$4.9 million), respectively, and a share-based compensation expense of RMB100.3 million (US$14.4 million) was recognized for the vested options.

 

Other share-based awards

 

For the year ended December 31, 2016, we recorded share-based compensation expense of RMB226.4 million for issuance and grant of 19,985,520 ordinary shares to our management in April 2016.

 

In September 2017, one of our preferred shareholders transferred 6,686,020 series A preferred shares and 10,590,390 series B preferred shares with a consideration of US$41.2 million to Gao Li Group, which is controlled by Mr. Kun Dai, the chairman of our board of directors and chief executive officer. The difference between the transfer price and the fair value of preferred shares transferred was RMB137.7 million and was recognized as compensation expense to Mr. Kun Dai in September 2017.

 

In June 2018, we recorded share-based compensation expense of RMB620.4 million for the issuance of 17,742,890 restricted shares to Mr. Kun Dai, which were vested immediately upon consummation of a successful initial public offering.

 

On May 25, 2018, one of our executive officers exercised his vested options to acquire 3,333,330 ordinary shares. In addition, we also offered vesting acceleration to that executive officer’s 1,666,670 unvested options on May 25, 2018 and the executive officer also exercised such options to acquire 1,666,670 ordinary shares. Therefore, in May 2018, we recorded all remaining unrecognized compensation costs which were accelerated in the amount of RMB31.8 million.

 

On June 27, 2018, RMB5.2 million share-based compensation was recorded as the redesignation of our ordinary shares and super voting power was granted to the beneficial owner of our Class B ordinary shares, Mr. Kun Dai.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

See Item 17 of Part III, “Financial Statements—Note 2—Summary of significant accounting policies—Recent accounting pronouncements.”

 

B.            Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Cash flows and working capital

 

In addition to experiencing net losses during the periods presented, we had net cash used in operating activities of RMB1,834.2 million, RMB2,281.3 million and RMB1,194.1 million (US$171.5 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Discussions of our cash flows and working capital in this Item 5.B. relate to both discontinued and continuing operations. Our principal sources of liquidity have been proceeds from issuances of equity and equity-linked securities.

 

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·                  In January 2018, we raised an aggregate of US$250.0 million by issuing additional preferred shares to certain investors in a private placement.

 

·                  In June 2018, we completed our initial public offering in which we issued and sold an aggregate of 25,000,000 ADSs, representing 75,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, resulting in net proceeds to us of US$204.8 million. Concurrently with our initial public offering, we sold convertible notes to CNCB (Hong Kong) Investment Limited (“the CNCB Note”) and Golden Fortune Company Limited (“the GF Note”), resulting in net proceeds to us of US$100 million and US$75 million, respectively. The CNCB Note and the GF Note each beared an interest rate of 6% and 6.5% per annum.  The convertible notes became due and were paid in June 2019.

 

·                  In June 2019, we sold convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$230 million to Redrock Holding Investments Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd., 58.com Holdings Inc., Zhuhai Guangkong Zhongying Industrial Investment Fund (Limited Partnership), Magic Carpet International Limited and ClearVue UXin Holdings, Ltd. (the “Notes”). The Notes will become due and payable on June 11 and June 12, 2024 unless converted earlier. The purchasers of the convertible notes have the right to convert the convertible notes into Class A ordinary shares of our company during the period from and including the 181st day after the issuance date to and including the maturity date. The conversion price per Class A ordinary share of the Notes equals US$1.03 and may be adjusted. The Notes each bears an interest rate of 3.75% per annum, payable until the outstanding principal amount is fully paid; provided that if any portion of the convertible notes are duly converted into Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the terms of the convertible notes, no interest accrued on the principal amount being converted shall be payable.

 

·                  Between July and November 2019, we sold convertible notes in an aggregate principle amount of US$50 million to affiliates of Pacific Bridge Asset Management (the “PB Notes”). Among the PB Notes, notes of US$20.05 million in principal amount bears an interest rate of 10% per annum (the “10% Notes”), and notes of US$29.95 million in principal amount bears an interest rate of 11% per annum (the “11% Notes”). The 10% Notes will become due and payable 12 months after the issuance date, and the 11% Notes will become due and payable 15 months after the issuance date, unless converted earlier. The purchasers of the convertible notes have the right to convert the convertible notes into Class A ordinary shares of our company during the period from and including the 181st day after the issuance date to and including the maturity date, which right may be exercised twice only. The conversion prices per Class A ordinary share of the PB Notes are US$1.663, US$1.683 and US$1.7, as applicable, and may be adjusted. The interests are payable until the outstanding principal amount is fully paid; provided that if any portion of the convertible notes are duly converted into Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the terms of the convertible notes, no interest accrued on the principal amount being converted shall be payable.

 

·                  As of December 31, 2019, we had an outstanding balance of short-term borrowings of RMB263.4 million (US$37.8 million) due within 12 months, with a fixed annual interest rate of between 5.9% and 9.8%.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had RMB478.2 million (US$68.7 million) in cash and cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of cash on hand and deposits placed with financial institutions that can be added to or withdrawn without limitation. As of December 31, 2019, we had RMB707.0 million (US$101.6 million) in restricted cash, which consisted primarily of security deposits for the guarantees we provided to our remaining third-party financing partners for the repayment of consumer auto loan historically facilitated through our 2C business before the fourth quarter of 2019.

 

We expect that the COVID-19 pandemic will have material and adverse impacts on our cash flow for the first quarter of 2020 with potential continuing impacts on subsequent periods. However, based on our liquidity assessment, we expect that our cash and cash equivalents, and  cash considerations received from our recent Divested Businesses would be sufficient to fund our operating expenses, capital requirements and other contractual obligations for at least the next 12 months from the date these financial statements are issued. We are entitled to receive a total cash consideration of RMB330 million and US$105 million from the divestiture of our salvage car and 2B businesses, respectively, of which RMB165 million was received in January 2020 and US$75 million was received in April 2020, and the remaining considerations will be received before the end of the first half of 2020. In addition, as we no longer provide any loan facilitation related guarantee services as a result of the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business, we are no longer obligated to incur any additional guarantee liabilities that would require any cash outflows going forward. We will also not incur cash outflows in connection with guarantee liabilities related to the loans we historically facilitated for XW Bank as we have transferred XW Bank-related loans to Golden Pacer as a result of the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business. In addition, we will be entitled to receive 85% of net cash inflow generated by the divested and transferred assets and liabilities from Golden Pacer in relation to the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank. For the historically-facilitated loans that were not transferred to Golden Pacer, we believe that the future cash outflows in connection with the guarantee liabilities related to historical loans facilitated for WeBank under existing arrangements should be limited. We will also generate future cash inflows from the historically defaulted loans that we have bought back when we are able to collect the repayments. We may, however, need additional capital in the future to fund our continuing operations. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry— The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.” The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

 

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As of December 31, 2019, 18.0% of our cash and cash equivalents were denominated in Renminbi and held in China, and the remaining cash and cash equivalents, denominated in U.S. dollars or Hong Kong dollars, were held outside China. As of the same date, 5.2% of our cash and cash equivalents were held by our VIEs and their subsidiaries.

 

Although we consolidate the results of our VIEs and their subsidiaries, we only have access to the assets or earnings of our VIEs and their subsidiaries through our contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their shareholders. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Agreements with the VIEs and Their Respective Shareholders.” For restrictions and limitations on liquidity and capital resources as a result of our corporate structure, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Holding Company Structure.”

 

In utilizing the proceeds we expect to receive from our initial public offering, we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, make loans to our PRC subsidiaries or VIEs, or acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in offshore transactions. However, most of these uses are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example:

 

·                  capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts; and

 

·                  loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local branches.

 

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulations on loans and direct investments by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC entities.”

 

A majority of our revenues have been, and we expect they are likely to continue to be, in the form of Renminbi. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, Renminbi may be converted into foreign exchange for current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade-and service related foreign exchange transactions. Our PRC subsidiaries may convert Renminbi amounts that they generate in their own business activities, including technical consulting and related service fees pursuant to their contracts with the VIEs, as well as dividends they receive from their own subsidiaries, into foreign exchange and pay them to their non-PRC parent companies in the form of dividends. However, current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with China accounting standards and regulations. Each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits after making up previous years’ accumulated losses each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Due to restrictions on the distribution of share capital from our PRC subsidiaries and also as a result of these entities’ unreserved accumulated losses, total restrictions placed on the distribution of our PRC subsidiaries’ net assets was RMB825.2 million (US$118.5 million), representing 177.4% of our total consolidated net assets as of December 31, 2019. Furthermore, capital account transactions, which include loans, must be approved by and/or registered with SAFE and its local branches. We can provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs and the subsidiaries of the VIEs through loans as long as the loan amount does not exceed the statutory limit, which is twice the amount of the relevant entities’ respective net assets calculated in accordance with China accounting standards.

 

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The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated.

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Summary Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(1,834,243

)

(2,281,333

)

(1,194,101

)

(171,522

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(586,843

)

(1,078,617

)

(484,254

)

(69,559

)

Net cash generated from financing activities

 

3,288,842

 

4,274,052

 

73,630

 

10,576

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

3,334

 

(9,278

)

960

 

138

 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

871,090

 

904,824

 

(1,603,765

)

(230,366

)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the year

 

1,038,113

 

1,730,001

 

1,812,702

 

260,378

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the year

 

1,730,001

 

1,812,702

 

1,185,188

 

170,242

 

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash used in operating activities was RMB1,194.1 million (US$171.5 million) for the year ended December 31, 2019. In 2019, the difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss RMB1,990.1 million (US$285.9 million) mainly resulted from certain non-cash expenses, including losses from guarantee liabilities of RMB362.6 million (US$52.1 million), provision for credit losses of RMB271.4 million (US$39.0 million), share-based compensation of RMB100.3 million (US$14.4 million), and changes in certain working capital accounts. Changes in the working capital accounts mainly included an increase in loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee of RMB1,533.3 million (US$220.2 million) and a decrease in deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners of RMB470.1 million (US$67.5 million), partially offset by an increase in payables, accruals and other current liabilities of RMB674.9 million (US$97.0 million) and a decrease in advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners of RMB519.8 million (US$74.7 million). The increase in loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee was mainly due to the fluctuation in outstanding facilitated-loan performance. The decrease in deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners was mainly because we no longer collected the upfront deposit of interests from consumers and have gradually paid the remaining interests back to the financing partners. The increase in payables, accruals and other current liabilities was primarily attributable to our expansion of 2C online used car business. The decrease in advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners was primarily because we ceased to provide loan facilitation related services and no longer advanced funds to consumers on behalf of financing partners.

 

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Net cash used in operating activities was RMB2,281.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. In 2018, the difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss of RMB1,538.3 million mainly resulted from certain non-cash expenses, including fair value change of derivative liabilities of RMB1,185.1 million, share-based compensation of RMB1,052.0 million, and changes in certain working capital accounts. Changes in the working capital accounts mainly included an increase in receivables, prepaid expenses and other current assets of RMB595.3 million, a decrease in deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners of RMB563.5 million and an increase in advance to sellers of RMB446.4 million, partially offset by an increase in payables, accruals and other current liabilities of RMB654.3 million and an increase in advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners of RMB305.5 million. The increase in receivables, prepaid expenses and other current assets was primarily attributable to the increase of prepaid marketing and consulting expenses. The decrease in deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners was primarily because we no longer collected the deposit of interests from consumers and have paid the remaining interests back to our financing partners. The increase in advance to sellers was primarily attributable to the expansion of 2C online used car transaction business.

 

Net cash used in operating activities was RMB1,834.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss of RMB2,747.8 million mainly resulted from certain non-cash expenses or gains, including shared-based compensation of RMB165.9 million, the fair value change of derivative liabilities of RMB885.8 million, and changes in certain working capital accounts. Changes in the working capital accounts mainly included an increase in payables, accruals and other current liabilities of RMB911.6 million, an increase in deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners of RMB628.9 million, partially offset by an increase in advance to sellers of RMB200.5 million, and an increase in loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee of RMB478.5 million. The increase in payables, accruals and other current liability was primarily attributable to our increasing guarantee liabilities driven by the fast growth of our then-existing loan facilitation business. The increase in deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners was primarily attributable to the upfront deposit of interests collected from consumers and payable to financing partners and was in line with the growth of our then-existing loan facilitation business. The increase in advance from buyers collected on behalf of sellers was primarily attributable to the rapid expansion of our 2B business.

 

Investing Activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB484.3 million (US$69.6 million) for the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily attributable to the legal title of restricted cash transferred to Golden Pacer of RMB1,175.9 million (US$168.9 million) in connection with the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business.

 

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB1,078.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, primarily attributable to an increase in short-term investments of RMB595.1 million.

 

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB586.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, which was primarily attributable to the loan extended to a related party of RMB451.4 million, and the cash paid for long term investments of RMB152.7 million.

 

Financing Activities

 

Net cash generated from financing activities was RMB73.6 million (US$10.6 million) for the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily attributable to net proceeds of RMB1,853.4 million (US$266.2 million) from issuance of convertible notes, and repayment of convertible notes of RMB1,190.2 million (US$171.0 million).

 

Net cash generated from financing activities was RMB4,274.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, primarily attributable to net proceeds of RMB2,574.0 million from initial public offering and issuance of convertible notes.

 

Net cash generated from financing activities was RMB3,288.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, which was primarily attributable to proceeds of RMB2,721.1 million from issuance of convertible redeemable preferred shares.

 

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Holding Company Structure

 

Uxin Limited is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their subsidiaries in China. As a result, Uxin Limited’s ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries. If our existing PRC subsidiaries or any newly formed ones incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with China accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, each of our subsidiaries and our VIEs in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. In addition, each of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on China accounting standards to enterprise expansion funds and staff bonus and welfare funds at its discretion, and our VIEs may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on China accounting standards to a discretionary surplus fund at its discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Our PRC subsidiaries have not paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.

 

The table below sets forth the respective revenues and assets contribution of Uxin Limited and our subsidiaries and our VIEs as of the dates and for the periods indicated:

 

 

 

Net Revenues

 

Total Assets

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

As of

 

As of

 

As of

 

 

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

December

 

December 

 

December

 

 

 

December 31,

 

December 31,

 

December 31,

 

December 31,

 

 31,

 

 31,

 

 31,

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

Uxin Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiaries

 

87.4

%

87.5

%

89.8

%

95.4

%

90.5

%

96.1

%

91.0

%

VIEs

 

12.6

%

12.5

%

10.2

%

4.6

%

9.5

%

3.9

%

9.0

%

Total

 

100.0

%

100.0

%

100.0

%

100.0

%

100.0

%

100.0

%

100.0

%

 

Note:      The percentages exclude the inter-company transactions and balances between Uxin Limited and its subsidiaries and the VIEs.

 

Capital Expenditures

 

We made capital expenditures of RMB81.2 million, RMB133.9 million and RMB46.8 million (US$6.7 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. In these periods our capital expenditures were mainly used for the purchase of computer equipment and software and leasehold improvements. We will continue to make such capital expenditures to support the expected growth of our business.

 

C.            Research and Development

 

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Technology” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Intellectual Property.”

 

D.            Trend Information

 

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the year ended December 31, 2019 that are reasonably likely to have a material and adverse effect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future results of operations or financial conditions.

 

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E.            Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholder’s equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or product development services with us.

 

F.            Contractual Obligations

 

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

Payment due by period

 

 

 

Total

 

Less than 1
year

 

1-3 years

 

3-5 years

 

Greater than
5 years

 

 

 

(in RMB thousands)

 

Borrowings

 

504,451

 

263,425

 

241,026

 

 

 

Convertible notes

 

1,953,336

 

314,487

 

34,323

 

1,604,526

 

 

Interests payable

 

409,714

 

45,798

 

63,067

 

300,849

 

 

Operating lease commitments

 

65,071

 

54,689

 

9,336

 

1,046

 

 

Total

 

2,932,572

 

678,399

 

347,752

 

1,906,421

 

 

 

The borrowings, convertible notes and interests payable represent our borrowings from commercial banks or other financial institutions for our working capital and the corresponding interests payable, as well as the outstanding convertible notes we issued and the corresponding interests payable.

 

Our operating lease commitments relate to our leases of offices, including our nationwide service network which are under non-cancellable operating lease agreements.

 

Other than the above, we did not have any significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations, or guarantees as of December 31, 2019.

 

Item 6.                   Directors, Senior Management and Employees

 

A.            Directors and Senior Management

 

The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers and directors as of the date of this annual report.

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

Age

 

Position/Title

Kun Dai

 

38

 

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

Cheung Lun Julian Cheng

 

46

 

Director

Qiang Chang Sun

 

63

 

Director

Muyuan Wang

 

38

 

Director

Lin Cong

 

39

 

Director

Rong Lu

 

49

 

Independent Director

Shun Lam Steven Tang

 

64

 

Independent Director

Yong Zhong Huang

 

51

 

Independent Director

Zhen Zeng

 

38

 

Chief Financial Officer

Zhitian Zhang

 

38

 

Chief Operating Officer

 

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Mr. Kun Dai is our founder and has served as chairman of our board of directors and chief executive officer since our inception. Mr. Dai has been involved in internet and automobile industries for over ten years. Mr. Dai founded one of China’s first online used car websites, CarResume.com, in 2005. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Dai worked at an NYSE-listed auto information provider, BitAuto, first as deputy general manager and later as vice president. Mr. Dai received a master’s degree in Commerce from Cardiff University.

 

Mr. Cheung Lun Julian Cheng has been serving as our director since March 2014. Presently, Mr. Cheng is a managing director at Warburg Pincus Asia LLC and co-leads Warburg Pincus’ business in China. Mr. Cheng joined Warburg Pincus in 2000. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Mr. Cheng was in investment banking with Salomon Smith Barney and Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong. Mr. Cheng received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

 

Mr. Qiang Chang Sun has been serving as our director since June 2019. Mr. Sun currently serves as an independent director of SOHO China Limited (HKEx: 00410), GDS Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: GDS) and Phoenix Media Investment (Holdings) Limited (HKEx: 02008). Mr. Sun has served as TPG’s Managing Partner for China since September 2017. Prior to joining TPG, he was chairman of the board of directors and founder of Black Soil Group, an agriculture investment holding company. From 1995 to 2015, Mr. Sun was a partner at Warburg Pincus Asia and served as chairman of Asia Pacific for the firm and a member of the firm’s Executive Management Group. Mr. Sun holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Beijing Foreign Studies University and a joint degree of MA/MBA from the Joseph Lauder Institute of International Management and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Mr. Muyuan Wang has been serving as our director since November 2019. Mr. Wang currently serves as a senior director of the Mobile Ecological Group of Baidu, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU) and is in charge of Baidu’s various business lines with a focus on exploring innovative business opportunities in the car, business development, education, travelling and gaming industries. Mr. Wang received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in automation from Tsinghua University in 2003 and 2005, respectively, as well as a master’s degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2007.

 

Mr. Lin Cong has been serving as our director since December 2019. Mr. Cong has served as the Vice President of 58.com Group since March 2017. Before joining 58.com, he was the co-founder and CEO of Youche.com Inc., a used car dealer chain in China, from February 2014 to March 2017. From August 2010 to February 2014, Mr. Cong served as the Vice President of Finance and IT with 58.com. Mr. Cong also worked as a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group from August 2008 to August 2009 and as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP from August 2002 to May 2005. Mr. Cong holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Tsinghua University and an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University.

 

Ms. Rong Lu has been serving as our director since October 2017. Presently, Ms. Lu is an independent venture capitalist investing in technology start-ups in the United States and China. In October 2019, she founded Atypical Ventures, an early-stage technology venture investment firm in China. In 2006, she co-founded DCM China, an early-stage venture capital firm. During her more than 12-year tenure at DCM, Ms. Lu invested in and served as a board member for many companies including Kuaishou, BitAuto Holdings Ltd., E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc., Pactera Technology International Ltd., DXY.cn, and HaoDF.com. She also served as an independent director and on the audit committee of iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. and served as an independent director and chairman of the special committee for iDreamSky Technologies Limited before those two companies were taken private. Ms. Lu is currently an independent director on the board of Yum China Holdings Inc (NYSE; YUMC). Prior to joining DCM in 2003, Ms. Lu was a Vice President in the technology, media and telecommunications investment banking group of Goldman Sachs & Co. in Menlo Park, California. Ms. Lu received her master’s degree in international economics and energy, environment, science and technology from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies and bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

 

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Mr. Shun Lam Steven Tang has been serving as our director since June 2019. Mr. Tang served as an executive director at Vital Mobile Holdings Limited (HKEx: 6133) from 2015 to 2019, where he oversaw the compliance of Vital Mobile as a public company. Prior to this, Mr. Tang served as the chairman of the board of directors of RDA Microelectronics Limited (Nasdaq: RDA) from 2009 to 2015. Mr. Tang served as the chief executive officer of Coolsand Technology from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Tang has over 35 years of experience in high-tech, semiconductors, electronics, automotive, forestry, pharmaceutical and consumer sectors, and has served as directors and committee members of private companies and publicly-listed companies. Mr. Tang received his bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Nottingham University and his MBA degree from Bradford University.

 

Mr. Yong Zhong Huang has been serving as our director since June 2019. Mr. Huang is the founder of Juntong Capital, an independent equity investment firm that focuses on private equity investments in China. Before founding Juntong Capital in 2014, Mr. Huang was a global partner responsible for Asian investments at Pantheon Ventures, a private equity fund of funds with over US$30 billion under management. Prior to joining Pantheon Ventures in 2004, Mr. Huang was the head of Shanghai office for AIG Global Investment Co and also worked at Schroders and Merrill Lynch as investment banker.  Mr. Huang received his EMBA degree from the PBC Finance School of Tsing Hua University and his bachelor’s degree in finance from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

 

Mr. Zhen Zeng joined us in 2011 and serves as our chief financial officer. Mr. Zeng has over ten years of experience in finance. From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Zeng served as a vice president in finance at Civa Printal. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Zeng served as an audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Zeng received a master’s degree in Commerce and Accounting from Griffith University.

 

Mr. Zhitian Zhang joined us in April 2012 and serves as our chief operating officer. Prior to his appointment as the chief operating officer, Mr. Zhang served as president of our online used car transaction business, where he was responsible for operations and sales management, as well as general manager of our sales management center. Prior to joining Uxin, Mr. Zhang worked for Bitauto Holdings Limited (NYSE: BITA) from 2007 to 2012, first as a director and then as vice general manager of its used car business. Mr. Zhang received his bachelor’s degree in Law from the National Police University for Criminal Justice.

 

B.                                    Compensation

 

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, we paid an aggregate of RMB4.3 million (US$0.6 million) in cash to our executive officers, and we did not pay any cash compensation to our non-executive directors. We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. Our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entity are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employee’s salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund.

 

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

 

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for a specified time period. We may terminate employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, such as conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. We may also terminate an executive officer’s employment without cause upon three-month advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we will provide severance payments to the executive officer as expressly required by applicable law of the jurisdiction where the executive officer is based. The executive officer may resign at any time with a three-month advance written notice.

 

Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement, in strict confidence and not to use, except as required in the performance of his or her duties in connection with the employment or pursuant to applicable law, any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations. The executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice during the executive officer’s employment with us and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist us in obtaining and enforcing patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets.

 

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In addition, each executive officer has agreed to be bound by non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the term of his or her employment and typically for one year following the last date of employment. Specifically, each executive officer has agreed not to (i) approach our suppliers, clients, customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer in his or her capacity as a representative of us for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (ii) assume employment with or provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors, without our express consent; or (iii) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officer’s termination, or in the year preceding such termination, without our express consent.

 

We have also entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, we agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer of our company.

 

2018 Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan

 

We adopted the 2018 Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan in February 2018, which was further amended in August 2018 and November 2018, for the purpose of promoting the success and enhance the value of our company, by linking the personal interests of the members of the board, employees, consultants and other individuals to those of our shareholders and, by providing an incentive for outstanding performance, to generate superior returns for our shareholders. In November 2018, we increased the number of shares reserved for future awards under the plan, and renamed it 2018 Second Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the Amended and Restated Plan in this annual report. Under the Amended and Restated Plan, the maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards is 102,040,053 Class A ordinary shares. As of February 29, 2020, 311,845 restricted share units and 33,878,883 share options have been issued and outstanding under the Amended and Restated Plan.

 

On September 22, 2019, our board of directors approved a reduction in the exercise price for outstanding options previously granted by our company with an exercise price higher than $1.03 per ordinary share to $1.03 per share, provided that any participating option holder agrees to amend the number of shares subject to his or her option as determined by the plan administrator.

 

The following paragraphs summarize the terms of the Amended and Restated Plan.

 

Types of Awards. The Plan permits the awards of options, stock appreciation right, dividend equivalent right, restricted shares and restricted share units or other right or benefit under the Plan.

 

Plan Administration. The board or a committee appointed by the board acts as the plan administrator. The plan administrator will determine the participants who are to receive awards, the type or types of awards to be granted, the number of awards to be granted, and the terms and conditions of each award grant. The plan administrator can amend outstanding awards and interpret the terms of the Amended and Restated Plan and any award agreement.

 

Award Agreement.  Awards granted under the Amended and Restated Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions for each grant.

 

Exercise Price.  The excises price of an option will be determined by the plan administrator, but in the case of an award issued in connection with acquisitions, the exercise or purchase price for the award shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the relevant instrument evidencing the agreement to issue such award.

 

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Eligibility.  We may grant awards to our employees, consultants, and all members of the board, and other individuals.

 

Term of the Awards. The term of each option or share appreciation right granted under the Amended and Restated Plan shall not exceed ten years from date of the grant.

 

Vesting Schedule. In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is set forth in the relevant award agreement.

 

Transfer Restrictions. Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the recipient other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except as otherwise provided by the plan administrator. The grantee may designate one or more beneficiaries of the grantee’s award in the event of the grantee’s death on a beneficiary designation form provided by the administrator.

 

Termination. The plan shall terminate in February 2028, provided that our board may terminate the plan at any time and for any reason.

 

The following table summarizes the outstanding options and restricted share units that we had granted to our directors and executive officers under the Amended and Restated Plan as of February 29, 2020:

 

 

 

Ordinary
Shares
Underlying
Outstanding
Options or
Restricted
Share units

 

Exercise Price
($/Share)

 

Grant Date

 

Expiration Date

Kun Dai

 

 

 

 

Rong Lu

 

*

 

 

Various dates from November 19, 2018 to December 31, 2019

 

February 13, 2028

Zhen Zeng

 

*

 

0.0001 to 1.03

 

Various dates from March 26, 2013 to February 14, 2018

 

March 23, 2023

Zhitian Zhang

 

*

 

0.1 to 1.03

 

Various dates from March 26, 2013 to March 1, 2019

 

August 20, 2023

Total

 

9,146,748

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


*                 Less than 1% of our total ordinary shares outstanding on as-converted basis.

 

As of February 29, 2020, other grantees as a group held options to purchase 24,933,883 Class A ordinary shares of our company, with exercise prices ranging from US$0.0001 to US$1.03 per share.

 

C.                                    Board Practices

 

Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors consists of eight directors. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification. A director may vote with respect to any contract, proposed contract or arrangement in which he is materially interested provided (i) such director, if his interest in such contract or arrangement is material, has declared the nature of his interest at the earliest meeting of the board at which it is practicable for him to do so, either specifically or by way of a general notice and (ii) if such contract or arrangement is a transaction with a related party, such transaction has been approved by the audit committee. The directors may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money, and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, and issue debentures, debenture stock or other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third party. None of our non-executive directors has a service contract with us that provides for benefits upon termination of service.

 

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Committees of the Board of Directors

 

We have established three committees under the board of directors: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. We have adopted a charter for each of the three committees. Each committee’s members and functions are described below.

 

Audit Committee. Our audit committee consists of Shun Lam Steven Tang, Yong Zhong Huang and Rong Lu. Shun Lam Steven Tang is the chairperson of our audit committee. We have determined that Shun Lam Steven Tang, Yong Zhong Huang and Rong Lu satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. We have determined that Rong Lu qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert.” The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee is be responsible for, among other things:

 

·                  appointing the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors;

 

·                  reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response;

 

·                  discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors;

 

·                  reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures;

 

·                  reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions;

 

·                  meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and

 

·                  monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

 

Compensation Committee.  Our compensation committee consists of Shun Lam Steven Tang, Yong Zhong Huang and Rong Lu. Rong Lu is the chairperson of our compensation committee. We have determined that Rong Lu, Shun Lam Steven Tang and Yong Zhong Huang satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

·                  reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the compensation for our chief executive officer and other executive officers;

 

·                  reviewing and recommending to the board for determination with respect to the compensation of our non-employee directors;

 

·                  reviewing periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements; and

 

·                  selecting compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser only after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s independence from management.

 

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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our nominating and corporate governance committee consists of Shun Lam Steven Tang, Yong Zhong Huang and Rong Lu. Yong Zhong Huang is the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee. We have determined that Shun Lam Steven Tang, Yong Zhong Huang and Rong Lu satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

·                  selecting and recommending to the board nominees for election by the shareholders or appointment by the board;

 

·                  reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as independence, knowledge, skills, experience and diversity;

 

·                  making recommendations on the frequency and structure of board meetings and monitoring the functioning of the committees of the board; and

 

·                  advising the board periodically with regards to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance as well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and making recommendations to the board on all matters of corporate governance and on any remedial action to be taken.

 

Terms of Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. Our directors are not subject to a term of office and hold office until such time as they resign by notice in writing to our company, or are removed from office by an ordinary resolution of the shareholders or by the board. In addition, a director will be removed from office automatically if, among other things, the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; or (ii) is found by our company to be or becomes of unsound mind; (iii) without special leave from the Board, is absent from meetings of the Board for three consecutive meetings and the Board resolves that an office be rated; or (iv) is removed from office pursuant to our current memorandum and articles of association.

 

D.                                    Employees

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had a total of 6,455 employees. We had a total of 12,619 employees as of December 31, 2018 and 11,326 employees as of December 31, 2017.

 

The following tables give breakdowns of our employees as of December 31, 2019 by function:

 

 

 

As of
December
31,
2019

 

Functions:

 

 

 

Products and technology

 

334

 

Operations

 

5,546

 

Car inspection and inventory related personnel

 

1,668

 

Sales and pre-sales customer service

 

2,696

 

Fulfillment and after-sales customer service

 

752

 

Other operations

 

430

 

Finance and legal

 

127

 

Human resources

 

115

 

Corporate communication and marketing

 

21

 

Others

 

312

 

Total

 

6,455

 

 

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E.                                    Share Ownership

 

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of February 29, 2020 by:

 

·                  each of our directors and executive officers; and

 

·                  each of our principal shareholders who beneficially own 5% or more of our ordinary shares on an as-converted basis.

 

The calculations in the table below are based on 887,617,391 ordinary shares outstanding as of February 29, 2020, comprising of (i) 846,807,530 Class A ordinary shares, excluding the 16,562,988 Class A ordinary shares issued to our depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our Amended and Restated Plan, and (ii) 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares.

 

In June 2019, we issued convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$230 million to Redrock Holding Investments Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd., 58.com Holdings Inc., and certain other investors (the “Notes”). The purchasers of the convertible notes have the right to convert the convertible notes into Class A ordinary shares of our company during the period from and including the 181st day after the issuance date to and including the maturity date. The conversion price per Class A ordinary share of the Notes equals US$1.03 (the “Initial Conversion Price”) and may be adjusted. Assuming the Notes are converted at the Initial Conversion Price, the Notes will be converted into approximately 223 million Class A ordinary shares of our company. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash flows and working capital.”

 

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included shares that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days, including through the exercise of any option, warrant or other right or the conversion of any other security. These shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person.

 

 

 

Class A
Ordinary
Shares

 

Class B
Ordinary
Shares

 

Total
Ordinary
Shares

 

%

 

% of
Aggregate
Voting 
Power†

 

Directors and Executive Officers**:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kun Dai(1)

 

93,170,300

 

40,809,861

 

133,980,161

 

15.1

 

39.9

 

Cheung Lun Julian Cheng

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qiang Chang Sun

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muyuan Wang

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lin Cong

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rong Lu

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Shun Lam Steven Tang

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yong Zhong Huang

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zhen Zeng

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Zhitian Zhang

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

All Directors and Executive Officers in the aggregate

 

100,168,298

 

40,809,861

 

140,978,159

 

15.9

 

40.5

 

Principal Shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xin Gao Group Limited(2)

 

 

40,809,861

 

40,809,861

 

4.6

 

32.5

 

Jeneration Capital Affiliated Entities(3)

 

129,076,788

 

 

129,076,788

 

14.5

 

10.3

 

Redrock Holding Investments Limited(4)

 

151,032,260

 

 

151,032,260

 

16.3

 

11.7

 

58.com Holdings Inc.(5)

 

97,087,378

 

 

97,087,378

 

9.9

 

7.2

 

Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited(6)

 

79,832,280

 

 

79,832,280

 

9.0

 

6.4

 

TPG Affiliated Entities(7)

 

78,385,277

 

 

78,385,277

 

8.3

 

6.0

 

Kingkey Affiliated Entities(8)

 

75,893,890

 

 

75,893,890

 

8.6

 

6.1

 

LC Affiliated Funds(9)

 

63,142,198

 

 

63,142,198

 

7.1

 

5.0

 

Cathay Rong IV Limited(10)

 

57,045,450

 

 

57,045,450

 

6.4

 

4.5

 

GIC Private Limited(11)

 

48,865,050

 

 

48,865,050

 

5.5

 

3.9

 

 

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*                 Less than 1% of our total outstanding shares.

 

**          Each of Mr. Kun Dai, Zhen Zeng, Zhitian Zhang, Shun Lam Steven Tang and Ms. Rong Lu’s business address is 2-5/F, Tower E, LSHM Center, No.8 Guangshun South Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Mr. Cheung Lun Julian Cheng’s business address is Suite 6703, International Finance Centre II, 8 Finance Street, Hong Kong. Mr. Sun’s business address is Level 12, Cyberport 1, 100 Cyberport Road, Hong Kong. Mr. Wang’s business address is No. 10 Shangdi 10th Street, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Mr. Cong’s business address is Building 101, Jiayuanqiao North Road #10A, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100015, People’s Republic of China. Mr. Huang’s business address is 21/F CMA Building, 64 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong.

 

                 For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by such person or group by the sum of the total number of ordinary shares outstanding, which is 887,617,391 as of February 29, 2020.

 

††          For each person and group included in this column, percentage of voting power is calculated by dividing the voting power beneficially owned by such person or group by the voting power of all of our Class A and Class B ordinary shares as a single class. Each holder of Class A ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share and each holder of our Class B ordinary shares is entitled to ten votes per share on all matters submitted to them for a vote. Our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law. Our Class B ordinary shares are convertible at any time by the holder thereof into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis.

 

(1)         Represents (i) 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Xin Gao Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands company beneficially owned by Mr. Kun Dai through a trust and of which Mr. Kun Dai is the sole director, (ii) 17,276,410 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Gao Li Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Mr. Dai and of which Mr. Kun Dai is the sole director, (iii) 61,129,800 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, and (iv) 14,764,090 Class A ordinary shares directly held by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, as reported on the Schedule 13G filed by Mr. Dai, among others, on February 11, 2019. Mr. Kun Dai, together with Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX III, jointly decides the disposal of Uxin Limited shares directly held by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited, and is deemed to be the beneficial owner of all shares of Uxin Limited held by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited. Mr. Kun Dai, together with Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX, jointly controls the voting power of all shares of Uxin Limited held by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, and is deemed to be the beneficial owner of all shares of Uxin Limited held by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited.  For further details on Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited and BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, please see footnote (8) below. For further details on JenCap UX III and JenCap UX, please see footnote (3) below. The registered office of Xin Gao Group Limited is P.O. Box 957, Offshore Incorporations Centre, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The registered office of Gao Li Group is OMC Chambers, Wickhams Cay I, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The registered office of Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands. The registered office of BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited is Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands.

 

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To our knowledge, as of February 29, 2020, a total of 93,170,300 Class A ordinary shares beneficially owned by Mr. Kun Dai through Gao Li Group Limited, Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited and BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, representing 2.0%, 6.9%, and 1.7% of outstanding ordinary shares of Uxin Limited, respectively, had been pledged to third-party lenders in connection with certain loan agreements entered into in 2017 in an aggregate principal amount of approximately US$163.1 million, most proceeds of which were used to fund the purchase of shares in our company in the latest rounds of pre-IPO equity financings. The loans became due in June, November and December 2019, respectively, and the borrowers are currently in discussion with the lenders to seek extensions of the loans. Assuming all these pledged shares have been sold or otherwise disposed of pursuant to the enforcement of the share pledges, Mr. Kun Dai would have beneficially owned 4.6% of our outstanding ordinary shares, representing 32.5% of our total voting power, as of February 29, 2020.

 

In addition, as of February 29, 2020, a total of 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned by Mr. Kun Dai through Xin Gao Group Limited, representing 4.6% of outstanding ordinary shares and 32.5% of voting power of Uxin Limited, had been pledged to Redrock Holding Investments Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd. and 58.com Holdings Inc. (the “Key Investors”), in connection with the issuance of convertible notes (“the Notes”) to the Key Investors, Zhuhai Guangkong Zhongying Industrial Investment Fund (Limited Partnership), Magic Carpet International Limited and ClearVue UXin Holdings, Ltd., to secure certain obligations under the Investors’ Rights Agreement entered into on June 10, 2019. In addition, pursuant to the Investors’ Rights Agreement, Mr. Kun Dai has agreed to not transfer any of the shares of Uxin Limited beneficially owned by him without the prior written consent of each of the Key Investors during the three years following the issuance of the Notes (which may be extended by another two years if all Key Investors agree to extend), subject to certain exceptions. See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions —B. Related Party Transactions—Transactions with Redrock, TPG, 58.com and other existing shareholders.”

 

(2)         Represents 40,809,861 ordinary shares, all of which are directly held by Xin Gao Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Mr. Kun Dai. The registered office of Xin Gao Group Limited is P.O. Box 957, Offshore Incorporations Centre, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. As of February 29, 2020, all Class B ordinary shares held by Xin Gao Group Limited, representing 4.6% of outstanding ordinary shares and 32.5% of voting power of Uxin Limited, had been pledged to the Key Investors in connection with the issuance of the Notes. See footnote (1) above.

 

(3)         Represents (i) 8,737,788 Class A Ordinary Shares held by Jeneration Capital Master Fund, a company incorporated in Cayman Islands, (ii) 42,336,300 Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by Jeneration Capital Partners L.P., a company incorporated in Cayman Islands, comprising 27,572,210 Class A ordinary shares directly held by JenCap UX, a company incorporated in Cayman Islands, and 14,764,090 Class A Ordinary Shares directly held by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, a company incorporated in British Virgin Islands, (iii) 16,872,900 Class A ordinary shares held by JenCap UX II Plus LLC., a limited liability company formed in the State of Delaware, United States, and (iv) 61,129,800 Class A ordinary shares indirectly held by JenCap UX III through Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, as reported on the Schedule 13G filed by JenCap UX, among others, on February 14, 2020. JenCap UX III, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands, indirectly holds 18.48% of shares in Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited through First Tycoon Ventures Limited which holds 56% of shares in Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited. Mr. Kun Dai, Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX III jointly decide the disposal of Uxin Limited shares directly held by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited, and each of them is deemed to be the beneficial owner of all shares of Uxin Limited held by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited. Mr. Kun Dai, Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX, ultimately controlled by Mr. Jimmy Ching-Hsin Chang, jointly control the voting power of all shares held by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, and each of them is deemed to be the beneficial owner of all shares of Uxin Limited held by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited. For further details on Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limitedand BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, please see footnote (8) below. JenCap UX is wholly owned by Jeneration Capital Partners L.P., of which Jeneration Capital GP is the general partner. Jeneration Capital GP is ultimately wholly owned by Jimmy Ching-Hsin Chang. JenCap UX II Plus LLC is wholly owned by JenCap UX II, of which the management shareholder that controls the voting thereof is Jeneration Capital Management, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands, which is ultimately controlled by Jimmy Ching-Hsin Chang. The management shareholder which controls the voting of JenCap UX III is also Jeneration Capital Management. Each of JenCap UX, JenCap UX II Plus LLC and JenCap UX III is unaffiliated with Mr. Kun Dai and Mr. Jiarong Chen. The registered office of JenCap UX is Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. The registered office of JenCap UX II Plus LLC is 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware, New Castle County, USA. The above is based on the Schedule 13G filed by JenCap UX, among others, on February 14, 2020.

 

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(4)         Represents 112,197,309 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Redrock Holding Investments Limited in the form of 37,399,103 ADSs and 38,834,951 Class A ordinary shares upon the full conversion of the convertible notes held by Redrock Holding Investments Limited in principal amount of US$40 million at a conversion price of $1.03 per Class A ordinary share convertible from the 181st day after June 10, 2019, the issuance date, as reported on the Schedule 13D/A filed by Redrock Holding Investments Limited, among others, on February 10, 2020. Redrock Holdings Investments Limited is incorporated in British Virgin Islands and is owned by Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI-B, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI-C, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, Warburg Pincus XI (Asia), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, Warburg Pincus XI Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and WP XI Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership. Warburg Pincus LLC, a New York limited liability company, is the manager of Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI, L.P., Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI-B, L.P., Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI-C, L.P., Warburg Pincus XI (Asia), L.P., Warburg Pincus XI Partners, L.P., and WP XI Partners, L.P. The general partner of Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI (Asia), L.P., Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI-B, L.P., Warburg Pincus XI Partners and WP XI Partners is Warburg Pincus XI, L.P., a direct subsidiary of Warburg Pincus & CO, a New York general partnership and the general partner of Warburg Pincus XI, L.P. Charles R. Kaye and Joseph P. Landy are the managing general partners of Warburg Pincus & Co., and the ultimate general partners of Warburg Pincus Private Equity XI-C, L.P. and Warburg Pincus XI (Asia), L.P. Charles R. Kaye and Joseph P. Landy disclaim beneficial ownership of all shares held by Warburg Pincus entities mentioned herein. Investment and voting decisions with respect to the shares are made by a committee comprised of three or more individuals and all members of such committee disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares held by Warburg Pincus entities mentioned herein. The registered office of Redrock Holding Investments Limited is P.O. Box 3340, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The above is based on the Schedule 13D/A filed by Redrock Holding Investments Limited, among others, on February 10, 2020.

 

(5)         Represents 97,087,378 Class A ordinary shares 58.com Holdings Inc. will beneficially own upon the full conversion of the convertible notes it holds in principal amount of US$100 million at a conversion price of $1.03 per Class A ordinary share convertible from the 181st day after June 10, 2019, the issuance date. 58.com Holdings Inc. is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and wholly owned by 58.com Inc., a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The above is based on the Schedule 13D filed by 58.com Holdings Inc. and 58.com Inc. on June 20, 2019.

 

(6)         Represents 79,832,280 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, as reported on the Schedule 13G filed by Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, among others, on February 1, 2019. Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited is incorporated in Hong Kong and wholly owned by Baidu, Inc., a public company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The registered office of Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited is Rooms 2201-03, 22/F, World-Wide House, 19 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong. The above is based on the Schedule 13G filed by Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, among others, on February 1, 2019.

 

(7)         Represents (i) 20,132,850 Class A Shares directly held by TPG Growth III SF, (ii) 58,252,427 Class A Shares issuable to TPG Growth III SF upon conversion of the convertible notes it holds in principal amount of US$60 million at a conversion price of $1.03 per Class A ordinary share convertible from the 181st day after June 10, 2019, the issuance date. TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd.is a company formed under the laws of Singapore and is wholly owned by TPG Growth III SF Finance, Limited Partnership, a Prince Edwards Island limited partnership. TPG Growth III SF AIV GenPar, L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership, is the general partner of TPG Growth III SF Finance, and TPG Growth III SF AIV GenPar Advisors, Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company, is the general partner of TPG Growth III SF AIV GenPar, L.P. TPG Growth III SF AIV GenPar Advisors, Inc. is wholly owned by TPG Holdings III, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership. TPG Holdings III-A, L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership, is the general partner of TPG Holdings III, L.P. TPG Holdings III-A, L.P. is wholly owned by TPG Group Holdings (SBS), L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and the general partner of TPG Group Holdings (SBS), L.P. is TPG Group Holdings (SBS) Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is wholly owned by TPG Group Holdings (SBS) Advisors, Inc. The above is based on the Schedule 13D filed by TPG Group Holdings (SBS) Advisors, Inc., among others, on June 20, 2019.

 

(8)         Represents 61,129,800 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Global Limited, or Kingkey Global, a British Virgin Islands company, and 14,764,090 Class A Ordinary Shares owned by BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited, or BOCOM, a British Virgin Islands company, as reported on the Schedule 13G/A filed by Kingkey Global, among others, on February 13, 2019. The shareholders of Kingkey Global are First Tycoon Ventures Limited, Excellent Ace Holdings Limited and Mr. Jiarong Chen, holding 56%, 37.33% and 6.67% of Kingkey Global, respectively. Excellent Ace Holdings Limited is wholly owned by Mr. Kun Dai. First Tycoon Ventures Limited is 66.7% and 33.3% held by Sail Best Investments Limited and JenCap UX III, respectively. Sail Best Investments Limited is wholly owned by Kingkey Investment Group Limited, a company jointly owned by Mr. Jiarong Chen and Mr. Jiajun Chen. Mr. Kun Dai, Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX III jointly decide the disposal and voting of the shares of Uxin Limited directly held by Kingkey Global, and each of them is deemed to be the beneficial owner of all the shares of Uxin Limited held by Kingkey Global. Mr. Kun Dai, Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX jointly decide the disposal and voting of the shares of Uxin Limited directly held by BOCOM, and each of them is deemed to be the beneficial owner of all the shares of Uxin Limited held by BOCOM. The registered office of Kingkey Global is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands. The registered office of BOCOM International Supreme Investment Limited is Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands. For further details on JenCap UX III and JenCap UX, please see footnote (3) above.

 

As of February 29, 2020, a total of 75,893,890 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Kingkey Global and BOCOM, representing 6.9%, and 1.7% of outstanding ordinary shares of Uxin Limited, respectively, had been pledged to third-party lenders in connection with certain loan agreements entered into in 2017 in an aggregate principal amount of approximately US$179.0 million, most proceeds of which were used to fund the purchase of shares in our company in the latest rounds of pre-IPO equity financings.  The loans became due in November and December 2019, respectively, and the borrowers are currently in discussion with the lenders to seek extensions of the loans. See footnote (1) above.

 

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Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Limited, or Kingkey, a British Virgin Islands company, directly held 57,045,450 Class A ordinary shares of Uxin Limited immediately after the completion of our initial public offering, and currently does not hold any shares in Uxin Limited after the share transfer as described below. The shareholders of Kingkey are Excellent Ace Holdings Limited and ACME Celestial Limited, which hold 40% and 60% of the shares in Kingkey, respectively. Excellent Ace Holdings Limited is wholly owned by Mr. Kun Dai. ACME Celestial Limited is 66.7% and 33.3% held by Mr. Jiarong Chen and JenCap UX, respectively. Kingkey as borrower pledged 57,045,450 Class A ordinary shares pursuant to a share charge in favor of Cathay Rong IV Limited, a third-party lender, in connection with a loan in the principal amount of US$100.0 million under a facility agreement entered into with the lender on October 25, 2017. The enforcement of the pledged shares by the lender upon an event of default is not subject to restrictions in the lock-up agreement entered into between the shareholder and the underwriters of our initial public offering. After our initial public offering, a confirmatory security deed relating to the original share charge was entered into by Kingkey as chargor on July 27, 2018 in light of the pledged shares being converted from preferred shares into Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial public offering, and a deed of undertaking supplementing the original facility agreement was entered into by Kingkey as borrower on September 28, 2018, which added a margin call and top-up requirement relating to the loan. On December 19, 2018, Cathay Rong IV Limited, as the lender, issued an instruction letter to enforce its security interests in the pledged shares, and the pledged shares were transferred by Kingkey to the lender as a result thereof. Cathay Rong IV Limited may hold or dispose of these securities at its discretion, including on the public market, as repayment of the outstanding loan and satisfaction of other obligations under the facility agreement. For further details on Cathay Rong IV Limited, please see footnote (10) below.

 

The above is based on the Schedule 13G/A filed by Kingkey Global, among others, on February 13, 2019.

 

(9)         Represents (i) 58,795,583 Class A ordinary shares directly held by LC Fund V, L.P., a limited partnership under Cayman Islands law, and (ii) 4,346,615 Class A ordinary shares directly held by LC Parallel Fund V, L.P., a limited partnership under Cayman Islands law, as reported on the Schedule 13G filed by LC Fund V, L.P., among others, on January 28, 2019. The general partner of LC Fund V, L.P. and LC Parallel Fund V, L.P. is LC Fund V. GP Limited, which is controlled by Right Lane Limited, a limited liability company incorporated in Hong Kong. Red Lane Limited is directly controlled by Legend Holdings Corporation, a public company listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange and incorporated in the People’s Republic of China. The registered office of both LC Fund V, L.P. and LC Parallel Fund V, L.P. is P.O. Box 309, Ugland House, South Church Street, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-1104, Cayman, Islands. The above is based on the Schedule 13G filed by LC Fund V, L.P., among others, on January 28, 2019.

 

(10)  Represents 57,045,450 Class A ordinary shares directly held by Cathay Rong IV Limited, as reported on the Schedule 13D filed by Cathay Rong IV Limited, among others, on December 26, 2018. Cathay Rong acquired 57,045,450 Class A ordinary shares from Kingkey New Era Auto Industry Limited as a result of foreclosing the shares pledged in connection with a loan in the principal amount of US$100.0 million under a facility agreement entered into on October 25, 2017. For further details on the loan and foreclosure, please see footnote (8) above. Cathay Rong IV Limited is a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by China Huarong Macau (HK) Investment Holdings Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong. China Huarong Macau (HK) Investment Holdings Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Huarong (Macau) International Company Limited, a company incorporated in Macau, which is a majority-owned subsidiary of Huarong (HK) Industrial and Financial Investment Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong. Huarong (HK) Industrial and Financial Investment Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Huarong Real Estate Co., Ltd, a company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China. The board of directors of China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd. comprises of Wang Zhanfeng, Li Xin, Li Yi, Wang Cong, Dai Lijia, Zhou Langlang, Song Fengming, Tse Hau Yin, Liu Lunmin and Shao Jingchun, and Li Xin acts as the chief executive officer. The registered office of Cathay Rong IV Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands. The address of the principal business office of China Huarong Macau (HK) Investment Holdings Limited is 12th Floor, China Huarong Tower, 60 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The address of the principal business office of China Huarong (Macau) International Company Limited is 32/F, Bank of China Building, Avenida Doutor Mario Soares, Macau.  The address of the principal business office of Huarong (HK) Industrial and Financial Investment Limited is Unit 1503 Causeway Bay Plaza 2, 463-483 Lockhart Road, Hong Kong. The address of the principal business office of Huarong Real Estate Co., Ltd. is Room 250, East Building, No. 30 Tianhe Street, Hengqing, Zhuhai, Guangdong, the People’s Republic of China.  The address of the principal office of China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd. is No. 8 Financial Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, the People’s Republic of China. The above is based on the Schedule 13D filed by Cathay Rong IV Limited, among others, on December 26, 2018.

 

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(11)  Represents 48,865,050 Class A ordinary shares beneficially owned by GIC Private Limited (“GIC”), a fund manager established under Singapore law with only two clients — the Government of Singapore (“GoS”) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”). Under the investment management agreement with GoS, GIC has been given the sole discretion to exercise the voting rights attached to, and the disposition of, any shares managed on behalf of GoS. As such, GIC has the sole power to vote and power to dispose of the 38,167,326 securities beneficially owned by the GoS. GIC shares power to vote and dispose of 10,697,724 securities beneficially owned by it with MAS. The address of principal business office of GIC is 168 Robinson Road #37-01 Capital Tower Singapore 068912. The above is based on the Schedule 13G filed by GIC, among others, on February 14, 2020.

 

Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share. Holders of Class A and Class B ordinary shares vote together as one class on all matters subject to a shareholders’ vote. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstance. See “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association” for a more detailed description of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares.

 

As of February 29, 2020, 887,617,391 of our ordinary shares were issued and outstanding. To our knowledge, a total of 650,449,107 Class A ordinary shares were held by two record holders in the United States, representing approximately 73.3% of our total outstanding ordinary shares (including the 16,562,988 Class A ordinary shares issued to our depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our share incentive plans). One of these holders is The Bank of New York Mellon, the depositary of our ADS program. The number of beneficial owners of our ADSs in the United States is likely to be much larger than the number of record holders of our ordinary shares in the United States.

 

Except for the above, we are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.

 

Item 7.                   Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions

 

A.            Major Shareholders

 

Please refer to “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—E. Share Ownership.”

 

B.            Related Party Transactions

 

Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entities and Their Shareholders

 

PRC laws and regulations currently limit foreign ownership of companies that engage in a value-added telecommunications service business or the distribution of media products in China. Due to these restrictions, we operate our relevant business through contractual arrangements between Youxinpai and Yougu, our PRC subsidiaries, Youxin Hulian and Yishouche, our variable interest entities, and our variable interest entities’ respective shareholders. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure.”

 

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Shareholder Agreements and Registration Rights

 

We entered into our fourteenth amended and restated shareholders’ agreement on January 2, 2018 with our then-existing shareholders. Pursuant to this shareholders’ agreement, we have granted certain registration rights to preferred shareholders. Set forth below is a description of the registration rights granted under the agreement.

 

Demand Registration Rights.    At any time after the date that is six months after the completion of our initial public offering in June 2018, holders of 30% or more of voting power of the outstanding preferred shares or ordinary shares issued upon the conversion of the preferred shares have the right to request us effect a registration for their shares. Except for certain circumstances where we are entitled to defer a filing, upon receiving a notice of demand registration, we should promptly give a written notice to all other holders of preferred shares or ordinary shares issued upon the conversion of our preferred shares, and make best efforts to register the shares requested to be registered. We are not obligated to effect more than three demand registrations that have been declared and ordered effective.

 

Piggyback Registration Rights.    If we propose to file a registration statement for a public offering of our securities, we must afford preferred shareholders or holders of ordinary shares issued upon the conversion of preferred shares an opportunity to participate in that offering. We have the right to terminate or withdraw any registration initiated by us under the piggyback registration rights prior to the effectiveness of such registration. In case of an underwritten offering, the underwriters have the right to exclude the shares requested to be registered in the initial public offering on a pro rata basis, up to 70% of the shares requested to be registered by the holders of piggyback registration rights, subject to certain preconditions.

 

Form F-3 Registration Rights.    Any holders of series A preferred shares or ordinary shares issued upon the conversion of preferred shares may request us to file an unlimited number of registration statements on Form F-3. We should promptly give a written notice to all other preferred shareholders,

 

Termination of Obligations.    The registration rights shall terminate: (i) on the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (ii) upon the termination, liquidation, dissolution of our company, or (iii) if and when in the opinion of our counsel, all such registrable securities proposed to be sold by a shareholder may be sold without registration in any ninety day period pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, provided that such counsel is qualified to and experienced in practicing U.S. securities regulations, and we shall provide such opinion of our counsel to the shareholder.

 

Loans to Related Parties

 

On July 19, 2017, we entered into a loan agreement with Gao Li Group Limited, one of our shareholders controlled by Mr. Kun Dai, and loaned US$56.5 million to Gao Li Group Limited with a term of five years bearing interest of 6% per annum. All outstanding principal and accrued interest under this loan agreement were repaid in full on May 28, 2018.

 

On July 19, 2017, we entered into a loan agreement with Mr. Kun Dai, and loaned US$22.8 million to Mr. Kun Dai with a term of five years bearing interest of 6% per annum. All outstanding principal and accrued interest under this loan agreement were repaid in full on May 28, 2018.

 

On December 17, 2017, we entered into a loan agreement with Mr. Kun Dai, and subsequently loaned US$10.7 million to Mr. Kun Dai with a term of five years bearing interest of 6% per annum. All outstanding principal and accrued interest under this loan agreement were repaid in full on May 28, 2018.

 

On May 28, 2018, Xin Gao Group Limited surrendered 19,226,040 ordinary shares, 3,313,980 Series A preferred shares and 8,424,970 Series C-1 preferred shares in the company to us to repay all of the outstanding principal and accrued interest owed to us by Xin Gao Group Limited, Gao Li Group Limited and Mr. Kun Dai in an aggregate amount of approximately US$114.0 million. The number of shares surrendered was calculated based on an estimated settlement price of US$3.68069 per share, which was the purchase price in our last round of preferred shares financing prior to our initial public offering. We also agreed with Xin Gao Group Limited and Mr. Kun Dai that if the offering price per ordinary share in our initial public offering was lower than the estimated settlement price, we would have the right to unilaterally redeem and cancel additional shares beneficially owned by Mr. Kun Dai so that the value of the total shares surrendered and cancelled will be equal to the total loan amount owed to us based on the final price of our initial public offering. As a result, 7,025,849 additional ordinary shares held by Xin Gao Limited were further surrendered immediately prior to the completion of our initial public offering in June 2018.

 

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Transactions with Baidu

 

In 2017 and 2018, Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, or Baidu, one of our shareholders, provided advertising and user acquisition services to us at arm’s length in the amount of RMB0.8 million and RMB1.4 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, we had an amount of RMB0.8 million due from Baidu, representing the unsettled balance of our prepaid service fees to Baidu. As of December 31, 2019, the remaining balance due from Baidu was nil.

 

Transactions with Baogu

 

In 2017, Baogu Automobile Technology Services (Beijing) Co., or Baogu, provided warranty services to our customers in the amount of RMB10.7 million. As of December 31, 2019, the remaining balance due from Baogu was nil as Baogu became our wholly owned subsidiary in August 2017.

 

Transactions with Xiao Qing

 

In September 2015, we invested RMB5.0 million in Shanghai Xiao Qing Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Xiao Qing, an associate of our company, for certain equity interests in Xiao Qing. In October 2016, we withdrew our investment in Xiao Qing, and as of December 31, 2019, the remaining balance due from Xiao Qing was nil.

 

In 2017, Xiao Qing provided repair and maintenance inspection services to us in the amount of RMB1.5 million. Xiao Qing did not provide any services to us in 2018 or 2019.

 

Share Conversion Agreement with Fairlubo’s shareholders

 

On June 8, 2018, we entered into an amended and restated share conversion agreement with the Fairlubo shareholders who have the right to convert their shares in Fairlubo into the shares of our company under the Fairlubo shareholders’ agreement. Pursuant to the share conversion agreement, the Fairlubo shareholders agree that, concurrently with the completion of our initial public offering, all their shares in Fairlubo will be converted into such number of Class A ordinary shares of our company that is equal to the quotient of the value of the Fairlubo shares at the time divided by the public offering price of this offering. The Fairlubo shareholders have agreed with us that the value of the Fairlubo shares at the time shall be the higher of (i) the value of the Fairlubo shares as determined by an independent appraiser jointly approved by certain shareholders holding at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding series B preferred shares of Fairlubo, and (ii) the total investment amount paid by the Fairlubo shareholders plus an internal return rate of 50% per annum calculated from January 21, 2016, the date of their investment, to June 1, 2018, which amounts to approximately US$39.1 million in the aggregate. Upon the completion of our initial public offering in June 2018, we issued 13,026,713 Class A ordinary shares to certain Fiarlubo shareholders at the initial public offering price of US$9.00 per ADS as a result of the share conversion.

 

Transactions with Redrock, TPG, 58.com and other existing shareholders

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement

 

We entered into a convertible note purchase agreement (the “NPA”) with Redrock Holding Investment Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd., 58.com Holdings Inc., ClearVue UXin Holdings, Ltd., Magic Carpet International Limited and Zhuhai Guangkong Zhongying Industrial Investment Fund (Limited Partnership) (collectively, the “Purchasers”) and Mr. Kun Dai (the “Founder”) on May 29, 2019. Pursuant to the NPA, we issued convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$230 million to the Purchasers through a private placement on June 10, 2019. For a detailed description of the terms of the convertible notes, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash flows and working capital.”

 

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Investors’ Rights Agreement

 

In connection with the NPA, we entered into an investors’ rights agreement (the “IRA”) with Redrock Holding Investments Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd., 58.com Holdings Inc. (each a “Key Investor”). Mr. Kun Dai, Xin Gao Group Limited, Gao Li Group Limited and JenCap UX on June 10, 2019.

 

Pursuant to the IRA, during the three years following the issuance of the notes pursuant to the NPA, which may be extended by another two years if all Key Investors agree to extend (the “Period”), the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) shall consist of eight directors, among which, subject to certain limitations set forth in the Investors’ Rights Agreement, each of the Key Investors and Mr. Kun Dai shall be entitled to nominate one director, the Key Investors shall be entitled to collectively nominate two independent directors, Mr. Kun Dai shall be entitled to nominate one independent director, and the Board shall appoint the eighth director. Each party to the IRA has agreed that it or he will exercise its or his respective voting rights to (i) elect the directors nominated by each of the Key Investors and Mr. Kun Dai (each a “Director Nominating Party”) to the Board, (ii) remove such director from the Board if the Director Nominating Party so determines, and (iii) replace such director as nominated by the Director Nominating Party in the event of a vacancy.  The IRA also provides for certain corporate governance arrangements during the Period.

 

During the Period, for so long as the Key Investors hold in aggregate no less than 30% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes they hold on June 10, 2019, the Board shall maintain an executive committee (the “Executive Committee”) consisting of directors nominated by each of the Key Investors and the Founder, to oversee certain matters of our company.

 

In addition, during the Period, without the affirmative prior written consent or approval of the required number of Key Investors as provided for in the IRA, we shall not take any actions with respect to certain prescribed matters.

 

The Founder, Xin Gao Group Limited and Gao Li Group Limited also agreed that during the Period, (i) they will not transfer any of their shares without the prior written consent of each of the Key Investors, and (ii) the Founder shall not and shall cause Xin Gao not to convert any Class B ordinary share of Company held by Xin Gao into Class A ordinary share.

 

Transactions with 58.com

 

Divestiture of 2B Business and Business Cooperation on C2B Business

 

In March 2020, we entered into definitive agreements to divest our 2B business to 58.com. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company— Divestitures of Our Loan Facilitation, Salvage Car and 2B Businesses.” As part of the transaction, we also entered into a business cooperation agreement with 58.com pursuant to which we will provide 58.com with information related to used cars for sale by individuals.

 

Other Transactions with 58.com

 

In 2019, 58.com provided advertising and other services to us at arm’s length in the amount of RMB47.1 million (US$6.8 million). As of December 31, 2019, we had an amount of RMB51.6 million (US$7.4 million) due from 58.com, representing the unsettled balance of our advertising expenses paid to 58.com.

 

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

 

See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation.”

 

Share Incentives

 

See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation.”

 

C.            Interests of Experts and Counsel

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8.                   Financial Information

 

A.            Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information

 

We have appended consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

We and certain of our current and former officers and directors have been named as defendants in two putative securities class actions. Both cases were purportedly brought on behalf of a class of persons who allegedly suffered damages as a result of alleged misstatements and omissions in certain disclosure documents in connection with our initial public offering in June 2018.

 

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The first case, In re Uxin Limited Securities Litigation, Index No. 650427/2019 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty.), consolidated six complaints filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in January 2019. A Consolidated Amended Complaint was filed in August 5, 2019, and on March 9, 2020, the Court granted in part and denied in part our motion to dismiss.  On March 12, 2020, we filed a notice of appeal in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the First Department. The second case, Machniewicz v. Uxin Limited et al, Case No. 1:19-cv-00822 (E.D.N.Y.), was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on February 11, 2019.  On April 24, 2020, we completed briefing on a motion to dismiss, and a decision is pending. Both actions remain in preliminary stages. For risks and uncertainties relating to the pending cases against us, please see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We have been named as a defendant in a putative shareholder class action lawsuit that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows and reputation.”

 

We are also subject to ongoing trademark, unfair competition, contractual disputes and other proceedings in the PRC, and may be subject to other legal or administrative claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Litigations or any other legal or administrative proceedings, regardless of the outcome, is likely to result in substantial cost and diversion of our resources, including our management’s time and attention. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We may be subject to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. If the outcomes of these proceedings are adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.”

 

Dividend Policy

 

Our board of directors has discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if we decide to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.

 

We have not declared or paid any dividends on our ordinary shares, nor do we have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

 

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange—Regulations on Dividend Distribution.” If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends which are payable in respect of the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to the ADS holders in proportion to ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Item 12. Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities—D. American Depositary Shares.” Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

 

B.            Significant Changes

 

Except as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we have not experienced any significant changes since the date of our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

 

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Item 9.                   The Offer and Listing

 

A.            Offering and Listing Details

 

Our ADSs, each representing three of our Class A ordinary shares, have been listed on Nasdaq since June 27, 2018. Our ADSs trade under the symbol “UXIN.”

 

B.            Plan of Distribution

 

Not applicable.

 

C.            Markets

 

Our ADSs have been listed on Nasdaq since June 27, 2018 under the symbol “UXIN.”

 

D.            Selling Shareholders

 

Not applicable.

 

E.            Dilution

 

Not applicable.

 

F.            Expenses of the Issue

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 10.                 Additional Information

 

A.            Share Capital

 

Not applicable.

 

B.            Memorandum and Articles of Association

 

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and the Companies Law (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, which is referred to as the Companies Law below, and the common law of the Cayman Islands.

 

The following are summaries of material provisions of our current memorandum and articles of association, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.

 

Registered Office and Objects

 

Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited at P.O. Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other location within the Cayman Islands as our board of directors may from time to time decide. The objects for which our company is established are unrestricted and we have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law, as amended from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

Board of Directors

 

See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—C. Board Practices.”

 

Ordinary Shares

 

Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of shareholders. We may not issue shares to bearer. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares.

 

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Conversion

 

Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon (i) any direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such number of Class B ordinary shares through voting proxy or otherwise to any person or entity that is not an Affiliate (as defined in our memorandum and articles of association) of such holder, or (ii) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such voting securities through voting proxy or otherwise, or the direct or indirect transfer, sale, assignment or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of a holder of Class B ordinary shares that is an entity to any person or entity that is not an Affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares.

 

Dividends

 

The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to our memorandum and articles of association. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our company may declare and pay a dividend only out of funds legally available, namely out of either our profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if, immediately after this payment, this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Dividends received by each Class B ordinary share and Class A ordinary share in any dividend distribution shall be the same.

 

Voting Rights

 

Our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law or provided for in our memorandum and articles of association. In respect of matters requiring shareholders’ vote, each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to ten votes. Voting at any shareholders’ meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the votes attaching to the total ordinary shares which are present in person or by proxy at the meeting.

 

An ordinary resolution to be passed at a meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to the outstanding ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present or by proxy at a general meeting. Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Law and our memorandum and articles of association. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our memorandum and articles of association. Holders of the ordinary shares may, among other things, divide or combine their shares by ordinary resolution.

 

General Meetings of Shareholders

 

As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our memorandum and articles of association provide that we may (but are not obliged to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.

 

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Shareholders’ general meetings may be convened by a majority of our board of directors. Advance notice of at least seven (7) calendar days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting (if any) and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for any general meeting of shareholders consists of at least one shareholder present or by proxy, representing not less than one-third of all votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares in our company entitled to vote at general meetings.

 

The Companies Law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our memorandum and articles of association provide that upon the requisition of shareholders representing in aggregate not less than a majority of all votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings, our board is obliged to call an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, our memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.

 

Transfer of Ordinary Shares

 

Subject to the restrictions in our memorandum and articles of association as set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.

 

Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:

 

·                  the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

·                  the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of ordinary shares;

 

·                  the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; and

 

·                  in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be transferred does not exceed four.

 

·                  a fee of such maximum sum as the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof.

 

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

 

The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice required of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, be suspended and our register of members closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor our register of members closed for more than 30 days in any year as our board may determine.

 

Liquidation

 

On a return of capital or the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.

 

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Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares

 

Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.

 

Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares

 

We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders of these shares, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by our board of directors or by the shareholders by special resolution. Our Company may also repurchase any of our shares on such terms and in such manner as have been approved by our board of directors or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Under the Companies Law, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our Company’s profits or out of the proceeds of a new issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if our company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Law no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding or (c) if our company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.

 

Variations of Rights of Shares

 

If at any time, our share capital is divided into different classes or series of shares, the rights attached to any class or series of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class or series), whether or not our company is being wound-up, may only be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of all the holders of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of an ordinary resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class or series. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the shares of that class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation, allotment or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to such existing class of shares, or the redemption or purchase of any shares of any class by our company. The rights of the holders of our shares shall not be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.

 

Issuance of Additional Shares

 

Our memorandum of association authorize our board of directors to issue additional Class A ordinary shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.

 

Our memorandum of association also authorize our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preference shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preference shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:

 

·                  the designation of the series;

 

·                  the number of shares of the series;

 

·                  the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; and

 

·                  the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences.

 

Our board of directors may issue preference shares without action by our shareholders to the extent authorized but unissued. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of Class A ordinary shares.

 

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Inspection of Books and Records

 

Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions

 

Some provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

 

·                  authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and

 

·                  limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders.

 

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

 

Exempted Company

 

We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law. The Companies Law distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:

 

·                  does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;

 

·                  is not required to open its register of members for inspection;

 

·                  does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

 

·                  may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value;

 

·                  may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

 

·                  may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

 

·                  may register as a limited duration company; and

 

·                  may register as a segregated portfolio company.

 

“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of our company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

 

Changes in Capital

 

Our shareholders may from time to time by ordinary resolution:

 

·                  increase our share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe;

 

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·                  consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of a larger amount than our existing shares;

 

·                  sub-divide our existing shares, or any of them into shares of a smaller amount, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; or

 

·                  cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.

 

Our shareholders may by special resolution, subject to confirmation by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on an application by our company for an order confirming such reduction, reduce our share capital or any capital redemption reserve in any manner permitted by law.

 

Register of Members

 

Under Companies Law, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:

 

·                  the names and addresses of the members, together with a statement of the shares held by each member, and such statement shall confirm (i) of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member, (ii) the number and category of shares held by each member, and (iii) whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional;

 

·                  the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and

 

·                  the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

 

Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members should be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name in the register of members.

 

If the name of any person is incorrectly entered in or omitted from our register of members, or if there is any default or unnecessary delay in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a member of our company, the person or member aggrieved (or any member of our company or our company itself) may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for an order that the register be rectified, and the Court may either refuse such application or it may, if satisfied of the justice of the case, make an order for the rectification of the register.

 

C.            Material Contracts

 

Other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described in “Item 4. Information on the Company” or “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions” or elsewhere in this annual report, we have not entered into any material contract during the two years immediately preceding the date of this annual report.

 

D.            Exchange Controls

 

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange.”

 

E.            Taxation

 

The following summary of the principal Cayman Islands, PRC and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this annual report, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares, such as the tax consequences under U.S. state and local tax laws or under the tax laws of jurisdictions other than the Cayman Islands, the People’s Republic of China and the United States.

 

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Cayman Islands Taxation

 

The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us or our shareholders levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

 

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our ordinary shares and ADSs will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our ordinary shares or the ADSs, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our ordinary shares or the ADSs be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.

 

People’s Republic of China Taxation

 

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with a “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its global income. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

 

We believe that Uxin Limited is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. Uxin Limited is not controlled by a PRC enterprise or PRC enterprise group and we do not believe that Uxin Limited meets all of the conditions above. Uxin Limited is a company incorporated outside the PRC. As a holding company, its key assets are its ownership interests in its subsidiaries, and its key assets are located, and its records (including the resolutions of its board of directors and the resolutions of its shareholders) are maintained, outside the PRC. For the same reasons, we believe our other entities outside of China are not PRC resident enterprises either. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” There can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with us.

 

If the PRC tax authorities determine that Uxin Limited is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to a 10% PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends or gains obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise. If any PRC tax were to apply to such dividends or gains, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, it is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of Uxin Limited would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that Uxin Limited is treated as a PRC resident enterprise.

 

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Provided that our Cayman Islands holding company, Uxin Limited, is not deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our ADSs and ordinary shares who are not PRC residents will not be subject to PRC income tax on dividends distributed by us or gains realized from the sale or other disposition of our shares or the ADSs. SAT Public Notice 7 further clarifies that, if a non-resident enterprise derives income by acquiring and selling shares in an offshore listed enterprise in the public market, such income will not be subject to PRC tax. However, there is uncertainty as to the application of SAT Public Notice 7, we and our non-PRC resident investors may be at risk of being required to file a return and being taxed under SAT Public Notice 7 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Public Notice 7 or to establish that we should not be taxed under SAT Public Notice 7. Under SAT Circular 7, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, or the transferee or the PRC entity which directly owned such taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC shareholders.”

 

United States Federal Income Taxation

 

The following discussion is a summary of U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares by a U.S. Holder (as defined below) that holds the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion is based upon existing U.S. federal tax law, which is subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly with retroactive effect. No ruling has been sought from the IRS with respect to any U.S. federal income tax consequences described below, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position. This discussion, moreover, does not address the U.S. federal estate, gift, and alternative minimum tax considerations, Medicare tax on certain net investment or any state, local and non-U.S. tax considerations, relating to the ownership or disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. The following summary does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances or to persons in special tax situations such as:

 

·                  banks and other financial institutions;

 

·                  insurance companies;

 

·                  pension plans;

 

·                  cooperatives;

 

·                  regulated investment companies;

 

·                  real estate investment trusts;

 

·                  broker-dealers;

 

·                  traders that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting;

 

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·                  certain former U.S. citizens or long-term residents;

 

·                  tax-exempt entities (including private foundations);

 

·                  holders who acquire their ADSs or Class A ordinary shares pursuant to any employee share option or otherwise as compensation;

 

·                  investors that will hold their ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

·                  investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar;

 

·                  persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power or value of our stock; or

 

·                  partnerships or other entities taxable as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or persons holding ADSs or Class A ordinary shares through such entities, all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those discussed below.

 

Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the application of U.S. federal taxation to its particular circumstances, and the state, local, non-U.S. and other tax considerations of the ownership and disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.

 

General

 

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

·                  an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

·                  a corporation (or other entity subject to tax as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created in, or organized under the law of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

·                  an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

·                  a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has otherwise validly elected to be treated as a U.S. person under the Code.

 

If a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and their partners are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.

 

The discussion below assumes that the representations contained in the deposit agreement and any related agreement are true and that the obligations in such agreements will be complied with in accordance with their terms. Accordingly for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is generally expected that a U.S. Holder of ADSs will be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs, and therefore deposits or withdrawals of Class A ordinary shares for ADSs will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax.

 

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Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations

 

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (generally based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”). A separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether a non-United States corporation is a PFIC for that year. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, annuities, net gains from the sale or exchange of property producing such income and net foreign currency gains. For this purpose, cash and assets readily convertible into cash are categorized as passive assets and the company’s goodwill associated with active business activity is taken into account as a non-passive asset.

 

In addition, a non-U.S. corporation will be treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets and earning its proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which it owns, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value) of the stock. Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, we treat our VIEs as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes because we control the management decisions and are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with these entities. As a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements.

 

Based on the market price of our ADSs and the composition of our assets (in particular, the substantial amount of cash and other cash-like assets), we believe that we were a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes for the taxable year ended December 31, 2019 because the volatility of the market price of our ADSs caused us to narrowly exceed the asset test percentage threshold. Further, we believe that we will likely be classified as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2020 unless the market price of our ADSs increases and /or we invest a substantial amount of the cash and other passive assets we hold in assets that produce or are held for the production of non-passive income.

 

If we area PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A common shares, we generally would continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A common shares even if we cease to meet the threshold requirements for PFIC status, unless a U.S. Holder makes a taxable “deemed sale” election that may allow the U.S. Holder to eliminate the continuing PFIC status under certain circumstances.

 

The United States federal income tax rules that apply if we are classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year are generally discussed below under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

 

Dividends

 

Subject to the discussion below under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” any cash distributions (including the amount of any PRC tax withheld) paid on the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder, in the case of Class A ordinary shares, or by the depositary, in the case of ADSs. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits on the basis of U.S. federal income tax principles, any distribution we pay will generally be treated as a “dividend” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received on the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends received from U.S. corporations.

 

Individuals and other non-corporate U.S. Holders will be subject to tax at the lower capital gains tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income,” provided that certain conditions are satisfied, including that (1) the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares on which the dividends are paid are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, or, in the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC tax law, we are eligible for the benefit of the United States-PRC income tax treaty, (2) we are neither a PFIC nor treated as such with respect to a U.S. Holder (as discussed below) for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, (3) certain holding period requirements are met, and (4) such non-corporate U.S. Holders are not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. For this purpose, ADSs listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market will generally be considered to be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, since we do not expect our Class A ordinary shares will be listed on any securities market, we do not believe that Class A ordinary shares that are not represented by ADSs will generally be considered to be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Furthermore, as mentioned above, we believe that we were a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2019, and we will likely be classified as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2020. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.

 

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In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law (see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Tax—Enterprise Income Tax”), we may be eligible for the benefits of the United States-PRC income tax treaty. If we are eligible for such benefits, dividends we pay on our Class A ordinary shares, regardless of whether such shares are represented by the ADSs, and regardless of whether our ADSs are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, would be eligible for the reduced rates of taxation applicable to qualified dividend income, as described in the preceding paragraph.

 

For U.S. foreign tax credit purposes, dividends paid on the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as income from foreign sources and generally will constitute passive category income. If PRC withholding taxes apply to dividends paid to you with respect to the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, you may be able to obtain a reduced rate of PRC withholding taxes under the United States-PRC income tax treaty if certain requirements are met. In addition, subject to certain conditions and limitations, PRC withholding taxes on dividends that are non-refundable under the income tax treaty between the United States and the PRC may be treated as foreign taxes eligible for credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability. If a U.S. Holder does not elect to claim a foreign tax credit, such holder may instead claim a deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes in respect of such withholding, but only for a year in which such holder elects to do so for all creditable foreign income taxes. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisors regarding the creditability of any PRC tax.

 

Sale or Other Disposition

 

Subject to the discussion below under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” a U.S. Holder will generally recognize gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the disposition and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. The gain or loss will generally be capital gain or loss. Individuals and other non-corporate U.S. Holders who have held the ADS or Class A ordinary shares for more than one year will generally be eligible for reduced tax rates. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss that the U.S. Holder recognizes will generally be treated as U.S. source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes, which will generally limit the availability of foreign tax credits. However, in the event we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, a U.S. Holder may be subject to PRC tax upon the disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. In such event, if PRC tax were to be imposed on any gain from such disposition, a U.S. Holder that is eligible for the benefits of the United States-PRC income tax treaty may elect to treat such gain as PRC source income. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisors regarding the creditability of any PRC tax.

 

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules

 

As mentioned above, we believe that we were a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2019, and we will likely be classified as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2020. If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, and unless the U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election (as described below), the U.S. Holder will generally be subject to special tax rules on (i) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder (which generally means any distribution paid during a taxable year to a U.S. Holder that is greater than 125 percent of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Under the PFIC rules:

 

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·                  such excess distribution and/or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares;

 

·                  such amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable years in the U.S. Holder’s holding period prior to the first taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC (each, a “pre-PFIC year”), will be taxable as ordinary income;

 

·                  such amount allocated to each prior taxable year, other than a pre-PFIC year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that year; and

 

·                  an interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the tax attributable to each prior taxable year, other than a pre-PFIC year.

 

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and any of our subsidiaries, our VIEs or any of the subsidiaries of our VIEs is also a PFIC, such U.S. Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of the lower-tier PFIC for purposes of the application of these rules. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our subsidiaries, our VIEs or any of the subsidiaries of our VIEs.

 

As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such stock. If a U.S. Holder makes this election with respect to the ADSs, the holder will generally (i) include as ordinary income for each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of ADSs held at the end of the taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of such ADSs and (ii) deduct as an ordinary loss in each such taxable year the excess, if any, of the adjusted tax basis of the ADSs over the fair market value of such ADSs held at the end of the taxable year, but such deduction will only be allowed to the extent of the amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. The U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ADSs would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the mark-to-market election. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election in respect of the ADSs and we cease to be classified as a PFIC, the holder will not be required to take into account the gain or loss described above during any period that we are not classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election, any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes upon the sale or other disposition of the ADSs in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as ordinary loss, but such loss will only be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election.

 

The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” which is stock that is regularly traded on a qualified exchange or other market, as defined in applicable United States Treasury regulations. We expect that our ADSs will continue to be listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, which is a qualified exchange for these purposes, and, consequently, assuming that the ADSs are regularly traded, it is expected that the mark-to-market election would be available to a U.S Holder of our ADSs if were we to become a PFIC, but no assurances are given in this regard.

 

Because a mark-to-market election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that we may own, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules with respect to such U.S. Holder’s indirect interest in any investments held by us that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

We do not intend to provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from (and generally less adverse than) the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.

 

If a U.S. Holder owns our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares during any taxable year that we are a PFIC, the holder must generally file an annual report containing such information as the United States Treasury Department may require. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares if we are or become a PFIC.

 

F.            Dividends and Paying Agents

 

Not applicable.

 

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G.            Statement by Experts

 

Not applicable.

 

H.            Documents on Display

 

We previously filed with the SEC our registration statement on Form F-1 (Registration No. 333-225266), as amended, including the annual report contained therein, to register the issuance and sale of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs in relation to our initial public offering. We have also filed with the SEC the registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333-225594) to register the ADSs.

 

We are subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers, and are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. Specifically, we are required to file annually an annual report on Form 20-F within four months after the end of each fiscal year, which is December 31. All information filed with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of quarterly reports and proxy statements, and officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

We will furnish the Bank of New York Mellon, the depositary of the ADSs, with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, and all notices of shareholders’ meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, upon our request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders’ meeting received by the depositary from us.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5250(d), we will post this annual report on Form 20-F on our website at http://ir.xin.com. In addition, we will provide hardcopies of our annual report free of charge to shareholders and ADS holders upon request.

 

I.             Subsidiary Information

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 11.                 Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in market interest rates, and we have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure.

 

We may invest in interest-earning instruments. Investments in both fixed rate and floating rate interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, while floating rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates fall.

 

Foreign Exchange Risk

 

Substantially all of our revenues and expenses are denominated in RMB. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge exposure to such risk. Although our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited in general, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between U.S. dollar and Renminbi because the value of our business is effectively denominated in RMB, while our ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars.

 

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The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

 

To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares or the ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had RMB-denominated cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash RMB797.5 million, and U.S. dollar-denominated cash balances of US$59.2 million. Assuming we had converted RMB797.5 million into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of RMB6.9618 for US$1.00 as of December 31, 2019, our U.S. dollar cash balance would have been US$114.6 million. If the RMB had depreciated by 10% against the U.S. dollar, our U.S. dollar cash balance would have been US$104.1 million instead. Assuming we had converted US$59.2 million into RMB at the exchange rate of RMB6.9618 for US$1.00 as of December 31, 2019, our RMB cash balance would have been RMB411.9 million. If the RMB had depreciated by 10% against the U.S. dollar, our RMB cash balance would have been RMB453.1 million instead.

 

Inflation

 

To date, inflation in the PRC has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2017, 2018 and 2019 were increases of 1.8%, 1.9% and 4.5%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we can provide no assurance that we will not be affected in the future by higher rates of inflation in the PRC. For example, certain operating costs and expenses, such as employee compensation and office operating expenses may increase as a result of higher inflation. Additionally, because a substantial portion of our assets consists of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, high inflation could significantly reduce the value and purchasing power of these assets. We are not able to hedge our exposure to higher inflation in China.

 

Item 12.                 Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities

 

A.            Debt Securities

 

Not applicable.

 

B.            Warrants and Rights

 

Not applicable.

 

C.            Other Securities

 

Not applicable.

 

D.            American Depositary Shares

 

Fees and Charges Our ADS holders May Have to Pay

 

An ADS holder will be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of the ADSs):

 

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Persons depositing or withdrawing Class A
ordinary shares or ADS holders must pay:

 

For:

$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs)

 

Issuance of ADSs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of Class A ordinary shares or rights or other property

Cancellation of ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the deposit agreement terminates

 

 

 

$0.05 (or less) per ADS

 

Any cash distribution to ADS holders

 

 

 

A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been Class A ordinary shares and the Class A ordinary shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs

 

Distribution of securities distributed to holders of deposited securities (including rights) that are distributed by the depositary to ADS holders

 

 

 

$0.05 (or less) per ADS per calendar year

 

Depositary services

 

 

 

Registration or transfer fees

 

Transfer and registration of Class A ordinary shares on our share register to or from the name of the depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw Class A ordinary shares

 

 

 

Expenses of the depositary

 

Cable and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the deposit agreement)

Converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars

 

 

 

Taxes and other governmental charges the depositary or the custodian has to pay on any ADSs or Class A ordinary shares underlying ADSs, such as stock transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes

 

As necessary

 

 

 

Any charges incurred by the depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities

 

As necessary

 

Fees and Other Payments Made by the Depositary to Us

 

The depositary has agreed to reimburse us annually for our expenses incurred in connection with investor relationship programs and any other program related to our ADS facility and the travel expense of our key personnel in connection with such programs. The depositary has also agreed to provide additional payments to us based on the applicable performance indicators relating to our ADS facility. There are limits on the amount of expenses for which the depositary will reimburse us, but the amount of reimbursement available to us is not necessarily tied to the amount of fees the depositary collects from investors. In 2019, we received approximately US$3.8 million (after tax) reimbursement from the depositary for our expenses incurred in connection with investor relationship programs related to the ADS facility and the travel expense of our key personnel in connection with such programs.

 

PART II

 

Item 13.                 Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies

 

None.

 

Item 14.                 Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds

 

Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders

 

None.

 

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Item 15.                 Controls and Procedures

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act.

 

Based upon that evaluation, our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this annual report, our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of December 31, 2019 and as of the date that the evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures was completed, because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting described below. However, we believe that the consolidated financial statements included in this annual report on Form 20-F correctly present our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the fiscal years covered thereby in all material respects.

 

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and that receipts and expenditures of our company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of the unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our company’s assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements. Our management evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, as required by Rule 13a-15(c) of the Exchange Act, based on criteria established in the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 31, 2019. This assessment identified two material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, as follows:

 

(i)            Our lack of adequate number of accounting staff and management resources with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements.

 

(ii)           Insufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures, specifically those related to period end expenses cut-off and accruals.

 

This annual report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting as we qualify as an “emerging growth company” under section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are therefore exempt from the attestation requirement.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies and procedures may deteriorate.

 

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We are in the process of implementing a number of measures to address these material weaknesses identified, including: (i) hire more qualified financial and reporting personnel, including financial controller, equipped with relevant U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experiences and qualifications to strengthen the financial reporting function and to set up financial and system control framework; (ii) implement regular and continuous U.S. GAAP accounting and financial reporting training programs for our accounting and financial reporting personnel; (iii) set up an internal audit function as well as to engage an external consulting firm to assist us to assess Sarbanes-Oxley compliance readiness and improve overall internal controls, and (iv) establish sufficient and formal financial closing policies and procedures, especially those related to period end cut-off and accruals. We expect that we will incur significant costs in the implementation of such measures. However, we cannot assure you that we will remediate our material weaknesses in a timely manner. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry— If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.”

 

As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. We intend to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards provided under the JOBS Act in the future.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Other than as described above, there were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this annual report on Form 20-F that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 16A.              Audit Committee Financial Expert

 

Our board of directors has determined that Rong Lu, an independent director (under the standards set forth in Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5605(a)(2) and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act) and member of our audit committee, is an audit committee financial expert.

 

Item 16B.              Code of Ethics

 

Our board of directors adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees in June 2018. We have posted a copy of our code of business conduct and ethics on our website at http://ir.xin.com.

 

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Item 16C.              Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

The following table sets forth the aggregate fees by categories specified below in connection with certain professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, our principal external auditors, for the periods indicated.

 

 

 

2018

 

2019

 

Audit fees(1)

 

US$

1,092,785

 

US$

1,146,756

 

All other fees(2)

 

US$

138,419

 

US$

38,703

 

 


(1)         “Audit fees” means the aggregate fees billed in each of the fiscal years listed for professional services rendered by our principal auditors for the audit of our annual financial statements and assistance with and review of documents filed with the SEC. In 2018 and 2019, the audit refers to financial audit.

 

(2)         “All other fees” means the aggregate fees billed in each of the fiscal years listed for professional services rendered by our principal auditors associated with certain financial due diligence projects, permissible services to review and comment on internal control design over financial reporting and other advisory services.

 

The policy of our audit committee is to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, including audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services as described above, other than those for de minimis services which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit.

 

Item 16D.              Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 16E.              Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

 

None.

 

Item 16F.              Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 16G.             Corporate Governance

 

As a Cayman Islands company listed on Nasdaq, we are subject to the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. However, Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our Cayman Islands counsel, has provided letters to the Nasdaq Stock Market certifying that under Cayman Islands law, (i) we are not required to hold annual shareholders meetings every year and (ii) shareholder approval is not required for the adoption or amendment of an equity compensation plan. We followed and intend to continue to follow our home country practice in lieu of the requirement to hold an annual meeting of shareholders no later than one year after the end of a fiscal year under Nasdaq Rule 5620(a). We also followed home country practice when adopting our 2018 Second Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan in November 2018 without seeking shareholder approval.

 

Other than the practices described above, there are no significant differences between our corporate governance practices and those followed by U.S. domestic companies under Nasdaq Stock Market Rules.

 

However, if we choose to follow other home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our ADSs—We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.”

 

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Item 16H.             Mine Safety Disclosure

 

Not applicable.

 

PART III

 

Item 17.                 Financial Statements

 

We have elected to provide financial statements pursuant to Item 18.

 

Item 18.                 Financial Statements

 

The consolidated financial statements of Uxin Limited, its subsidiaries and its consolidated variable interest entities are included at the end of this annual report.

 

Item 19.                 Exhibits

 

Exhibit
Number

 

 

 

Description of Document

1.1

 

 

 

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

2.1

 

 

 

Registrant’s Specimen American Depositary Receipt (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

2.2

 

 

 

Registrant’s Specimen Certificate for Ordinary Shares (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

2.3

 

 

 

Deposit Agreement, among the Registrant, the depositary and the holders and beneficial owners of American Depositary Shares issued thereunder dated June 27, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the registration statement on Form S-8 (file no. 333-227576), filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

2.4

 

 

 

Shareholders Agreement, between the Registrant and other parties thereto dated as of January 2, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

3.1*

 

 

 

Description of the Registrant’s Securities

 

 

 

 

 

4.1

 

 

 

2018 Second Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2019)

 

 

 

 

 

4.2

 

 

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and its directors and executive officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

136


Table of Contents

 

Exhibit
Number

 

 

 

Description of Document

4.3

 

 

 

Form of Employment Agreement between the Registrant and its executive officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.4

 

 

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement between Youxinpai and Youxin Hulian dated September 11, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.5

 

 

 

English translation of the Fourth Amended and Restated Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Youxinpai, Youxin Hulian and Mr. Kun Dai dated November 23, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.6

 

 

 

English translation of the Fourth Amended and Restated Power of Attorney issued by Mr. Kun Dai to Youxinpai dated November 23, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.7

 

 

 

English translation of the Fifth Amended and Restated Exclusive Option Agreement among Youxinpai, Youxin Hulian and Mr. Kun Dai dated February 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.8

 

 

 

English translation of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Youxinpai, Youxin Hulian and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated September 11, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.9

 

 

 

English translation of the Power of Attorney issued by Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. to Youxinpai dated September 11, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.10

 

 

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Option Agreement among Youxinpai, Youxin Hulian and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated February 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.11

 

 

 

English translation of the Loan Agreement between Youxinpai and Mr. Kun Dai dated November 23, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.12

 

 

 

English translation of the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement between Yougu and Yishouche dated April 9, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

137


Table of Contents

 

Exhibit
Number

 

 

 

Description of Document

4.13

 

 

 

English translation of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Yougu, Yishouche and Mr. Kun Dai dated April 9, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.14

 

 

 

English translation of the Power of Attorney issued by Mr. Kun Dai to Yougu dated April 9, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.15

 

 

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Option Agreement among Yougu, Yishouche and Mr. Kun Dai dated February 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.16

 

 

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Yougu, Yishouche and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated February 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.17

 

 

 

English translation of the Power of Attorney issued by Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. to Yougu dated February 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.18

 

 

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Option Agreement among Yougu, Yishouche and Beijing Min Si Lian Hua Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated February 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

138


Table of Contents

 

Exhibit
Number

 

 

 

Description of Document

4.19

 

 

 

English translation of Vehicle Financing Business Cooperation Agreement by and among Kaifeng and Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank Co., Ltd. dated November 9, 2016 and Supplemental Agreements dated June 29, 2017, August 17, 2017, and November 28, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.47 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.20

 

 

 

English translation of Vehicle Financing Business Cooperation Agreement by and among Kaifeng and Sichuan XW Bank Co., Ltd. dated June 8, 2017 and Supplemental Agreement dated June 30, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.48 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.21

 

 

 

English translation of the Auto Financing Business Cooperation Agreement by and among Kaifeng and a third-party financing partner dated June 28, 2018 and Supplemental Agreements dated October 19, 2018 and December 7, 2018, respectively (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.35 of the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2019)

 

 

 

 

 

4.22

 

 

 

Amended and Restated Share Conversion Agreement by and among Fengshion Capital Investment Fund, LP, LC Fund V, L.P., LC Parallel Fund V, L.P., Fairlubo Auction Company Limited, and the Registrant dated June 8, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.50 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.23

 

 

 

Share Surrender and Loan Settlement Agreement between Mr. Kun Dai, Xin Gao Group Limited and the Registrant dated May 28, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.51 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.24

 

 

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement by and among the Registrant, CNCB (Hong Kong) Investment Limited and CNCB (Hong Kong) Capital Limited dated June 9, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.52 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.25

 

 

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement by and between the Registrant and Golden Fortune Company Limited dated June 12, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.53 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.26

 

 

 

Form of Underwriting Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 of the registration statement on Form F-1/A (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

4.27

 

 

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement by and among the Registrant, Mr. Kun Dai, Redrock Holding Investments Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd., 58.com Holdings Inc., ClearVue UXin Holdings, Ltd., Magic Carpet International Limited and Zhuhai Guangkong Zhongying Industrial Investment Fund (Limited Partnership) dated May 29, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 7.02 of the registration statement on Form 13D (file no. 005-90751) filed by 58.com Holdings Inc. and 58.com Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 20, 2019)

 

 

 

 

 

4.28

 

 

 

Investors’ Rights Agreement by and among the Registrant, Redrock Holding Investments Limited, TPG Growth III SF Pte. Ltd., 58.com Holdings Inc.. Mr. Kun Dai, Xin Gao Group Limited, Gao Li Group Limited and JenCap UX dated June 10, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 of the registration statement on Form 13D (file no. 005-90751) filed by Mr. Kun Dai, among others, with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 20, 2019)

 

 

 

 

 

4.29*†

 

 

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (First Closing) by and between the Registrant and PacificBridge Asset Management dated July 12, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

4.30*†

 

 

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (Second Closing) by and between the Registrant and PacificBridge Asset Management dated July 12, 2019

 

139


Table of Contents

 

Exhibit
Number

 

 

 

Description of Document

4.31*†

 

 

 

Amendment to Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (Second Closing) by and between the Registrant and PacificBridge Asset Management dated August 13, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

4.32*†

 

 

 

Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (Third Closing) by and between the Registrant and PacificBridge Asset Management dated July 12, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

4.33*†

 

 

 

Amendment to Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (Third Closing) by and between the Registrant and PacificBridge Asset Management dated August 13, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

4.34*†

 

 

 

Second Amendment to Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (Third Closing) by and between the Registrant and PacificBridge Asset Management dated October 10, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

4.35*†

 

 

 

Asset Transfer Agreement by and among the Registrant, Tianjin Wuba Rongxin Information Technology Co., Ltd. and certain other parties dated September 30, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

4.36*†

 

 

 

Supplementary Agreements to Assets Transfer Agreement by and among the Registrant, Tianjin Wuba Rongxin Information Technology Co., Ltd. and certain other parties dated April 23, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

4.37*†

 

 

 

Equity Acquisition Agreement by and among certain affiliates of the Registrant, Beijing Hengtai Boche Auction Co. Ltd. and certain other parties dated January 15, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

4.38*†

 

 

 

Assets and Business Transfer Agreement by and among the Registrant, Beijing 58 Paipai Information Technology Co., Ltd. and certain other parties dated March 24, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

4.39*†

 

 

 

Business Cooperation Agreement by and among the Registrant, Beijing 58 Paipai Information Technology Co., Ltd. and certain other parties dated April 14, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

8.1*

 

 

 

List of Principal Subsidiaries and Consolidated Affiliated Entities of the Registrant

 

 

 

 

 

11.1

 

 

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 of the registration statement on Form F-1 (file no. 333-225266), as amended, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

12.1*

 

 

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

 

 

12.2*

 

 

 

Certification by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

 

 

13.1**

 

 

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

 

 

13.2**

 

 

 

Certification by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

 

 

15.1*

 

 

 

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP

 

 

 

 

 

15.2*

 

 

 

Consent of JunHe LLP

 

 

 

 

 

101.INS*

 

XBRL Instance Document

 

 

 

 

 

101.SCH*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

140


Table of Contents

 

Exhibit
Number

 

 

 

Description of Document

101.CAL*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

101.DEF*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

101.LAB*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

101.PRE*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 


*                 Filed herewith

 

**          Furnished herewith

 

                 Certain information has been excluded from this exhibit pursuant to Rule 406 under the Securities Act.

 

141


Table of Contents

 

SIGNATURES

 

The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing its annual report on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its behalf.

 

 

Uxin Limited

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Kun Dai

 

 

Name:

Kun Dai

 

 

Title:

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

Date:      May 12, 2020

 

142


Table of Contents

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Uxin Limited

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Uxin Limited and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, changes in shareholders’ (deficit)/equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.  The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

 

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP

 

Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China

May 12, 2020

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.

 

F-2


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2019

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

 

 

December 31,
2018

 

December 31,
2019

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

800,997

 

478,200

 

68,547

 

Restricted cash

 

 

 

1,011,705

 

706,988

 

101,343

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

596,078

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

 

51,610

 

44,605

 

6,395

 

Amounts due from related parties

 

 

 

 

51,590

 

7,395

 

Advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners

 

5

 

521,908

 

2,135

 

306

 

Loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee, net

 

6

 

553,688

 

1,580,464

 

226,551

 

Advance to sellers

 

 

 

692,714

 

288,550

 

41,362

 

Other receivables, net

 

 

 

707,404

 

440,056

 

63,080

 

Inventory

 

 

 

19,380

 

13,792

 

1,977

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

 

417,314

 

158,908

 

22,779

 

Financial lease receivables, net

 

 

 

294,511

 

121,820

 

17,462

 

Assets held for sale

 

3

 

1,001,325

 

230,051

 

32,977

 

Net assets transferred

 

3

 

 

827,710

 

118,648

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current assets

 

 

 

6,668,634

 

4,944,869

 

708,822

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, equipment and software, net

 

 

 

199,271

 

110,114

 

15,784

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

 

21,179

 

190

 

27

 

Goodwill

 

 

 

110,424

 

9,541

 

1,368

 

Long-term investments

 

 

 

349,882

 

272,936

 

39,124

 

Right-of-use assets, net

 

 

 

 

45,446

 

6,514

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total non-current assets

 

 

 

680,756

 

438,227

 

62,817

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

 

 

7,349,390

 

5,383,096

 

771,639

 

 

F-3


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

December 31,
2018

 

December 31,
2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities (including amounts of the consolidated VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries without recourse to the primary beneficiary of RMB261,226 and RMB371,474 as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term borrowings

 

624,588

 

263,425

 

37,761

 

Accounts payable

 

156,320

 

127,836

 

18,325

 

Guarantee liabilities

 

146,427

 

388,307

 

55,662

 

Deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners, current

 

314,231

 

42,199

 

6,049

 

Advance from buyers collected on behalf of sellers

 

270,347

 

147,923

 

21,204

 

Other payables and accruals

 

1,128,068

 

1,302,292

 

186,676

 

Deferred revenue

 

115,160

 

54,267

 

7,779

 

Convertible notes, current

 

1,188,192

 

324,644

 

46,536

 

Operating lease liabilities, current

 

 

32,892

 

4,715

 

Liabilities held for sale

 

528,498

 

310,029

 

44,441

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

 

4,471,831

 

2,993,814

 

429,148

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term borrowings

 

481,801

 

241,026

 

34,550

 

Deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners, non-current

 

19,356

 

265

 

38

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

4,759

 

 

 

Convertible notes, non-current

 

 

1,672,796

 

239,786

 

Operating lease liabilities, non-current

 

 

10,075

 

1,444

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total non-current liabilities

 

505,916

 

1,924,162

 

275,818

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

4,977,747

 

4,917,976

 

704,966

 

 

F-4


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

Notes

 

December 31,
2018

 

December 31,
2019

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value, 10,000,000,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively; 839,850,038 Class A ordinary shares and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018; 846,807,530 Class A ordinary shares and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019)

 

 

 

575

 

581

 

83

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

 

12,967,986

 

13,069,560

 

1,873,450

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

 

86,061

 

68,192

 

9,775

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

 

(10,680,489

)

(12,669,165

)

(1,816,055

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total UXIN LIMITED shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

2,374,133

 

469,168

 

67,253

 

Non-controlling interests

 

 

 

(2,490

)

(4,048

)

(580

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

2,371,643

 

465,120

 

66,673

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

7,349,390

 

5,383,096

 

771,639

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

 

F-5


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To consumers (“2C”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Commission revenue

 

 

203,158

 

711,362

 

101,970

 

- Value-added service revenue

 

 

166,482

 

636,046

 

91,174

 

Others

 

309,133

 

289,450

 

240,623

 

34,492

 

Total Revenues

 

309,133

 

659,090

 

1,588,031

 

227,636

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

(92,735

)

(418,852

)

(689,292

)

(98,806

)

Gross profit

 

216,398

 

240,238

 

898,739

 

128,830

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

(179,328

)

(1,488,699

)

(1,184,997

)

(169,863

)

Research and development

 

 

(124,513

)

(140,006

)

(20,069

)

General and administrative

 

(389,072

)

(1,070,419

)

(402,040

)

(57,630

)

Gains/(losses) from guarantee liabilities

 

1,840

 

(4,414

)

(194,385

)

(27,864

)

Provision for credit losses

 

(38,075

)

(40,626

)

(271,372

)

(38,900

)

Total operating expenses

 

(604,635

)

(2,728,671

)

(2,192,800

)

(314,326

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other operating income

 

 

 

1,925

 

276

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

(388,237

)

(2,488,433

)

(1,292,136

)

(185,220

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

2,234

 

24,554

 

14,958

 

2,144

 

Interest expenses

 

(199

)

(63,880

)

(112,587

)

(16,139

)

Other income

 

4,248

 

23,721

 

71,142

 

10,198

 

Other expenses

 

(3,808

)

(25,568

)

(36,569

)

(5,242

)

Foreign exchange (losses) /gains

 

(627

)

(8,232

)

4,247

 

609

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

(885,821

)

1,185,090

 

 

 

Gain from disposal of investments, net

 

 

 

28,257

 

4,050

 

Impairment of long-term investment

 

 

 

(37,775

)

(5,415

)

Loss from continuing operations before income tax expense

 

(1,272,210

)

(1,352,748

)

(1,360,463

)

(195,015

)

Income tax (expense)/credit

 

(211

)

(1,644

)

2,554

 

366

 

Equity in income of affiliates

 

3,597

 

2,631

 

30,231

 

4,333

 

Net loss from continuing operations, net of tax

 

(1,268,824

)

(1,351,761

)

(1,327,678

)

(190,316

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(25,202

)

(15,771

)

(1,452

)

(208

)

Net loss from continuing operations, attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(1,243,622

)

(1,335,990

)

(1,326,226

)

(190,108

)

 

F-6


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

Discontinued operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from discontinued operations before income tax

 

(1,478,615

)

(173,583

)

(659,458

)

(94,530

)

Income tax expense

 

(359

)

(12,941

)

(2,992

)

(429

)

Net loss from discontinued operations, net of tax

 

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

(94,959

)

Net loss from discontinued operations, attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

(94,959

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

(2,747,798

)

(1,538,285

)

(1,990,128

)

(285,275

)

Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(25,202

)

(15,771

)

(1,452

)

(208

)

Net loss attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(2,722,596

)

(1,522,514

)

(1,988,676

)

(285,067

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accretion on redeemable preferred shares

 

(555,824

)

(318,951

)

 

 

Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders

 

(587,564

)

(544,773

)

 

 

Deemed dividend from preferred shareholders

 

92,779

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(3,773,205

)

(2,386,238

)

(1,988,676

)

(285,067

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

(2,747,798

)

(1,538,285

)

(1,990,128

)

(285,275

)

Foreign currency translation

 

43,406

 

4,818

 

(17,976

)

(2,577

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

 

(2,704,392

)

(1,533,467

)

(2,008,104

)

(287,852

)

Less: total comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(27,861

)

(22,359

)

(1,558

)

(223

)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to UXIN LIMITED

 

(2,676,531

)

(1,511,108

)

(2,006,546

)

(287,629

)

 

F-7


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from continuing operations, attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(2,294,231

)

(2,199,714

)

(1,326,226

)

(190,108

)

Net loss from discontinued operations, attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

(94,959

)

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(3,773,205

)

(2,386,238

)

(1,988,676

)

(285,067

)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted

 

49,318,860

 

477,848,763

 

886,613,598

 

886,613,598

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss per share for ordinary shareholders, basic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing operations

 

(46.52

)

(4.60

)

(1.50

)

(0.21

)

Discontinued operations

 

(29.99

)

(0.39

)

(0.75

)

(0.11

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss per share for ordinary shareholders, diluted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing operations

 

(46.52

)

(4.60

)

(1.50

)

(0.21

)

Discontinued operations

 

(29.99

)

(0.39

)

(0.75

)

(0.11

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-8


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT)/EQUITY

FOR THE YAER ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

Ordinary share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total UXIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(US $0.0001 par value)

 

 

 

Accumulated other

 

 

 

LIMITED

 

Non-

 

Total

 

 

 

Number of

 

 

 

Additional paid-in

 

comprehensive

 

Accumulated

 

shareholders’

 

controlling

 

shareholders’

 

 

 

shares

 

Amount

 

capital

 

income

 

deficit

 

deficit

 

interest

 

deficit

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2016

 

49,318,860

 

30

 

 

30,542

 

(4,462,333

)

(4,431,761

)

(12,091

)

(4,443,852

)

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

 

 

 

46,065

 

 

46,065

 

(2,659

)

43,406

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

(2,722,596

)

(2,722,596

)

(25,202

)

(2,747,798

)

Share-based compensation

 

 

 

165,873

 

 

 

165,873

 

 

165,873

 

Transaction with non-controlling interests

 

 

 

 

 

(45,357

)

(45,357

)

(18,851

)

(64,208

)

Accretion on preferred shares to redemption value

 

 

 

(73,094

)

 

(482,730

)

(555,824

)

 

(555,824

)

Non-controlling interests arising from business combination

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,342

 

8,342

 

Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders

 

 

 

 

 

(587,564

)

(587,564

)

 

(587,564

)

Deemed dividend from preferred shareholders

 

 

 

(92,779

)

 

92,779

 

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2017

 

49,318,860

 

30

 

 

76,607

 

(8,207,801

)

(8,131,164

)

(50,461

)

(8,181,625

)

 

F-9


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT)/EQUITY

FOR THE YAER ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

Ordinary share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total UXIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(US $0.0001 par value)

 

 

 

Accumulated other

 

 

 

LIMITED

 

Non-

 

Total

 

 

 

Number of

 

 

 

Additional paid-in

 

comprehensive

 

Accumulated

 

shareholders’

 

controlling

 

shareholders’

 

 

 

shares

 

Amount

 

capital

 

income

 

deficit

 

(deficit)/equity

 

interest

 

(deficit)/equity

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2017

 

49,318,860

 

30

 

 

76,607

 

(8,207,801

)

(8,131,164

)

(50,461

)

(8,181,625

)

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

 

 

 

11,407

 

 

11,407

 

(6,589

)

4,818

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

(1,522,514

)

(1,522,514

)

(15,771

)

(1,538,285

)

Share-based compensation

 

 

 

151,274

 

 

 

151,274

 

 

151,274

 

Issuance of restricted shares to Mr. Kun Dai

 

17,742,890

 

11

 

620,435

 

 

 

620,446

 

 

620,446

 

Issuance of ordinary shares due to exercise of the share option

 

8,479,505

 

5

 

286,676

 

 

 

286,681

 

 

286,681

 

Conversion of redeemable preferred shares

 

743,343,820

 

486

 

11,012,694

 

 

 

11,013,180

 

 

11,013,180

 

Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders

 

 

 

 

 

(544,773

)

(544,773

)

 

(544,773

)

Accretion on preferred shares to redemption value

 

 

 

(38,582

)

 

(280,369

)

(318,951

)

 

(318,951

)

Issuance of ordinary shares upon Initial Public Offering

 

75,000,000

 

50

 

1,342,831

 

 

 

1,342,881

 

 

1,342,881

 

Repurchase of the surrender shares

 

(26,251,889

)

(16

)

(573,600

)

 

(125,064

)

(698,680

)

 

(698,680

)

Fairlubo Auction Company Limited share swap

 

13,026,713

 

9

 

161,294

 

(1,953

)

 

159,350

 

74,561

 

233,911

 

Transaction with non-controlling interests

 

 

 

(182

)

 

 

(182

)

(4,819

)

(5,001

)

40,809,861 ordinary shares were redesignated to Class B ordinary shares with super voting power granted to Mr. Kun Dai

 

 

 

5,146

 

 

32

 

5,178

 

589

 

5,767

 

Balance as of December 31, 2018

 

880,659,899

 

575

 

12,967,986

 

86,061

 

(10,680,489

)

2,374,133

 

(2,490

)

2,371,643

 

 

F-10


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT)/EQUITY

FOR THE YAER ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

Ordinary share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total UXIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(US $0.0001 par value)

 

 

 

Accumulated other

 

 

 

LIMITED

 

Non-

 

Total

 

 

 

Number of

 

 

 

Additional paid-in

 

comprehensive

 

Accumulated

 

shareholders’

 

controlling

 

shareholders’

 

 

 

shares

 

Amount

 

capital

 

income

 

deficit

 

equity

 

interest

 

equity

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2018

 

880,659,899

 

575

 

12,967,986

 

86,061

 

(10,680,489

)

2,374,133

 

(2,490

)

2,371,643

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

 

 

 

(17,869

)

 

(17,869

)

(106

)

(17,975

)

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

(1,988,676

)

(1,988,676

)

(1,452

)

(1,990,128

)

Issuance of ordinary shares due to exercise of the share option

 

6,957,492

 

6

 

1,279

 

 

 

1,285

 

 

1,285

 

Share-based compensation

 

 

 

100,295

 

 

 

100,295

 

 

100,295

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019

 

887,617,391

 

581

 

13,069,560

 

68,192

 

(12,669,165

)

469,168

 

(4,048

)

465,120

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-11


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss (continuing and discontinued operations)

 

(2,747,798

)

(1,538,285

)

(1,990,128

)

(285,275

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash generated from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shared-based compensation

 

165,873

 

1,052,032

 

100,295

 

14,377

 

Depreciation of property, equipment and software

 

68,185

 

88,803

 

88,939

 

12,749

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

3,678

 

5,619

 

6,892

 

988

 

Amortization of right-of-use assets

 

 

 

75,924

 

10,883

 

Loss from disposal of property, equipment and software

 

1,542

 

290

 

2,710

 

388

 

Equity in income of affiliates

 

(3,597

)

(2,631

)

(30,231

)

(4,333

)

Cash dividend received

 

 

 

4,389

 

629

 

(Gains)/losses from guarantee liabilities

 

(2,284

)

1,931

 

362,597

 

51,976

 

Accrual of allowance for doubtful accounts

 

1,604

 

19,703

 

1,411

 

202

 

Deferred income tax liabilities

 

(620

)

(1,107

)

(1,678

)

(241

)

Impairment of long-term investment

 

 

 

37,775

 

5,415

 

Gains from disposal of long-term investment, net

 

 

 

(28,257

)

(4,050

)

Provision for credit losses

 

38,075

 

40,626

 

271,372

 

38,900

 

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

885,821

 

(1,185,090

)

 

 

Goodwill impairment

 

 

3,670

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Receivables, prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

(222,391

)

(595,277

)

315,726

 

45,258

 

Amounts due from related parties

 

 

 

(51,590

)

(7,395

)

Advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners

 

(796,278

)

305,509

 

519,773

 

74,507

 

Loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee

 

(478,492

)

(409,093

)

(1,533,259

)

(219,784

)

Advance to sellers

 

(200,513

)

(446,427

)

347,402

 

49,798

 

Financial lease receivables

 

(26,832

)

141,517

 

156,301

 

22,405

 

Inventory

 

(67,252

)

58,561

 

5,588

 

801

 

Payables, accruals and other current liabilities

 

911,639

 

654,281

 

674,946

 

96,750

 

Deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners

 

628,889

 

(563,527

)

(470,105

)

(67,387

)

Deferred revenue

 

6,508

 

87,562

 

(60,893

)

(8,729

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(1,834,243

)

(2,281,333

)

(1,194,101

)

(171,168

)

 

F-12


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from disposal of property, equipment and software

 

885

 

7,735

 

43,611

 

6,251

 

Purchase of property, equipment and software

 

(81,211

)

(133,907

)

(46,820

)

(6,711

)

Cash paid for long-term investments

 

(152,723

)

(189,450

)

 

 

Cash paid for acquisition, net of cash acquired

 

(3,575

)

(66,339

)

 

 

Proceeds from disposal of long-term investments

 

5,048

 

 

96,838

 

13,881

 

Decrease/(increase) in short-term investments

 

96,118

 

(595,078

)

597,984

 

85,718

 

Loan extended to a related party

 

(451,385

)

(101,578

)

 

 

Cash deposits transferred to Golden Pacer (Note 3)

 

 

 

(1,175,867

)

(168,554

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(586,843

)

(1,078,617

)

(484,254

)

(69,415

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from borrowings

 

800,887

 

1,209,431

 

132,809

 

19,037

 

Net proceeds from issuance of convertible notes

 

 

 

1,853,381

 

265,672

 

Net proceeds from issuance of convertible redeemable preferred shares

 

2,721,065

 

1,674,408

 

 

 

Repayment of convertible notes

 

 

 

(1,190,182

)

(170,606

)

Repayment of borrowings

 

(204,068

)

(1,183,797

)

(735,294

)

(105,400

)

Acquisition of non-controlling interest in a subsidiary

 

(29,042

)

 

 

 

Net proceeds from initial public offering and issuance of convertible notes

 

 

2,574,010

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of options

 

 

 

12,916

 

1,851

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash generated from financing activities

 

3,288,842

 

4,274,052

 

73,630

 

10,554

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

3,334

 

(9,278

)

960

 

138

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

871,090

 

904,824

 

(1,603,765

)

(229,891

)

 

F-13


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017, 2018 AND 2019 (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash recorded in held for sale assets at beginning of the year

 

 

179,202

 

1,001,325

 

143,534

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the year

 

1,038,113

 

1,730,001

 

1,812,702

 

259,841

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash recorded in held for sale assets at end of the year

 

179,202

 

1,001,325

 

25,074

 

3,594

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the year

 

1,730,001

 

1,812,702

 

1,185,188

 

169,890

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Cash paid for income tax

 

6,429

 

4,575

 

7,754

 

1,111

 

- Cash paid for interest

 

6,386

 

32,113

 

77,924

 

11,170

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Accretion on redeemable preferred shares

 

555,824

 

318,951

 

 

 

- Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders

 

587,564

 

544,773

 

 

 

- Deemed dividend from preferred shareholders

 

92,779

 

 

 

 

- Repurchase of the surrender shares

 

 

746,253

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

291,973

 

800,997

 

478,200

 

68,547

 

Restricted cash

 

1,438,028

 

1,011,705

 

706,988

 

101,343

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reclassified as held for sale assets

 

179,202

 

1,001,325

 

25,074

 

3,594

 

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

1,909,203

 

2,814,027

 

1,210,262

 

173,484

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-14


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

1. PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATION

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Uxin Limited (the “Company” or “Uxin”), its subsidiaries and variable interest entities (“VIEs”). The Company, its subsidiaries and the consolidated VIEs are collectively referred to as the “Group”.

 

The Company was incorporated under the law of the Cayman Islands as the exempted limited liability company on December 8, 2011. The Company serves as an investment holding company and currently has no operations of its own.

 

In 2016, the Group spun off its 2B business through a transfer of the equity interest of Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd.(“Youxinpai”), a subsidiary of the Company, to a series of shareholders, which represented the same offshore shareholders of the Company, i.e. same shareholders with their respective onshore and offshore entities. In 2017, the Company made its strategic decision for the existing shareholders of Youxinpai to transfer 100% equity interest in Youxinpai to the Company (referred to as “the Reorganization”).

 

On June 27, 2018, the Company completed its IPO on NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “UXIN”. The Company offered 25,000,000 American Depositary Shares (“ADS”). Each ADS represents three ordinary share and was sold to the public at US$9.00 per ADS. Also, the Company entered into Convertible Note Purchase Agreements with CNCB (Hong Kong) Investment Limited (the “CNCB (Hong Kong)”) and Golden Fortune Company Limited (the “Golden Fortune”) concurrently with the closing of IPO. Net proceeds raised by the Company from the IPO and private placement in total amounted to approximately US$382.1 million (equivalent to RMB 2.6 billion) after deducting underwriting discounts commissions and other offering expenses.

 

The Group’s principal operation and geographic market is in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). In order to devote all resources towards developing and scaling up its online used car business and to relieve its future growth from additional guarantee obligations or credit risks, the Group made a series of strategic divestiture transactions (the “Divestiture Transactions”) that occurred during 2019 and subsequent period in 2020. Prior to these Divestiture Transactions disclosed in below paragraphs, the Group was primarily engaged in operating used car e-commerce platforms through its mobile applications (Uxin Used Car / Uxin Auction) and websites (www.xin.com / www.youxinpai.com), facilitating used car transaction services (2B / 2C) and facilitating financing solutions offered by third-party financing partners to buyers for their used car purchases (2C).

 

Divestiture Transactions

 

On January 16, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with Beijing Hengtai Boche Auction Co. Ltd. (“Boche”) to divest its salvage car related business in exchange for a total cash consideration of RMB330 million. The transaction contemplated under the definitive agreements was closed in January 2020.

 

On March 24, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to sell its 2B online used car auction business in exchange for a total cash consideration of US$105 million. The transaction contemplated under the definitive agreements was closed in April 2020.

 

On July 12, 2019 and September 30, 2019, the Company entered into a binding term sheet and definitive agreements, respectively, with Golden Pacer relating to the divestiture of its entire 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service. On April 23, 2020, the Company entered into supplemental agreements with Golden Pacer to modify and supplement certain terms and conditions in connection with the divestiture. Pursuant to the series of agreements, the Company has divested its entire 2C intra-regional business to Golden Pacer and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee starting from the fourth quarter of 2019. The transaction contemplated under the definitive and supplemental agreements was closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements.

 

After the Divestiture Transactions, the Group will primarily operate its cross-regional online used car transaction business (2C).

 

F-15


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

1. PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)

 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s principal subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs are as follows:

 

Subsidiaries

 

Place of
incorporation

 

Date of
incorporation or
acquisition

 

Percentage
of direct or
indirect

 

Principal
activities

 

Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

June 15, 2012

 

100

%

Used car auction

 

Youhan (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Shanghai

 

December 25, 2015

 

100

%

Used car auction

 

Kai Feng Finance Lease (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.

 

Hangzhou

 

March 25, 2013

 

100

%

Loan facilitation

 

Bo Yu Finance Lease (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.

 

Tianjin

 

March 6, 2015

 

100

%

Loan facilitation

 

Yougu (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Shanghai

 

March 13, 2015

 

100

%

Transaction service

 

Youzhen (Beijing) Business Consulting Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

March 28, 2016

 

100

%

Transaction service

 

Youxin (Shanghai) Second Hand Car Business Co., Ltd.

 

Shanghai

 

January 26, 2016

 

100

%

Transaction service

 

Beijing Youxin Fengshun Lubao Vehicle Auction Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

March 13, 2015

 

94.94

%

Salvage car auction

 

Youxin (Shanxi) Technology Information Co., Ltd.

 

Xi’an

 

April 27, 2018

 

100

%

Transaction service

 

Youyuan (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

October 21, 2016

 

100

%

Transaction service

 

Youfang (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

March 25, 2016

 

100

%

Transaction service

 

 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s principal subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs are as follows:

 

VIEs

 

Place of
incorporation

 

Date of
incorporation or
acquisition

 

Percentage
of direct or
indirect

 

Principal
activities

 

Youxin Internet (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

August 11, 2011

 

99.99

%

Auction platform

 

Beijing Fengshun Lubao Automotive Auction Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

June 10, 2011

 

94.94

%

Salvage car auction

 

Youxin Yishouche (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Beijing

 

March 12, 2015

 

99.99

%

Transaction service

 

 

F-16


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

1. PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)

 

Liquidity

 

The Company has incurred net incurring losses from operations since inception. The Company incurred net losses from continuing operations of RMB1,268.8 million, RMB1,351.8 million and RMB1,327.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Accumulated deficit amounted to RMB10,680.5 million and RMB12,669.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

As of the issuance date of the annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company expects that its cash and cash equivalents, and cash consideration received from its recent Divestiture Transactions would be sufficient to fund its operating expenses, capital requirements and other contractual obligations for at least the next 12 months. The Company is entitled to receive a total cash consideration of RMB330 million and US$105 million from the divestiture of its salvage car related business and 2B business, respectively, of which RMB165 million was received in January 2020 and US$75 million was received in April 2020, and the remaining considerations will be received before the end of the first half of 2020. In addition, as the Company no longer provides any loan facilitation related guarantee services as a result of the divestiture of its loan facilitation related business, the Company is no longer obligated to incur any additional guarantee liabilities that would require any cash outflows going forward. The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes that the Company will continue in operation for the foreseeable future and, accordingly, will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of operations as they come due.

 

F-17


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

2.1 Basis of presentation

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”).

 

Significant accounting policies followed by the Group in the preparation of its accompanying consolidated financial statements are summarized below.

 

2.2 Discontinued operations

 

A component of a reporting entity or a group of components of a reporting entity that are disposed or meet all of the criteria to be classified as held for sale in accordance with ASC 205-20-45-1E Initial Criteria for Classification of Held for Sale, such as the management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the disposal group, should be reported in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. Discontinued operations are reported when a component of an entity comprising operations and cash flows that can be clearly distinguished, operationally and for financial reporting purposes, from the rest of the entity is classified as held for disposal or has been disposed of, if the component either (1) represents a strategic shift or (2) have a major impact on an entity’s financial results and operations. Examples include a disposal of a major geographical location, line of business, or other significant part of the entity, or disposal of a major equity method investment.

 

Non-current assets or disposal groups are classified as assets held for sale when the carrying amount is to be recovered principally through a sale transaction rather than through continuing use. For this to be the case, the asset or disposal group must be available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and customary for sales of such asset.

 

Once a disposed business meets the criteria of held for sales and be reported as a discontinued operation, According to ASC 205-20-45-10, in the period(s) that a discontinued operation is classified as held for sale and for all prior periods presented, the assets and liabilities of the discontinued operation shall be presented separately in the asset and liability sections, respectively, of the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

 

In the Consolidated statement of comprehensive loss, result from discontinued operations is reported separately from the income and expenses from continuing operations and prior periods are presented on a comparative basis. Cash flows for discontinuing operations are presented separately (Note 3).

 

The following accounting policies support the basis of presentation of the Divestiture Transactions disclosed in Note 1.

 

Divestiture of 2C intra-regional business and loan-facilitation related service

 

On July 12, 2019 and September 30, 2019, the Company entered into a binding term sheet and definitive agreements with Golden Pacer relating to the divestiture of its entire 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service, respectively. On April 23, 2020, the Company entered into supplemental agreements with Golden Pacer to modify and supplement certain terms and conditions in connection with the divestiture. Pursuant to the series of agreements, the Company has divested its entire 2C intra-regional business to Golden Pacer and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee starting from the fourth quarter of 2019.

 

Assets and liabilities related to the divestiture of 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service were reclassified as assets/liabilities held for sale as of December 31, 2019, while results of operations related to discontinued operations were recorded in loss from discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

F-18


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.2 Discontinued operations (continued)

 

Divestiture of 2B business

 

On March 24, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to sell its 2B online used car auction business.

 

Assets and liabilities related to the divestiture of 2B online used car auction business were reclassified as assets/liabilities held for sale as of December 31, 2019, while results of operations related to discontinued operations were recorded in loss from discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

Divestiture of salvage car related business

 

On January 16, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with Boche to divest its salvage car related business.

 

Assets and liabilities related to the divestiture of salvage car business were reclassified as assets held for sale of RMB230.1 million and liabilities held for sale of RMB199.1 million as of December 31, 2019. The divestiture of the Company’s salvage car business did not meet the criteria of discontinued operations and the results of operations were not presented as discontinued operations.

 

2.3 Basis of consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries.

 

A subsidiary is an entity in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; has the power to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors; to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of the board of directors or to govern the financial and operating policies of the investee under a statute or agreement among the shareholders or equity holders.

 

The Company applies the guidance codified in Accounting Standard Codification 810, Consolidations (“ASC 810”) on accounting for VIEs and their respective subsidiaries, which requires certain variable interest entities to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity in which it has a controlling financial interest. A VIE is an entity with one or more of the following characteristics: (a) the total equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support; (b) as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack the ability to make certain decisions, the obligation to absorb expected losses or the right to receive expected residual returns, or (c) an equity investor has voting rights that are disproportionate to its economic interest and substantially all of the entity’s activities are on behalf of the investor.

 

All transactions and balances between the Company, its subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation.

 

F-19


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.3 Basis of consolidation (continued)

 

Variable interest entities

 

In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements restricting foreign ownership of internet information services under value-added telecommunications services and certain other businesses in China, the Company operates online platforms that provide internet information services and engages in other foreign-ownership-restricted businesses through certain PRC domestic companies, whose equity interests are held by certain management members of the Company (“Nominee Shareholders”). The Company obtained control over these PRC domestic companies by entering into a series of Contractual Arrangements with these PRC domestic companies and their respective Nominee Shareholders. These contractual agreements cannot be terminated by the Nominee Shareholders or the PRC domestic companies. As a result, the Company which maintains the ability to control these PRC domestic companies is entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits from these PRC domestic companies and is obligated to absorb expected losses of these PRC domestic companies. Management concluded that these PRC domestic companies are VIEs of the Company, of which the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary. As such, the Group consolidated financial results of these PRC domestic companies and their subsidiaries. The principal terms of the agreements entered into amongst the VIEs, their respective shareholders and the Group’s subsidiaries (“Primary Beneficiaries”) are further described below.

 

Prior to the Divestiture Transactions, the Company primarily operated 2B and 2C online platforms through one of the VIEs, Youxin Hulian via the contractual agreements. In January 2015, the MIIT eliminates the restrictions on foreign ownership in the SHFTZ Notice for enterprises in Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone that provide online data processing and transaction processing services (operating E-commerce) under value-added telecommunications services. Certain of our eligible WFOE and subsidiary of WFOE, Yougu and Youhan applied for and obtained the VATS Licenses to conduct E-commerce in 2015 and 2016, and they have been operating our 2B and 2C online platforms since then. After the Divestiture Transactions, the continued operations will still be primarily operated by the Company’s subsidiaries.

 

Currently, Youxin Hulian, Yishouche and Fengshun Lubao hold the VATS Licenses for internet information services to operate other online platforms of the Company and they may hold equity interests of subsidiaries conducting business that are restricted with foreign ownership.

 

Loan Agreements

 

Pursuant to the relevant loan agreements, the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiary has granted interest-free loans to the relevant Nominee Shareholders of the relevant VIE with the sole purpose of providing funds necessary for the capital injection to the relevant VIEs. Only the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiary can require the Nominee Shareholder to settle the loan amount with the equity interests of relevant VIEs, subject to any applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations. And both parties have agreed that any proceeds from sale of the Nominee Shareholder’s equity interest in relevant VIE should be repaid to the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiary. The terms of the loan agreements are ten years and can be extended with the written consent of both parties before its expiration.

 

F-20


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.3 Basis of consolidation (continued)

 

Exclusive option agreements

 

The Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs have granted the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries the exclusive and irrevocable right to purchase or to designate one or more person(s) at their discretion to purchase part or all of the equity interests in the VIEs from the Nominee Shareholders for a purchase price at any time, subject to the lowest price permitted by PRC laws and regulations. The VIEs and their Nominee Shareholders have agreed that without prior written consent of the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries, their respective Nominee Shareholders cannot sell, transfer, pledge or dispose their equity interests, and the VIEs cannot sell, transfer, pledge or dispose, but not limit to the equity interest, significant assets, significant revenue and significant business. Also as agreed, the VIEs cannot declare any dividend or change capitalization structure of the VIEs and cannot enter into any loan or investment agreements. Furthermore, the Nominee Shareholders have agreed that any proceeds but not limited to the sales of the Nominee Shareholders’ equity interest in relevant VIEs should be gratuitously paid to the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries or one or more person(s) at their discretion.

 

Power of attorney

 

Pursuant to the irrevocable power of attorney, each of the Nominee Shareholders appointed the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries as their attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights under PRC law and the relevant articles of association, including but not limited to, attending shareholders meetings, voting on their behalf on all matters requiring shareholder approval, including but not limited to sale, transfer, pledge, or disposition of all or part of the Nominee Shareholders’ equity interests, and designation and appointing the legal representative, directors, supervisors, chief executive officer and other senior management members of the VIEs. Each power of attorney will remain in force during the period when the Nominee Shareholders continue to be shareholders of the VIEs. Each Nominee Shareholder has waived all the rights which have been authorized to the person designated by the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries under each power of attorney.

 

Exclusive business cooperation agreement

 

Pursuant to the exclusive business cooperation agreement, the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries have agreed to provide to the VIEs services, including, but not limited to, development, maintenance and update software, design, installation, daily management, maintenance and updating of the network system, hardware and database design, marketing. The VIEs shall pay to the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries service fees determined based on the complexity and difficulty of the services, title of and time consumed by employees, contents and value of the services, operation conditions and market price of the service provided. The agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or terminated in writing by the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries.

 

Equity pledge agreements

 

Pursuant to the relevant equity pledge agreements, the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs have pledged all of their equity interests in relevant VIEs to the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries as collateral for all of their to direct, indirect and derivate losses and anticipated profits of the PRC subsidiaries incurred in the event of default and to secure their obligations under the above agreements. The relevant PRC subsidiaries are entitled to have any dividends based on the pledged equity interest in relevant VIEs. The Nominee Shareholders may not transfer or assign the equity interests, the rights and obligations in the equity pledge agreements and may not create or permit to create any pledges which may have an adverse effect on the rights or benefits of the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries without the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries’ pre-approval. In addition, the Group’s relevant PRC subsidiaries are entitled to purchase at a discount, auction or sell the equity interests pledged and have priority to obtain the proceeds from above auctions or sales, if an event of default happens. The equity pledge agreements will expire only when the Nominee Shareholders have completed all their obligations under the above agreements.

 

F-21


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.3 Basis of consolidation (continued)

 

Risks in relation to the VIE structure

 

In the opinion of the Company’s legal counsel, (i) the ownership structure relating to the VIEs of the Company is in compliance with existing PRC laws and regulations; and (ii) the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their Nominee Shareholders are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

 

However, uncertainties in the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules could cause the Company’s current ownership structure to be found in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations and could limit the Company’s ability, through the Primary Beneficiaries, to enforce its rights under these contractual arrangements. Furthermore, Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs may have interests that are different with those of the Company, which could potentially increase the risk that they would seek to act in contrary to the terms of the aforementioned agreements.

 

In addition, if the current structure or any of the contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC law, the Company may be subject to penalties, which may include but not be limited to, the cancellation or revocation of the Company’s business and operating licenses, being required to restructure the Company’s operations or discontinue the Company’s operating activities. The imposition of any of these or other penalties may result in a material and adverse effect on the Company’s ability to conduct its operations. In such case, the Company may not be able to operate or control the VIEs, which may result in deconsolidation of the VIEs.

 

There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, the Company cannot be assured that the PRC government authorities will not ultimately take a view that is contrary to the Company’s belief and the opinion of its PRC legal counsel. In March 2019, the draft Foreign Investment Law was submitted to the National People’s Congress for review and was approved on March 15, 2019, which will come into effect from January 1, 2020. The approved Foreign Investment Law does not touch upon the relevant concepts and regulatory regimes that were historically suggested for the regulation of VIE structures, and thus this regulatory topic remains unclear under the Foreign Investment Law. Since the Foreign Investment Law is new, there are substantial uncertainties exist with respect to its implementation and interpretation and the possibility that such entities will be deemed as foreign-invested enterprise and subject to relevant restrictions in the future shall not be excluded. If the contractual arrangements establishing the Company’s VIE structure are found to be in violation of any existing law and regulations or future PRC laws and regulations, the relevant PRC government authorities will have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including, without limitation, levying fines, confiscating income or the income of affiliated Chinese entities, revoking business licenses or the business licenses of affiliated Chinese entities, requiring affiliated Chinese entities to restructure ownership structure or operations and requiring affiliated Chinese entities to discontinue any portion or all of value-added telecommunications, E-commerce and internet information services. Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to the Company’s business operations, and have a severe adverse impact on the Company’s cash flows, financial position and operating performance. If the imposing of these penalties cause the Company to lose its rights to direct the activities of and receive economic benefits from its VIEs, which in turn may restrict the Company’s ability to consolidate and reflect in its financial statements the financial position and results of operations of its VIEs.

 

Pursuant to the contractual arrangements with the VIEs, the Company has the power to direct activities of the VIEs, and can have assets transferred freely out of the VIEs without any restrictions. Therefore, the Company considers there to be no assets of a consolidated VIE that can be used only to settle obligations of the VIE, except for registered capital of the VIEs amounting to a total of RMB144.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2019. As all the consolidated VIEs are incorporated as limited liability companies under the PRC Company Law, creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of the Company for any of the liabilities of the consolidated VIEs.

 

F-22


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.3 Basis of consolidation (continued)

 

The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities and results of operations and cash flows of the VIEs and their subsidiaries taken as a whole, which are included in the Group’s consolidated financial statements. Transactions between the VIEs and their subsidiaries are eliminated in the balances presented below:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

67,940

 

913

 

Amounts due from related parties

 

165,940

 

201,303

 

Accounts receivable

 

6,957

 

7,073

 

Other receivables, net

 

95,297

 

74,283

 

Inventory

 

2,120

 

2,120

 

Prepaid expense and other current assets

 

22,364

 

2,600

 

Assets held for sale

 

 

150,767

 

Long-term investments

 

27,427

 

30,028

 

Property, equipment and software, net

 

12,436

 

4,398

 

Intangible assets, net

 

17,295

 

11,085

 

Goodwill

 

38,246

 

 

Total assets

 

456,022

 

484,570

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

7,379

 

3

 

Amounts due to related parties

 

914,109

 

880,079

 

Current portion of long-term borrowings

 

281

 

 

Liabilities held for sale

 

 

176,902

 

Deferred tax liability

 

3,725

 

2,667

 

Other payables and accruals

 

249,841

 

191,902

 

Total liabilities

 

1,175,335

 

1,251,553

 

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total revenues

 

244,830

 

416,578

 

160,626

 

Cost of revenues

 

(130,099

)

(156,093

)

(46,670

)

Net loss

 

(603,030

)

(85,882

)

(47,672

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(584,072

)

(51,713

)

(45,393

)

Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities

 

(5,529

)

(67,516

)

3,071

 

Net cash generated from financing activities

 

604,314

 

81,489

 

319

 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

14,713

 

(37,740

)

(42,003

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year

 

90,967

 

105,680

 

67,940

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents reclassified as held for sale assets

 

 

 

25,024

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year

 

105,680

 

67,940

 

913

 

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.4 Use of estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets, long-lived assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, the Company’s management reviews these estimates based on information that is currently available. Changes in facts and circumstances may cause the Company to revise its estimates. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Group’s consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the allowance for loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee, guarantee liabilities and forfeiture rate of share-based compensation.

 

2.5 Fair value measurements

 

Accounting guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded at fair value, the Group considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and it considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability.

 

Accounting guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Accounting guidance establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

 

Level 1 — Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets

 

Level 2 — Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices), such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data

 

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity

 

Financial instruments of the Company primarily comprise of cash equivalents, short-term investment, accounts receivable, loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee, finance lease receivables, short-term borrowings, accounts payable, guarantee liabilities and deposit of interests collected from customers and payable to financing partners. As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, their carrying values approximated their fair values because of their generally short maturities. The fair value of the guarantee liabilities recorded at the inception of the loan was estimated based on the third-party appraisal’s report.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.6 Foreign currencies

 

The Group uses Renminbi (“RMB”) as its reporting currency. The USD (“US$”) is the functional currency of the Group’s entities incorporated in Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong, and the RMB is the functional currency of the Group’s PRC subsidiaries.

 

Transactions denominated in other than the functional currencies are translated into the functional currency of the entity at the exchange rates prevailing on the transaction dates. Assets and liabilities denominated in other than the functional currency are translated at the balance sheet date exchange rate. The resulting exchange differences are recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

The financial statements of the Group are translated from the functional currency to the reporting currency, RMB. Assets and liabilities of the subsidiaries are translated into RMB using the exchange rate in effect at each balance sheet date. Income and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates prevailing for the year. Foreign currency translation adjustments arising from these are reflected in the accumulated other comprehensive income. The exchange rates used for translation on at the end of the year of 2018 and 2019 were US$1.00=RMB 6.8632 and RMB 6.9762, respectively, representing the index rates stipulated by the People’s Bank of China.

 

Transactions of the Consolidated Balance Sheets, the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows from RMB into US$ as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 are solely for the convenience of the readers and were calculated at the rate of US$1.00=RMB 6. 9762, representing the index rates stipulated by the People’s Bank of China. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on December 31, 2019, or at any other rate.

 

2.7 Cash and cash equivalents

 

Cash includes currency on hand and deposits held by financial institutions that can be added to or withdrawn without limitation. Cash equivalents represent short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amount of cash and with original maturities from the date of purchase of generally three months or less.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.8 Restricted cash and short-term investment

 

Cash restricted as to withdrawal or for use or pledged as security is reported separately on the face of the Consolidated Balance Sheets. In the ordinary course of business, the third-party financing partners offer financing solutions to buyers (the “Borrowers”) and the Company is required to provide a guarantee (Note 2.12 guarantee liabilities). As a result, the Company, as the guarantor, is required to maintain a separate guarantee fund, held as an escrow account with the third-party financing partners. This guarantee fund is required to be maintained at a fixed percentage of the balance of all loans outstanding. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019, the Group no longer provides loan facilitation related services through its online platform.

 

As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the restricted cash in relation to guarantee represented 7.5% and 4.4% of the outstanding facilitated loan balance, respectively.

 

Short-term investments are mainly comprised of time deposits and investment products placed with banks with original maturities longer than three months but less than one year.

 

2.9 Inventory

 

Inventories consist of GPS devices, auto check equipments and others. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. Cost of inventories is determined by the weighted-average method. Adjustments are recorded to write down the carrying amount of any obsolete and excess inventory to its estimated net realizable value. The Group continually evaluates the recoverability based on assumptions about future customer demand and market conditions. The evaluation may take into consideration inventory aging, expected demand, anticipated sales price, and other factors. The write-down is equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future customer demand and market conditions. As of December 31, 2018, inventories mainly included GPS devices and auto check equipments of RMB8.1 million and RMB1.4 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, inventories mainly included GPS devices and auto check equipments of RMB11.1 million and RMB1.4 million, respectively.

 

2.10 Accounts receivable

 

Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The Group makes credit assessments of customers to assess the collectability of contract amounts prior to entering into contracts. The Group makes specific allowance for doubtful accounts when facts and circumstances indicate that the receivable is unlikely to be collected. The allowance of accounts receivable was nil as of December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

2.11 Advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners

 

Before the fourth quarter of 2019, the Group facilitates loans extended by third-party financing partners to consumers through its online platform. The Group started to cooperate with third-party financing partners beginning September 2015. From September 2015, the third-party financing partners provided all the funds for the consumer loans, while the Group provides services to facilitate such financing transactions. Pursuant to the cooperation agreements entered into with third-party financing partners, for the purpose of registering the collaterals over the cars purchased by consumers with relevant government authorities, the Group advances the funds needed to purchase the car to the consumer on financing partners’ behalf to the applicable car dealers directly. The balance represents a legal claim of the Group from third-party financing partners. The third-party financing partners shall pay the corresponding amount to the Group as agreed in the corporation agreements. The Group no longer provides loan facilitation related services through its online platform since the fourth quarter of 2019. As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the advances to consumers on behalf of financing partners were RMB521.9 million and RMB2.1 million, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.12 Financial lease receivables

 

Financial lease receivables include dealer inventory financing receivables and receivables generated from finance lease arrangements.

 

The Group provides short-term inventory financing to certain selected car dealers. Those car dealers can apply and obtain loans through the Easy Loan program. The Group provides funding to the dealer and may in turn obtain financing from one of our financing partners to fund the Easy Loan program. In order to fund the Easy Loan program, the Group and a third-party financing partner enter into a financing business cooperation agreement, which establishes that loans provided to dealers are made with direct connection to the financial lease contracts entered into between the Group and the dealers for the underlying cars. Accordingly, the Group is considered as the primary obligor in the lending relationship and therefore records the liabilities to the third-party financing partner on its Consolidated Balance Sheets. Consequently, the Group considers that the financial lease receivables generated from financial lease contracts with car dealers are not settled or extinguished. Therefore, the Group continues to account for the financial lease receivables on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

The Group started to cooperate with third-party financing partners from September 2015. Before September 2015, the Group entered into finance lease arrangements with consumers who needed financing for car purchases. In the third quarter of 2018, the Group started to provide funds in the form of financial lease agreements to selected Borrowers in addition to the financing facilitated by the Group for the purchase of the cars.

 

Financial lease receivables are measured at amortized cost and reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at outstanding principal adjusted for the allowance for credit losses. Allowance for financial lease receivables is provided when the Group has determined the balance is impaired.

 

2.13 Guarantee liabilities

 

Before the fourth quarter of 2019, the third-party financing partners offered financing solutions to the Borrowers and the Company was required to provide a guarantee in the event of default.

 

The financial guarantee is within the scope of ASC Topic 460, Guarantees. The portion of the contract consideration that relates to ASC 460 must first be allocated to the guarantee, with the residual portion of the transaction price being recorded under ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. The liability is recognized at fair value at the inception of the guarantee.

 

Subsequent to the initial recognition of the guarantee liabilities, the Company’s guarantee obligations are measured in a combination of two components: (i) ASC 460 component and (ii) ASC 450 component. The liability recorded based on ASC 460 is determined on a contract-by-contract basis and is reduced as the Company is released from the underlying risk, meaning as the loan is repaid by the Borrower or when the financing partners are compensated in the event of a default. The liability is reduced only as the Company is released from the underlying risk. This component is a stand ready obligation which is not subject to the probable threshold used to record a contingent obligation. The other component is a contingent liability determined using historical experience of borrower defaults, representing the obligation to make future payments, measured using the guidance per ASC 450, Contingencies. Subsequent to the initial recognition, the guarantee obligation is measured at the greater of the amount determined per ASC 460 (guarantee liability) and the amount determined based on ASC 450 (contingent liability). As stated in ASC 460-10-35-1, the guarantee liability should generally be reduced by recording a credit to net income as the guarantor is released from the guaranteed risk. Accordingly, the guarantee liabilities are recognized in “gains/(losses) from guarantee liabilities” in the statements of comprehensive loss by a systematic and rational amortization method, e.g. over the term of the loan.

 

As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the amount of maximum potential future payment that the Group could be required to make under the guarantee for the underlying facilitated loan balance was RMB27.6 billion and RMB15.5 billion, respectively. Based on management assessment, the estimated value of collateral approximated amounts of maximum potential future payments.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.14 Property, equipment and software, net

 

Property, equipment and software are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives, taking into account any estimated residual value:

 

Electronic equipment

3 years

Furniture

5 years

Vehicles and motors

4 years

Software

5 years

Leasehold improvement

lesser of the term of the lease or the estimated useful lives of the assets

 

The Company recognized the gain or loss on the disposal of property, equipment and software in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

2.15 Intangible assets, net

 

Intangible assets represent software copyright and supplier relationship acquired. These intangible assets are carried at acquisition cost less accumulated amortization and amortized on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives of the respective assets, which is usually 5 years.

 

Separately identifiable intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable.

 

2.16 Goodwill

 

In accordance with ASC 805 Business Combination, goodwill represents the excess of the purchase consideration over the fair value of assets and liabilities of businesses acquired.

 

Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be impaired based on the requirements of ASC 350-20. In accordance with the FASB guidance on “Testing of Goodwill for Impairment,” we have elected to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether the two-step impairment testing of goodwill is necessary. In this assessment, we consider primary factors such as industry and market considerations, overall financial performance of the reporting unit, and other specific information related to the operations. Based on the qualitative assessment, if it is more likely than not that the fair value of each reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is performed. Otherwise, no further testing is required. Recoverability of goodwill is evaluated using a two-step process. In the first step, the fair value of a reporting unit is compared to its carrying value. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets assigned to a reporting unit, goodwill is considered not impaired and no further testing is required. If the carrying value of the net assets assigned to a reporting unit exceeds the fair value of a reporting unit, the second step of the impairment test is performed in order to determine the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill. Determining the implied fair value of goodwill requires valuation of a reporting unit’s tangible and intangible assets and liabilities in a manner similar to the allocation of purchase price in a business combination. If the carrying value of a reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, goodwill is deemed impaired and is written down to the extent of the difference. The Company estimates total fair value of the reporting unit using discounted cash flow analysis, and makes assumptions regarding future revenue, gross margins, working capital levels, tax and cash flows of the reporting unit. As of December 31, 2019, there was no event or any circumstance that the Company identified, which indicate that the fair value of the Company’s reporting unit was substantially lower than the respective carrying value.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.16 Goodwill (continued)

 

As of December 31, 2019, RMB100.9 million of the goodwill balance was reclassified as assets held for sale due to the Company’s divestiture of salvage car related business.

 

2.17 Long-term investments

 

In accordance with ASC 323 Investment—Equity Method and Joint Ventures, the Company accounts for an equity investment over which it has significant influence but does not own a majority of the equity interest or otherwise controls and the investments are either common stock or in substance common stock using the equity method. The Company’s share of the investee’s profit and loss is recognized in the earnings of the period.

 

Equity securities without readily determinable fair values are measured and recorded using a measurement alternative that measures the securities at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from qualifying observable price changes. Prior to fiscal 2018, these securities were accounted for using the cost method of accounting, measured at cost less other-than-temporary impairment.

 

The Group also invests in convertible redeemable securities. These securities are reported at fair value, classified and accounted for as available-for-sale debt securities in investment securities. The treatment of a decline in the fair value of an individual security is based on whether the decline is other-than-temporary. The Group assesses its available-for-sale debt securities for other-than-temporary impairment by considering factors including, but not limited to, its ability and intent to hold the individual security, severity of the impairment, expected duration of the impairment and forecasted recovery of fair value. Investments classified as available-for-sale debt securities are reported at fair value with unrealized gains or losses, if any, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income as a component of shareholders’ equity. If the Group determines a decline in fair value is other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the individual security is written down to fair value as a new cost basis and the amount of the write-down is accounted for as a realized loss charged in others, net in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. The fair value of the investment would not be adjusted for subsequent recoveries for increases in fair value.

 

2.18 Impairment of long-lived assets and intangible assets with definite lives

 

Long-lived assets including intangible assets with definite lives are assessed for impairment, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable in accordance with ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment. The Company measures the carrying amount of long-lived assets against the estimated undiscounted future cash flows associated with it. The impairment exists when the estimated undiscounted future cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset being evaluated. Impairment loss is calculated as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value. No impairment of long-lived assets was recognized for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

2.19 Deferred revenue

 

Deferred revenue mainly represents warranty program provided by the Company and the share of fee revenue earned by the appointed depositary of the Company. The warranty program includes a 6-month or 10,000 kilometer and 1-year or 20,000 kilometer warranty, covering both maintenance and all major structural components. As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the deferred revenue was RMB115.2 million and RMB54.3 million, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.20 Revenue recognition

 

Prior to the Divestiture Transactions occurred during 2019 and subsequent period in 2020 disclosed in Note 1, the Group used to primarily engage in operating used car e-commerce platforms through its mobile applications (Uxin Used Car / Uxin Auction) and websites (www.xin.com / www.youxinpai.com), facilitating used car transaction services (2B / 2C) and facilitating financing solutions offered by third-party financing partners to buyers for their used car purchases (2C). Revenues generated from these businesses were presented as three revenue streams as Transaction facilitation revenue and Loan facilitation revenue to consumers (2C), and Transaction facilitation revenue to business (2B). Meanwhile, the Group has been focusing more on the 2C cross-regional service business since second half of 2018. The cross-regional transactions mean transactions completed on the Company’s platform where the buyer completes the purchase of a car without having physically inspected the car on-site, which primarily comprise transactions where the buyer is located in a different city from which the car purchased. Whereas the 2C intra-regional transactions mainly include similar transactions when the consumers are located in the same city as where the cars are located.

 

Starting from the third quarter of 2019, given the divestiture of 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation service to Golden Pacer (Note 1), the Group modified its existing/surviving cross-regional service contract and no longer provides loan guarantee service. Therefore, 2C cross-regional business is renamed as Online used car transaction to consumers. Accordingly, the revenues generated from the Online used car transaction are renamed as 2C - Commission revenue, and value-added service revenue starting in the third quarter of 2019 and beyond. For the divestiture of 2C business, the Group presented the results as discontinued operations for the year of 2019 and all the prior comparable periods (Note 3).

 

Besides these two main revenue streams, the Group always has Other revenue generated from the other services and businesses throughout all periods.

 

The Group adopted ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” for all periods presented. Consistent with the criteria of Topic 606, the Group recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve that core principle, an entity should apply five steps defined under Topic 606. The Group assesses its revenue arrangements against specific criteria in order to determine if it is acting as principal or agent. Revenue arrangements with multiple performance obligations are divided into separate units of accounting. The Company considered appropriate method to allocate the transaction price to each performance obligations, based on the relative standalone selling prices of the services provided. In estimating the standalone selling price for the services that are not directly observable, the Company considered the suitable methods included in ASC 606-10-21-34, and determined the adjusted market assessment approach is the most appropriate method. When estimating the relative standalone selling prices, the Group considers selling prices of similar services. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of these promised services to a customer.

 

The Group, from time to time, provides incentives to consumers. These incentives are given in the form of discount coupon to consumers. As these incentives were provided without any distinct good or service in return, these incentives have been recorded as reduction of revenue, pursuant to the guidance under ASC 606.

 

Revenue is recorded net off cash incentives and value-added-tax collected from customers.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.20 Revenue recognition (continued)

 

Online used car transaction services

 

The Company’s online platform and offline infrastructure enable consumers to buy used cars online via online used car transaction services. The online used car transaction services help individual consumers complete their purchases of cars without having the consumers physically inspect the cars on-site, which primarily apply for the transactions when the consumers are located in different cities from where the cars are located. The Company’s offline infrastructure provides consumers with payment and settlement, delivery and fulfilment services (including logistics and delivery, title transfer and vehicle registration), and warranty services. The Company uses www.xin.com as its 2C online platform, which assists in publishing the used cars of car dealers (the “B”, the “Dealer” or the “Seller”) for consumers (the “C”, the “Consumer”, or the “Buyer”). The online used car business mainly includes three services as follows:

 

·                  Broker transaction (or commission-related service): The Company provides used car purchase assistance, used car inspection services, title transfer and title registration service, as well as logistics service during the purchase process. The Company charges the Consumer the commission fees based on agreed percentage of final car sales price;

 

·                  Value-added service: For the Consumers that have financing needs, the Company provides additional services to Consumers based on agreed amount or agreed percentages, including but not limited to the following:

 

1.              Channel service:

· Uxin provides advice on financial solutions and refer Consumers to financing platforms

· Uxin helps check the documents in relation to application of financial products prepared by Consumers

 

2.              Safety-guaranteed service:

· Uxin provides GPS purchase and installation service

· Uxin provides other assistances to Consumers if necessary, such as sharing the GPS trajectory when there is a car theft, etc.

 

3.              Mortgage service:

· Uxin assists in mortgage registration process if needed

· Uxin assists on the purchase of insurance policy offered by insurance company

 

·                  Warranty service: is provided for selected cars sold with Uxin’s authentication, e.g. for cars sold with “Uxin golden authentication”, the Group provides the Buyer with 30-day return due to significant issues that existed prior to deal close & 1-year or 20,000-kilemeter warranty service for qualified issues up to the car price; For cars sold with “Uxin silver authentication”, the Group provides the Buyer with 30-day return due to issues that existed prior to deal close & 6-month or 10,000-kilemeter warranty service for qualified issues up to RMB 20,000.

 

The Company determined the Consumer as customer of the online used car business in accordance with ASC 606, the Company collects the fees for both of the Broker transaction service and Value-added service from the Consumer, only. The Company may sell the Broker transaction service alone, but does not sell the Value-added service or warranty service individually or separately. These two services are sold together with the Commission-related service either separately or collectively. Each of these services is identified as one performance obligation. The Company allocates the transaction price to each of these performance obligations on a relative standalone selling price basis or market price, based on different type of the contract or combined contracts.

 

The Company recognizes both the Commission revenue from the Broker transaction service and the Value-added services upon the closing of car sale; For warranty service (6-month and 1-year types only), since the Consumer receives, consumes and benefits the warranty service simultaneously when the Company performs the service, therefore the Company recognizes the warranty revenue over the warranty period, i.e. 6-month or 1-year period. Revenue derives from value-added service and warranty service were collectively reported as Value-added service revenue on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.20 Revenue recognition (continued)

 

Others

 

Other revenue is mainly comprised of sales of commission of salvage cars sales, interest income of financial lease, etc.

 

In the third quarter in 2018, the Group started to provide funds in the form of financial lease agreements to selected Borrowers in addition to the financing facilitated by the Group for the purchase of the cars. In these arrangements, the Group is considered the originator of the financing and held such creditor’s rights. The Group generates interest income from these arrangements. Interest income is recognized over the financial lease period, taking into account of the principal outstanding and the effective interest rate over the period to maturity.

 

2C

 

Given the divestiture of the Group’s 2C intra-regional business and loan-facilitation related service, the Group presented the results of the these business as discontinued operation for the year of 2019 and all the prior comparable periods (Note 3) based on the following recognition policy:

 

The Company’s online platform and offline infrastructure facilitates used car dealers to list and sell its used cars to individual consumers via cross-regional service and intra-regional service. The Company started its cross-regional transaction facilitation service in the first quarter of 2018. The cross-regional transaction facilitation services help individual consumers complete their purchases of cars without having the consumers physically inspect the cars on-site, which primarily apply for the transactions when the consumers are located in different cities from where the cars are located; whereas intra-regional transaction facilitation services cater to local individual consumers. For each used car sold through intra-regional 2C business with financing solutions and each used car sold through cross-regional 2C business with or without financing solutions, the Company charges a transaction facilitation service fee to the consumer that equals the higher of a certain percentage of the price of the car and a minimum fee. The Company used to charge transaction facilitation service fees to car dealers for each used car sold through its intra-regional 2C business without financing solutions. Starting in the second half of 2018, to further facilitate market expansion, the Company gradually discontinued charging car dealers transaction facilitation service fees in intra-regional transactions without financing solutions. The transaction facilitation service fee is for services provided through its platform in connecting consumers with used car sellers, facilitating car sales to consumers and providing after-sale warranty. The Company’s offline infrastructure provides consumers with vehicle inspection, payment and settlement, delivery and fulfilment services, and warranty services. The Company has identified two performance obligations for these transactions—warranty services and other transaction facilitation services. The revenue relating to warranty services is deferred and recognized over the warranty period as the Company stands ready to perform during that period. Other than the warranty services provided, the transaction facilitation revenue is recognized at a point in time when the service is rendered, which occurs upon the completion of the successful transaction.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.20 Revenue recognition (continued)

 

2B

 

Given the divestiture of the Group’s entire 2B online used car auction business occurred in the first quarter of 2020, the Group presented the results of the 2B business as discontinued operation for the year of 2019 and all the prior comparable periods (Note 3) based on the following revenue recognition policy:

 

Launched in 2011, the Company’s 2B business, Uxin Auction (“优信拍”), caters to business buyers with a comprehensive suite of solutions, connecting businesses with one another across China, helping them source vehicles, optimizing their turnover and facilitating cross-regional transactions. Business sellers include used car dealers, 4S dealership, which are dealerships that are authorized to sell the products of a single brand of automobiles and provide key automobile-related services, car rental companies, auto manufactures and large corporation that may need to dispose of large fleets of used cars. Cars are sold through Uxin Auction through online auctions. The Group earns transaction facilitation income upon each successful close of an auction from buyers. Transaction facilitation income, which is a certain percentage of the selling price of the underlying car or a minimum amount is recognized at a point in time following the transfer of control of such services to the customer, which occurs upon the completion of a successful transaction. As the Company does not assume inventory risk for the used cars, it is considered to be an agent in accordance with ASC 606. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the transaction facilitation income when the performance obligation is satisfied.

 

Remaining performance obligations

 

Revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations represents that portion of the overall transaction price that has been received (or for which the Group has an unconditional right to payment) allocated to performance obligations that the Group has not yet fulfilled, which is presented as deferred revenue that has not yet been recognized. As of December 31, 2019, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations was RMB31.3 million, reflecting the Group’s remaining obligations. The Group expects to recognize approximately 100% of the revenue over the next 12 months.

 

2.21 Value-added-tax (“VAT”) and surcharges

 

The Company’s subsidiaries and VIEs are subject to value-added tax and related surcharges on the revenues earned for services provided in the PRC. The applicable value-added-tax rate for general VAT payers is set out in the following table.

 

Type of service 

 

Applicable VAT rate (%)

 

Commission

 

6

%

Value-added service

 

6

%

Other services

 

6

%

 

The surcharges (i.e. urban construction and maintenance tax, educational surtax, local educational surtax), vary from 5% to 12% of the value-added-tax depending on the tax payer’s location. The surcharges are recorded in the cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

2.22 Cost of revenues

 

Cost of revenues primarily consists of salaries and benefits expenses, cost of title transfer and registration, delivery and logistics cost, rental for transaction centers, platform maintenance cost, GPS tracking device costs, cost of warranty services provided, etc. Cost of revenues in relation to 2C intra-regional and loan facilitation related business and 2B related business was reclassified as discontinued operations.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.23 Sales and marketing expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits expenses for sales and marketing personnel, and advertising and promotion expenses. Advertising and promotion expenses primarily include branding advertisements, online traffic acquisition costs and costs incurred in other marketing activities. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and the total amounts charged to the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss amounted to approximately RMB27.6 million, RMB889.0 million and RMB443.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

2.24 Research and development expenses

 

Research and development expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits expenses, fees for outsourced technical services and depreciation of servers and computers relating to research and development.

 

All research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Software development costs required to be capitalized under ASC 350-40, Internal-Use Software, were not material to our consolidated financial statements.

 

2.25 General and administrative expenses

 

General and administrative expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits and share-based compensation for employees engaged in management and administration positions or involved in general corporate functions, office rental, professional service fees and depreciation.

 

2.26 Share-based compensation

 

The Company follows ASC 718 to determine whether a share option or a restricted share unit should be classified and accounted for as a liability award or equity award. All grants of share-based awards to employees and directors classified as equity awards are recognized in the financial statements based on their grant date fair values which are calculated using an option pricing model. The Company classifies the share-based awards granted to employees as equity award, and has elected to recognize compensation expense on share-based awards with service condition on a graded vesting basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period.

 

Under ASC 718, the Company applies the Binominal option pricing model in determining the fair value of options granted.

 

ASC 718 requires forfeiture rates to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates. Share-based compensation expense is recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recorded only for those share-based awards that are expected to vest.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.27 Taxation

 

Current income taxes are provided on the basis of net income for financial reporting purposes, adjusted for income and expense items which are not assessable or deductible for income tax purposes, in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions.

 

Deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements, net operating loss carries forwards and credits. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Current income taxes are provided in accordance with the laws of the relevant taxing authorities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted rates expected to apply to taxable income in which temporary differences are expected to be received or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of changes in tax rates is recognized in the statement of comprehensive loss in the period of the enactment of the change.

 

The Group considers positive and negative evidence when determining whether a portion or all of its deferred tax assets will more likely than not be realized. This assessment considers, among other matters, the nature, frequency and severity of current and cumulative losses, forecasts of future profitability, the duration of statutory carry-forward periods, its experience with tax attributes expiring unused, and its tax planning strategies. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon its ability to generate sufficient future taxable income within the carry-forward periods provided for in the tax law and during the periods in which the temporary differences become deductible. When assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, the Group has considered possible sources of taxable income including (i) future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, (ii) future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carry-forwards, (iii) future taxable income arising from implementing tax planning strategies, and (iv) specific known trend of profits expected to be reflected within the industry.

 

The Group recognizes a tax benefit associated with an uncertain tax position when, in its judgment, it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority. For a tax position that meets the-more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Group initially and subsequently measures the tax benefit as the largest amount that the Group judges to have a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority. The Group’s liability associated with unrecognized tax benefits is adjusted periodically due to changing circumstances, such as the progress of tax audits, case law developments and new or emerging legislation. Such adjustments are recognized entirely in the period in which they are identified. The Group’s effective tax rate includes the net impact of changes in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits and subsequent adjustments as considered appropriate by management. The Group classifies interest and penalties recognized on the liability for unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.28 Business combinations and non-controlling interests

 

The Company accounts for its business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with ASC 805 “Business Combinations.” The cost of an acquisition is measured as the aggregate of the acquisition date fair values of the assets transferred and liabilities incurred by the Company to the sellers and equity instruments issued. Transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition are expensed as incurred. Identifiable assets and liabilities acquired or assumed are measured separately at their fair values as of the acquisition date, irrespective of the extent of any non-controlling interests. The excess of (i) the total costs of acquisition, fair value of the non-controlling interests and acquisition date fair value of any previously held equity interest in the acquiree over (ii) the fair value of the identifiable net assets of the acquiree is recorded as goodwill. If the cost of acquisition is less than the fair value of the net assets of the subsidiary acquired, the difference is recognized directly in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. During the measurement period, which can be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

In a business combination achieved in stages, the Company remeasures the previously held equity interest in the acquire immediately before obtaining control at its acquisition date fair value and the remeasurement gain or loss, if any, is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

For the Company’s majority owned subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs, a non-controlling interest is recognized to reflect the portion of their equity which is not attributable, directly or indirectly, to the Company. When the non-controlling interest is contingently redeemable upon the occurrence of a conditional event, which is not solely within the control of the Company, the non-controlling interest is classified as mezzanine equity. Consolidated net loss on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss includes net loss attributable to non-controlling interests when applicable.

 

2.29 Loss per share

 

Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period using the two-class method. Under the two-class method, the net loss is allocated between ordinary shares and other participating securities based on their participating rights. Net loss is not allocated to other participating securities if based on their contractual terms they are not obligated to share in the loss. Diluted loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary and dilutive ordinary equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Ordinary equivalent shares consist of shares issuable upon the conversion of the preferred shares using the if-converted method, and shares issuable upon the exercise of share options using the treasury stock method. Ordinary equivalent shares are not included in the denominator of the diluted loss per share calculation when inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.30 Operating leases

 

The Company applied ASC 842, Leases, on January 1, 2019 on modified retrospective basis and has elected not to recast comparative periods. The Company has elected the package of practical expedients on the adoption date, which allows the Company not to reassess (1) whether any expired or existing contracts as of the adoption date are or contain a lease, (2) lease classification for any expired or existing leases as of the adoption date and (3) initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases. The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception. Operating leases are primarily for offices and stores and are included in Right-of-use assets, net, Operating lease liabilities, current and Operating lease liabilities, non-current on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. Right-of-use assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and Operating lease liabilities represent obligation to make lease payment arising from the lease. The operating lease right of use assets and liabilities are recognized at lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payment over the lease term. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at lease commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The right of use assets also includes any lease payments made. The Company’s lease term may include options to extend or terminate the lease. Renewal options are considered within the operating lease right of use assets and liabilities when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

 

For operating lease with a term of one year or less, the Company has elected to not recognize a lease liability or lease right of use asset on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. Instead, it recognizes the lease payment as expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Short-term lease costs are immaterial to its Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. The Company has operating lease agreements with insignificant non-lease components and has elected the practical expedient to combine and account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component.

 

Upon the adoption of the new lease standard, on January 1, 2019, the Company recognized operating lease assets of RMB271.9 million and total operating lease liabilities of RMB257.5 million (including current liabilities of RMB55.1 million) on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. There was no impact to accumulated deficit at adoption.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.31 Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The amortized cost basis of financial assets should be reduced by expected credit losses to present the net carrying value in the financial statements at the amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on past events, historical experience, current conditions and forecasts that affect the collectability of the financial assets. Additionally, credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities should be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. For public business entities that are U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filers, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, including not-for-profit entities and employee benefit plans within the scope of Topics 960 through 965 on plan accounting, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. All entities may adopt the amendments in this Update earlier as of fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within these fiscal years. The Company will adopt this new guidance on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective transition approach. The guidance replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology with an expected credit loss model, which would mainly have impact on credit losses in connection with loans recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee liabilities and guarantee liabilities. In 2019, the FASB subsequently issued ASU 2019-04, ASU 2019-05, and ASU 2019-11, respectively, which contained updates to ASU 2016-13. The cumulative effect on the opening balance of accumulated deficit upon adoption of ASC326 would not be greater than RMB350.0 million.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04 Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350). Under the amendments in this Update, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Additionally, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The Board also eliminated the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. A public business entity that is a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filer, other than smaller reporting companies (SRCs), should adopt the amendments in this Update for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. All other entities, including not-for-profit entities, that are adopting the amendments in this Update should do so for their annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company will adopt this new guidance on January 1, 2020 and will apply the revised impairment model for all goodwill impairment tests within that fiscal year. The Company has determined that the impact of this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements is not expected to be material.

 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13 Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework — Changes to the Disclosure Requirement for Fair Value Measurement, which eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements as part of the FASB’s disclosure framework project. The new guidance is effective for the fiscal years and interim reporting periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for the adoption of either the entire ASU or only the provisions that eliminate or modify the requirements. The Company has determined that the impact of this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements is not expected to be material.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

 

2.31 Recent Accounting Pronouncements (continued)

 

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 - Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This ASU provides an exception to the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. This update also (1) requires an entity to recognize a franchise tax (or similar tax) that is partially based on income as an income-based tax and account for any incremental amount incurred as a non-income-based tax, (2) requires an entity to evaluate when a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill should be considered part of the business combination in which goodwill was originally recognized for accounting purposes and when it should be considered a separate transaction, and (3) requires that an entity reflect the effect of an enacted change in tax laws or rates in the annual effective tax rate computation in the interim period that includes the enactment date. The standard is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

3. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

 

Divestiture of 2C intra-regional business and loan-facilitation related service

 

On July 12, 2019 and September 30, 2019, the Company entered into a binding term sheet and definitive agreements with Golden Pacer relating to the divestiture of its entire 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service, respectively. On April 23, 2020, the Company entered into supplemental agreements with Golden Pacer to modify and supplement certain terms and conditions in connection with the divestiture. Pursuant to the series of agreements, the Company has divested its entire 2C intra-regional business to Golden Pacer and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee starting from the fourth quarter of 2019.

 

Results of the discontinued operations of 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service were as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To consumers (“2C”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transaction facilitation revenue

 

230,250

 

481,055

 

391,447

 

Loan facilitation revenue

 

944,406

 

1,568,705

 

1,141,981

 

Total revenues

 

1,174,656

 

2,049,760

 

1,533,428

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

(478,137

)

(427,548

)

(296,347

)

Gross profit

 

696,519

 

1,622,212

 

1,237,081

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

(1,758,892

)

(1,010,446

)

(1,018,483

)

Research and development

 

(201,082

)

(185,488

)

(155,168

)

General and administrative

 

(99,361

)

(504,066

)

(486,098

)

Gains/(losses) from guarantee liabilities

 

444

 

2,483

 

(168,212

)

Total operating expenses

 

(2,058,891

)

(1,697,517

)

(1,827,961

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

(1,362,372

)

(75,305

)

(590,880

)

Interest income, net

 

(32,218

)

(81,128

)

(14,355

)

Other expenses, net

 

(12,552

)

(14,965

)

(4,468

)

Foreign exchange gain

 

1,104

 

 

534

 

Loss from discontinued operations before income tax expense

 

(1,406,038

)

(171,398

)

(609,169

)

Income tax expense

 

(359

)

(12,941

)

(2,992

)

Net loss from discontinued operations

 

(1,406,397

)

(184,339

)

(612,161

)

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

3. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)

 

Divestiture of 2C intra-regional business and loan-facilitation related service (continued)

 

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company transferred the legal titles of assets and liabilities in relation to the historically-facilitated loans for XW bank to Golden Pacer as one of the pre-closing conditions with no consideration exchanged. The transaction contemplated under the definitive and supplemental agreements was closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements on April 23, 2020. Due to the legal titles of the assets and liabilities being transferred prior to year-end of 2019 while the transaction was not closed yet, these pre-transferred assets and liabilities were reclassified on a net basis under the name of “Net asset transferred” as of December 31, 2019.

 

The related assets and liabilities classified as held for sale of 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service as of December 31, 2018 were as follows:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

 

 

RMB

 

Asset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restricted cash

 

1,001,325

 

Total asset held for sale

 

1,001,325

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guarantee liabilities

 

174,828

 

Deposit for interest collected from consumers and payable to financing partners - current

 

168,596

 

Total current liabilities

 

343,424

 

 

 

 

 

Deposit for interest collected from consumers and payable to financing partners - non-current

 

10,386

 

Total non-current liabilities

 

10,386

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities held for sale

 

353,810

 

 

The cash flow summary of the discontinued operations of 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service were as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(1,526,122

)

(808,893

)

(821,185

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(2,491

)

(4,642

)

(187

)

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

3. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)

 

Divestiture of 2B business

 

On March 24, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to sell its 2B online used car auction business.

 

Results of the discontinued operations of 2B business were as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transaction Facilitation Revenue

 

467,583

 

606,599

 

283,711

 

Cost of revenues

 

(176,916

)

(292,595

)

(157,653

)

Gross profit

 

290,667

 

314,004

 

126,058

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

(264,919

)

(187,811

)

(120,082

)

Research and development

 

(24,928

)

(19,429

)

(13,629

)

General and administrative

 

(73,397

)

(108,949

)

(42,636

)

Total operating expenses

 

(363,244

)

(316,189

)

(176,347

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from discontinued operations

 

(72,577

)

(2,185

)

(50,289

)

 

Assets and liabilities classified as held for sale of 2B business were as follows:

 

 

 

December 31,
2018

 

December 31,
2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advance from buyers collected on behalf of sellers

 

105,456

 

50,396

 

Other payables and accruals

 

69,232

 

60,525

 

Total liabilities held for sale

 

174,688

 

110,921

 

 

The condensed cash flows of the discontinued operations of 2B business were as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used generated from/(used in) operating activities

 

27,897

 

(20,699

)

2,338

 

Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities

 

(17,206

)

(40,180

)

1,159

 

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

4. BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

During the periods presented, the Company completed several transactions to acquire controlling shares to enrich its products and to expand its business. The Company makes estimates and judgments in determining the fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities, based in part on independent appraisal reports as well as its experience with purchasing similar assets and liabilities in similar industries. The amount excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired is recorded as goodwill. The major acquisitions during the periods presented are as follows:

 

Acquisition of Beijing Youxin Chefang Automotive Technical Service Co., Ltd. (“Chefang”)

 

Chefang is a company that engages in services related to car maintenance. In order to enhance the service quality to consumers, on October 8, 2015, the Company acquired 26% ordinary equity interests in Chefang with the consideration of RMB10 million. On September 28, 2016, the Company paid RMB10 million with which the acquired ordinary equity interests in Chefang increased to 40.96%. On May 31, 2017, the Company acquired further 10.04% ordinary equity interest in Chefang with the consideration of RMB3 million in cash and obtained the power to control Chefang with the accumulated acquired ordinary equity interests stepped up to 51%. These investments were accounted for under equity method due to significant influence the Group has over Chefang until the control was obtained and the investments were in the form of ordinary shares. The goodwill recognized for the acquisition was RMB7.8 million. The Group also recognized a gain of RMB3.9 million upon the acquisition of the remeasurement of previously held equity interests. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company acquired further 49% ordinary equity interest in Chefang with the consideration of RMB 2.0 million in cash and controlled Chefang with the accumulated acquired ordinary equity interests stepped up to 100%. RMB3.7 million goodwill impairment was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

Acquisition of Baogu Vehicle Technology Service (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“Baogu”)

 

In order to enhance the service quality to consumers, in June 2015, the Company acquired 30% ordinary shares of Baogu, a vehicle warranty service provider, and accounted for the investment using equity method. The purchase consideration was RMB12.2 million. In August 2017, the Company acquired the remaining 70% ordinary shares of Baogu with consideration of RMB4 million in cash and obtained the power to control Baogu. The investment in the first 30% of ordinary shares of Baogu was accounted for under equity method due to significant influence the Group had over Baogu until the Group obtained control of Baogu. The goodwill recognized from the acquisition was RMB4.2 million. The Group also recognized a gain of RMB1.3 million upon the acquisition of the remeasurement of previously held equity interests.

 

The results of the acquired entities’ operations have been included in continuing operation in the Company’s consolidated financial statements since their respective dates of acquisition.

 

Acquisition of Zhejiang Dongwang Internet Technology Co., Ltd. (“Dongwang”) and Fairlubo Auction Company Limited (“Fairlubo”)

 

In addition to the above mentioned business transactions, the Company acquired Fairlubo in 2015 and Dongwang in 2018, both of which engage in salvage car related business. Dongwang and Fairlubo along with goodwill of RMB100.9 million resulted from their acquisition will be divested in 2020 (Note 1) and reclassified as held for sale assets as of December 31, 2019 in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

5. ADVANCE TO CONSUMERS ON BEHALF OF FINANCING PARTNERS

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advance to consumers on behalf of financing partners

 

521,908

 

2,135

 

 

The Group facilitated loans extended by third-party financing partners to consumers through their online platform before the fourth quarter of 2019. The third-party financing partners provided all the funds for the consumer loans, while the Group provided services to facilitate such financing transactions. Pursuant to the cooperation agreements entered into with third-party financing partners, for the purpose of registering the collateral over the car purchased by consumers with relevant government authorities, the Group advanced the funds needed to purchase the car to the consumer on financing partners’ behalf to the applicable car dealers directly. The third-party financing partners paid the corresponding amounts to the Group as agreed in the corporation agreements. Since the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company ceased to provide loan facilitation related services and no longer advanced funds to consumers on behalf of financing partners.

 

The balance of RMB2.1million as of December 31, 2019 have been subsequently paid by financing partners.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

6. LOAN RECOGNIZED AS A RESULT OF PAYMENT UNDER THE GUARANTEE

 

The third-party financing partners offer financing solutions to the Borrowers and the Group is required to provide a guarantee. In the event of a payment default from the Borrower, the Group is required to repay the monthly installment or full amount of outstanding loan to the financing partner as the guarantor. As such, the Group recognized loan receivables as a result of payment under the guarantee deducted by an allowance to its expected recoverable amounts in the consolidated balance sheets.

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee

 

810,327

 

2,343,586

 

Less: allowance for doubtful accounts

 

(256,639

)

(763,122

)

 

 

553,688

 

1,580,464

 

 

The movement of allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 was as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of the year

 

(7,222

)

(189,305

)

(256,639

)

Addition

 

(184,586

)

(257,953

)

(398,167

)

Provision for credit losses (i)

 

(36,474

)

(37,961

)

(255,105

)

Write-off

 

15,606

 

37,757

 

 

Bought out by certain non-bank financing institutions without recourse

 

 

85,560

 

 

Payments from the borrowers or other recoveries

 

23,371

 

105,263

 

146,789

 

Ending of the year

 

(189,305

)

(256,639

)

(763,122

)

 


(i) Due to the impact of a series of regulations governing lending and debt collection promulgated by relevant authorities in the fourth quarter of 2019, the performance of the loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee has been adversely affected, and significant provision for additional credit losses was incurred in the fourth quarter of 2019, taking into the consideration of credit grades, vehicle collateral repossession and residual value of vehicle collateral.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

6. LOAN RECOGNIZED AS A RESULT OF PAYMENT UNDER THE GUARANTEE (CONTINUED)

 

The Company relies on the consumers’ credit history, loan-to-value ratio and other certain application information to evaluate and rank their risk on an ongoing basis. The credit grades represent the relative likelihood of repayment. Customers assigned a grade of “Normal” are determined to have the highest probability of repayment, customers assigned a grade of “Attention” are determined to have a lower probability of repayment, and customers assigned a grade of “Secondary” are determined to have a lowest probability of repayment. Loan performance is reviewed on a recurring basis to identify whether the assigned grades adequately reflect the customers’ likelihood of repayment.

 

The balance of loan recognized as result of payment under the guarantee by grade of monitored credit risk quality indicator as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 were listed as below:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normal

 

286,644

 

807,023

 

Attention

 

229,474

 

1,156,067

 

Secondary

 

294,209

 

380,496

 

 

 

810,327

 

2,343,586

 

 

Loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee of RMB 435.3 million was pledged as collateral for long-term borrowings of RMB8.0 million and current portion of long-term borrowings of RMB152.3 million (Note 14).

 

7. ADVANCE TO SELLERS

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advance to sellers

 

692,714

 

288,550

 

 

When facilitating used car transaction, the Group connects the sellers and buyers and provides service in relation to the cash flow remittance, for example, the Group collects the cash from buyers and remits to sellers. The balance represents the prepayments to sellers by the Group. No allowance of advance to sellers was provided at December 31, 2018 and 2019, since no collection issues occurred in the past.

 

F-46


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

8. OTHER RECEIVABLES, NET

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deposits in non-bank financing partners (i)

 

502,550

 

294,763

 

Rental and other deposits

 

77,902

 

89,761

 

Staff advance

 

55,652

 

28,080

 

Receivables from third-party payment settlement platform

 

34,787

 

7,143

 

Others

 

42,970

 

26,428

 

 

 

713,861

 

446,175

 

Less: allowance for doubtful accounts

 

(6,457

)

(6,119

)

 

 

707,404

 

440,056

 

 


(i) In relation with the Company’s historically-facilitated loans for non-banking financial institutions, which were not transferred to Golden Pacer during the divestiture of loan facilitation related business (Note 3), the Company, as the guarantor, is required to deposit a separate guarantee fund with those financial institutions.

 

The movement of allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 was as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of year

 

(269

)

(272

)

(6,457

)

Addition

 

(3

)

(23,608

)

(1,411

)

Write-off

 

 

17,423

 

 

Reclassified as assets held for sale

 

 

 

1,749

 

At the ending of year

 

(272

)

(6,457

)

(6,119

)

 

9. PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VAT-input deductible

 

64,237

 

74,746

 

Prepaid non-banking financing partners service fees

 

26,295

 

21,335

 

Prepaid rental expense

 

46,581

 

16,560

 

Prepaid consulting and professional service fees

 

37,236

 

13,124

 

Prepaid marketing expense

 

218,145

 

12,627

 

Others

 

24,820

 

20,516

 

 

 

417,314

 

158,908

 

 

F-47


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

10. FINANCIAL LEASE RECEIVABLES

 

Financial lease receivables include dealer inventory financing receivables and receivables generated from finance lease arrangements entered into with consumers.

 

The following table presents financial lease receivables as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial lease receivables due from car dealers

 

239,854

 

130,631

 

Less: allowance for doubtful accounts

 

 

(16,390

)

 

 

239,854

 

114,241

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial lease receivables due from consumers

 

61,547

 

14,346

 

Less: allowance for doubtful accounts

 

(6,890

)

(6,767

)

 

 

54,657

 

7,579

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial lease receivables, net

 

294,511

 

121,820

 

 

The following present the aging of past-due financial lease receivables as of December 31, 2018:

 

 

 

1-90 days

 

Above 90 days

 

Total past due

 

Current

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial lease receivables due from car dealers

 

 

 

 

239,854

 

239,854

 

Financial lease receivables from consumers

 

 

7,748

 

7,748

 

53,799

 

61,547

 

 

 

 

7,748

 

7,748

 

293,653

 

301,401

 

 

The following presents the aging of past-due financial lease receivables as of December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

1-90 days

 

Above 90 days

 

Total past due

 

Current

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial lease receivables due from car dealers

 

1,510

 

14,628

 

16,138

 

114,493

 

130,631

 

Financial lease receivables due from consumers

 

 

6,767

 

6,767

 

7,579

 

14,346

 

 

 

1,510

 

21,395

 

22,905

 

122,072

 

144,977

 

 

F-48


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

10. FINANCIAL LEASE RECEIVABLES (CONTINUED)

 

The movement of allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 was as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of year

 

(2,624

)

(4,225

)

(6,890

)

Provision for credit losses

 

(1,601

)

(2,665

)

(16,267

)

At the ending of year

 

(4,225

)

(6,890

)

(23,157

)

 

The following lists the components of the net investment in financial lease receivables due from car dealers and consumers as of December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total minimum lease payments to be received

 

303,273

 

146,006

 

Less: allowance for uncollectibles

 

(6,890

)

(23,157

)

Net minimum lease payments receivable

 

296,383

 

122,849

 

Less: unearned income

 

(1,872

)

(1,029

)

Net investment

 

294,511

 

121,820

 

 

11. PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE, NET

 

Property, equipment and software, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost

 

 

 

 

 

Leasehold improvement

 

147,704

 

155,548

 

Computer equipment

 

194,513

 

155,419

 

Software

 

23,500

 

26,031

 

Furniture

 

19,611

 

23,491

 

Vehicle and motor

 

12,220

 

6,553

 

Construction in progress

 

13,629

 

4,763

 

Total property, equipment and software

 

411,177

 

371,805

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

 

 

 

Leasehold improvement

 

(100,269

)

(142,774

)

Computer equipment

 

(90,134

)

(99,358

)

Software

 

(6,523

)

(8,453

)

Furniture

 

(8,037

)

(8,311

)

Vehicle and motor

 

(6,943

)

(2,795

)

Total accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

(211,906

)

(261,691

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net book value

 

199,271

 

110,114

 

 

F-49


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

11. PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE, NET (CONTINUED)

 

The total amounts charged to the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for depreciation and amortization expenses amounted to approximately RMB68.2 million, RMB88.8 million and RMB88.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

12. INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

 

Acquired intangible assets, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplier relationship

 

18,200

 

 

Software copyright

 

7,000

 

 

Others

 

10,002

 

3,490

 

Total intangible assets

 

35,202

 

3,490

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less: amortization

 

(14,023

)

(3,300

)

Net book value

 

21,179

 

190

 

 

A total net book value of RMB12.3 million intangible assets related with salvage car business, mainly including supplier relationship, software copyright, was reclassified to assets held for sale as of December 31, 2019. The total amounts charged to the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for amortization expenses amounted to approximately RMB3.7 million, RMB5.6 million and RMB6.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

The annual estimated amortization expense for intangible assets subject to amortization for the remaining two years is as follows:

 

 

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

2020

 

154

 

2021

 

36

 

 

 

190

 

 

F-50


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

13. LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS

 

The Group’s long-term investments consist of the following:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available-for-sales debt security investment

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Inc.

 

41,179

 

41,857

 

Less: impairment

 

 

(37,775

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

(968

)

 

 

41,179

 

3,114

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity method investments

 

 

 

 

 

Jincheng Consumer Finance (Sichuan) Co., Ltd. (“Jincheng”)

 

236,642

 

263,792

 

Beijing Gangjian Shoubao Cultural Media Center LLP

 

 

4,500

 

Weiche Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Weiche”)

 

2,006

 

1,530

 

 

 

238,648

 

269,822

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measurement alternative method investments

 

 

 

 

 

ClearVue Pony Holdings Limited. (“ClearVue Pony”)

 

68,632

 

 

Bai’an Online Property Insurance Co., Ltd. (“Bai’an”)

 

1,423

 

 

 

 

70,055

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total long-term investments

 

349,882

 

272,936

 

 

Major investments of the Company during the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 are summarized as follows:

 

Investment accounted for as available-for-sale debt security investment

 

Investment in Orange Inc.

 

In June 2017, the Group subscribed convertible preferred shares of Orange Inc., a technology company, for a consideration of US$6 million. The Group’s investment represented 10.26% of the equity interests, on an if-converted basis. The preferred shares were not considered in-substance ordinary shares as they provide substantive redemption rights, liquidation rights and fixed dividends to the Group, which are not available to ordinary shareholders. Thus the investment was classified as an available-for-sale investment in debt securities. As Orange Inc. incurred continuous losses starting from 2019 and began to liquidate the business in June 2019, the Company recorded other-than-temporary impairment of US$ 5.6 million (equivalent to RMB 38.7 million) as of December 31, 2019.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

13. LONG-TERM INVESMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

Investments accounted for using equity method

 

Investment in Jincheng

 

In September 2017, the Company invested in Jincheng, a professional consumer financial service company. The Company acquired 19% ordinary equity interest with a total consideration of RMB 233.0 million. The Company exercises significant influence in Jincheng and therefore accounts for this as a long-term investment using equity method. In 2019, dividends of RMB 4.4 million was received from Jincheng.

 

Investment in Beijing Gangjian Shoubao Cultural Media Center LLP

 

In April 2019, the Company invested in Beijing Gangjian Shoubao Cultural Media Center LLP, focusing on advertising and media business. The Company is one of the limited partners and does not have control of the partnership. The investee has not started to operate yet.

 

Investment in Weiche

 

In May 2018, the Company invested in Weiche, a professional information technology company focusing on technology development and technology consulting service. The Company acquired 40% ordinary equity interest with a total consideration of RMB 3 million. The Company exercises significant influence in Weiche and therefore accounts for this as a long-term investment using equity method.

 

Investments accounted for using a measurement alternative

 

The Group does not have significant influence over these equity investments which do not have readily determinable market value, and therefore accounted for these investments using a measurement alternative.

 

Investment in ClearVue Pony

 

The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Xin Limited entered into an agreement with ClearVue Partner II, L.P to establish ClearVue Pony to invest in Pony AI, a technology company focusing on automobiles pilotless system. After the transaction, the Company held 23.8% ownership with a consideration of US$10 million. Since the Company did not appoint Board member in ClearVue Pony and could not exercise significant influence, this investment accounted for as long-term investment using measurement alternative. In April 2019, the Company disposed the investment for a total cash consideration of US$16 million, with a net investment gain of US$4.3 million (equivalent to RMB29.5 million) recorded in gains from disposal of long-term investment, net on the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss.

 

Investment in Bai’an

 

In April 2019, the Company disposed the investment in Bai’an for a total cash consideration of RMB0.2 million, with the investment loss of RMB1.2 million recorded in gain from disposal of long-term investment, net on the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss.

 

F-52


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

14. SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM BORROWINGS

 

The following table presents short-term and long-term borrowings from commercial banks or other institutions as of December 31, 2018 and 2019. Short-term borrowings include borrowings with maturity terms shorter than one year and the current portion of the long-term borrowings.

 

Funding Partners

 

Fixed annual
interest rate

 

Term

 

December 31,
2018

 

December 31,
2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term borrowings

 

8.2%

 

within 12 months

 

325,715

 

111,122

 

Current portion of long-term borrowings

 

5.9%-9.8%

 

mature in 2020

 

298,873

 

152,303

 

Long-term borrowings

 

5.0%-6.7%

 

2 - 4 years

 

481,801

 

241,026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,106,389

 

504,451

 

 

Long-term borrowings of RMB8.0 million and current portion of long-term borrowings of RMB152.3 million were secured by loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee of RMB435.3 million as at December 31, 2019 (Note 6).

 

Short-term borrowings of RMB 111.1 million were secured by financial lease receivable — car dealers of RMB 130.6 million (Note 10).

 

The weighted average interest rate for the outstanding borrowings was approximately 6.5% and 6.1% as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

15. GUARANTEE LIABILITIES

 

The movement of guarantee liabilities was as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at the beginning of the year

 

76,325

 

173,907

 

321,255

 

Fair value of guarantee liabilities upon the inception of new guarantees

 

284,452

 

403,370

 

405,084

 

Guarantee settled

 

(184,586

)

(257,953

)

(398,167

)

(Gains)/losses from guarantee liabilities

 

(2,284

)

1,931

 

362,597

 

Reclassified as liabilities held for sale (Note 3)

 

(33,802

)

(174,828

)

 

Net assets transferred (Note 3)

 

 

 

(302,462

)

Balance at the end of the year

 

140,105

 

146,427

 

388,307

 

 

Pursuant to the series of agreements with Golden Pacer, the Company ceased to provide loan facilitation related business starting from the fourth quarter of 2019. The remaining balances of guarantee liabilities as of December 31, 2019 are related to the guarantee obligations associated with the portion of the Company’s historically-facilitated loans which were not transferred to Golden Pacer during the divestiture of the Company’s loan facilitation related business (Note 3). The Company is also actively seeking appropriate solutions to properly settle and relieve itself from the remaining guarantee obligations to mitigate any relevant compliance risk associated with the newly promulgated laws and regulations, including the most recent Financing Guarantee Circular 37 promulgated in October 2019.

 

The terms of the guarantee range from 2 years to 4 years, as of December 31, 2019.

 

F-53


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

16. DEPOSIT OF INTERESTS FROM CONSUMERS AND PAYABLE TO FINANCING PARTNERS

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deposit of interests from consumers and payable to financing partners

 

333,587

 

42,464

 

Less: current portion

 

(314,231

)

(42,199

)

Non-current portion

 

19,356

 

265

 

 

The Group facilitates loans extended by third-party financing partners to consumers through online platform. The third-party financing partners provide all the funds for the consumer loans, while the Group provides services to facilitate such financing transactions, including collection of interest deposits from the consumers at inception. The interest deposit approximates all the interest throughout the life of the loan. The balance represents the interest deposits from the consumers and subsequently payable to the financing partners. Since the second quarter of 2018, the Group ceased the practice of collecting interest on behalf of the financing partners, and the down payments made by the consumers no longer include deposits of interest.

 

As part of the transaction with Golden Pacer, the legal title of deposit of interest from consumers and payable to financing partners related with XW bank was transferred to Golden Pacer in the fourth quarter of 2019 (Note 3). Total amount was RMB45.7 million. The remaining balance as of December 31, 2019 represents the interest deposits payable to the remaining financing partners that were not part of the Golden Pacer transaction.

 

17. ADVANCE FROM BUYERS COLLECTED ON BEHALF OF SELLERS

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advance from buyers collected on behalf of sellers

 

270,347

 

147,923

 

 

When facilitating used car transaction, the Group connects sellers and buyers and provides service in relation to the cash flow remittance, for example, the Group collects the cash from buyers and remits to sellers. The balance represents the advance payments collected from buyers, which are subsequently paid to sellers in a short period of time.

 

18. OTHER PAYABLES AND ACCRUALS

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued advertising expenses

 

407,557

 

373,563

 

Accrued service fee for transaction support

 

14,151

 

233,970

 

Accrued salaries and benefits

 

185,597

 

150,465

 

Installments collected on behalf of financing partners

 

46,445

 

138,080

 

Tax payables

 

102,324

 

104,496

 

Accrued service fee for IT and office support

 

101,833

 

98,371

 

Deposits

 

137,844

 

77,709

 

Contract liabilities

 

9,704

 

27,025

 

Interest payable

 

61,434

 

25,447

 

Others

 

61,179

 

73,166

 

 

 

1,128,068

 

1,302,292

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

19. CONVERTIBLE NOTES

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 Notes

 

1,201,060

 

 

2020 Notes

 

 

330,934

 

2021 Notes

 

 

34,998

 

2024 Notes

 

 

1,638,485

 

Less: debt issuance cost

 

(12,868

)

(6,977

)

 

 

1,188,192

 

1,997,440

 

 

Description of 2019 Notes

 

On June 9, 2018, the Company entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement with CNCB (Hong Kong) Investment Limited (the “CNCB (Hong Kong)”), a company incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong. CNCB (Hong Kong) agreed to purchase convertible notes from the Company in the total principal amount of US$100 million (equivalent to RMB 686.3 million) bearing interest rate of 6% per annum. On June 12, 2018, the Company entered into the other Convertible Note Purchase Agreement with Golden Fortune Company Limited (the “Golden Fortune”), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and whose investment manager is ICBC Asset Management (Global) Company Limited. Golden Fortune agreed to purchase convertible notes from the Company in the total principal amount of US$75 million (equivalent to RMB 514.7 million) bearing interest rate of 6.5% per annum. Both of convertible notes (the “Notes”) would mature in 363 days since the offering date. CNCB (Hong Kong) and Golden Fortune may elect to convert their respective Notes into Class A ordinary shares from the 181st day after June 27, 2018 with conversion price per ordinary shares equal to 109.5% and 108% of IPO price per ordinary share, respectively. These two notes are together called 2019 Notes. The Company repaid the 2019 Notes shortly before due at the end of June 2019.

 

The Company has accounted for the 2019 Notes as a single instrument. The value of the 2019 Notes is measured by the cash received. The Company recorded the interest expenses according to its annual interest rate. There was no BCF attribute to the 2019 Notes as the set conversion price for each of the Notes was greater than the fair value of the ordinary share at the date of the issuance.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

19. CONVERTIBLE NOTES (CONTINUED)

 

Description of 2020 Notes

 

On July 12, 2019, the Company entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with PacificBridget Diamond CB Fund 1 with an aggregate principal amount of US$ 6.2 million bearing interest rate of 10% per annum due on July 12, 2020 and US$ 14.4 million bearing interest rate of 11% per annum due on October 12, 2020. Debt issuance cost was US$ 0.4 million. The Company also entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with PacificBridget Diamond CB Fund 2 on the same day with an aggregate principal amount of US$ 1.5 million bearing interest rate of 10% per annum due on July 12, 2020 and US$ 2.7 million bearing interest rate of 11% per annum due on October 12, 2020. Debt issuance cost was US$ 0.1 million and is being amortized to interest expense. The Notes may be converted, at an initial conversion rate of 200.4 ADSs per US$1,000 principal amount of the Notes (which represents an initial conversion price of US$4.99 per ADS) upon maturity.

 

On August 16, 2019, the Company entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with PacificBridget Inner Circle Mezzanine 1 with an aggregate principal amount of US$ 6.58 million bearing interest rate of 10% per annum due on August 16, 2020. Debt issuance cost was US$ 0.1 million. The Company also entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with PacificBridget TMT Mezzanine 1 on the same day with an aggregate principal amount of US$ 7.93 million bearing interest rate of 11% per annum due on November 12, 2020. Debt issuance cost was US$ 0.2 million and is being amortized to interest expense. The Notes may be converted, at an initial conversion rate of 198.06 ADSs per US$1,000 principal amount of the Notes (which represents an initial conversion price of US$5.05 per ADS) upon maturity.

 

On October 10, 2019, the Company entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with PacificBridget Global Mezzanine 1 with an aggregate principal amount of US$ 5.77 million bearing interest rate of 10% per annum due on October 9, 2020. Debt issuance cost was US$ 0.1 million and is being amortized to interest expense. The Notes may be converted, at an initial conversion rate of 196.08 ADSs per US$1,000 principal amount of the Notes (which represents an initial conversion price of US$5.10 per ADS) upon maturity.

 

Above convertible notes together are called 2020 Notes.

 

Description of 2021 Notes

 

On November 18, 2019, the Company entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with PacificBridge Overseas Pionner 1 with an aggregate principal amount of US$ 4.92 million bearing interest rate of 11% per annum due on February 7, 2021. Debt issuance cost was US$ 0.1 million and is being amortized to interest expense. 2021 Notes may be converted, at an initial conversion rate of 196.1 ADSs per US$1,000 principal amount of the 2020 Notes (which represents an initial conversion price of US$5.10 per ADS) upon maturity.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

19. CONVERTIBLE NOTES (CONTINUED)

 

Description of 2024 Notes

 

The Company entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with affiliates of 58.com, Warburg Pincus, TPG and certain other investors on May 28, 2019, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$230 million on June 10, 2019 bearing 3.75% interest rate per annum due on June 9, 2024 (“2024 Notes”). Early redemption is permitted if requested by holders in advance in writing three years after June 9, 2019. 2024 Notes may be converted, at an initial conversion rate of 323.6246 ADSs per US$1,000 principal amount of the 2020 Notes (which represents an initial conversion price of US$3.09 per ADS) upon maturity.

 

The Company has accounted for the 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes and 2024 Notes as a single instrument each. The value of the 2020 Notes, 2021 Notes and 2024 Notes are measured by the cash received. The debt issuance cost was recorded as a reduction to the long-term debts and are amortized as interest expenses using the effective interest method.

 

20. OTHER OPERATING INCOME

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VAT in super deduction

 

 

 

1,925

 

 

From 2019, in accordance with “the Notice of Regulations on Deepening the Reform of Value-Added Tax Reform” and relevant government policies announced by the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and the General Administration of Customs of China, several subsidiaries of the Company, is allowed to enjoy additional 10% VAT-in deduction for any services it purchased (“VAT-in super deduction”) from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021. The VAT-in super deduction is considered as operating given that all VAT-in were derived from the purchases for that subsidiaries’ daily operations in nature, and therefore is presented in Other operating income in the Consolidation Statements of Comprehensive Loss.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

21. OPERATING LEASE

 

The Company has operating leases primarily for office and operation space. The Company’s operating lease arrangements have remaining terms of one year to nine years.

 

Supplemental consolidated balance sheet information related to leases were as follows:

 

 

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

Right-of-use assets

 

45,446

 

 

 

 

 

Operating lease liabilities - current

 

32,892

 

Operating lease liabilities — non-current

 

10,075

 

Total lease liabilities

 

42,967

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average remaining lease term

 

1.75

 

Weighted average discount rate

 

6.14

%

 

Total operating lease costs were RMB161.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, including RMB58.7 million recorded from continuing business and RMB102.6 million from discontinued operations. Total short-term lease cost were RMB75.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, including RMB10.6 million recorded from continuing business and RMB64.7 million from discontinued operations.

 

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases in both continuing and discontinued operations were as follows:

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities

 

134,071

 

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities

 

87,350

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

21. OPERATING LEASE (CONTINUED)

 

Maturities of lease liabilities are as follows:

 

 

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

2020

 

34,236

 

2021

 

8,668

 

2022

 

334

 

2023

 

334

 

2024

 

334

 

Thereafter

 

712

 

Total operating lease payments

 

44,618

 

Less: imputed interest

 

(1,651

)

Total lease liabilities

 

42,967

 

 

At December 31, 2018, minimum lease payments for operating leases under the previous lease standard (“ASC 840”) were as follows:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

102,057

 

2020

 

51,969

 

2021

 

30,392

 

2022

 

26,913

 

2023

 

23,203

 

Thereafter

 

110,980

 

Total operating lease payments

 

345,514

 

 

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, the Company recognized lease expense of RMB137.2 million and RMB201.8 million, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

22. RELATED PARTY BALANCES AND TRANSACTIONS

 

The table below sets forth the major related parties and their relationships with the Group as of December 31, 2019:

 

Name of related parties

 

Relationship with the Group

 

 

 

Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited (“Baidu”)

 

Preferred Shareholder of the Company before June 27, 2018 and Class A ordinary shareholder of the Company after June 27, 2018

Baogu

 

An associate of the Group before August 31, 2017

Shanghai Xiao Qing Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Xiao Qing”)

 

An associate of the Group

58.com

 

2024 Notes holder who appointed one of the Board members of the Company

 

Details of related party balances as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 and transactions for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were as follows:

 

Amounts due from related parties

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepaid advertising expenses

 

 

 

 

 

58.com

 

 

51,590

 

 

Transactions with related parties

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service provided by the related parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

58.com

 

 

 

47,054

 

Baidu

 

780

 

1,391

 

 

Baogu

 

10,747

 

 

 

Xiao Qing

 

1,503

 

 

 

 

 

13,030

 

1,391

 

47,054

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

23. INCOME TAX EXPENSE

 

Cayman Islands

 

Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company and its subsidiaries incorporated in the Cayman Islands are not subject to tax on income or capital gain. Additionally, the Cayman Islands does not impose a withholding tax on payments of dividends to shareholders.

 

British Virgin Islands

 

Under the current laws of the British Virgin Islands, entities incorporated in the British Virgin Islands are not subject to tax on their income or capital gains.

 

Hong Kong

 

Under the current Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance, the Group’s subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to 16.5% Hong Kong profit tax on its taxable income generated from operations in Hong Kong. Additionally, payments of dividends by the subsidiaries incorporated in Hong Kong to the Company are not subject to any Hong Kong withholding tax.

 

China

 

On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress of PRC enacted a new Corporate Income Tax Law (“new CIT law”), under which Foreign Investment Enterprises (“FIEs”) and domestic companies would be subject to corporate income tax at a uniform rate of 25%. The new CIT law became effective on January 1, 2008. Under the new CIT law, preferential tax treatments will continue to be granted to entities which conduct businesses in certain encouraged sectors and to entities otherwise classified as “High and New Technology Enterprises” or “Software Enterprises”.

 

Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Youfang (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. have been qualified as “high and new technology enterprise” and enjoys a preferential income tax rate of 15% from 2019 to 2021. Youxin Internet (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. has been qualified as “Software Enterprises” and enjoys the preferential period for preferential tax treatments shall be calculated from the profit-making year, and the enterprise was exempted from CIT in 2016 and 2017, and will be allowed a 50% tax reduction at a statutory rate of 25% in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

 

Tax holiday had no impact as there is no taxable profit for Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. , Youxin Internet (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Youfang (Beijing) Information Technology Co. for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

The Group’s other PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries are subject to the statutory income tax rate of 25%.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

23. INCOME TAX EXPENSE (CONTINUED)

 

Withholding tax on undistributed dividends

 

The new CIT Law also provides that an enterprise established under the laws of a foreign country or region but whose “actual management body” is located in the PRC be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes and consequently be subject to the PRC income tax at the rate of 25% for its global income. The Implementing Rules of the EIT Law merely define the location of the “actual management body” as “the place where the exercising, in substance, of the overall management and control of the production and business operation, personnel, accounting, property, etc., of a non-PRC company is located.” Based on a review of surrounding facts and circumstances, the Group does not believe that it is likely that its operations outside of the PRC should be considered a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes.

 

The new CIT law also imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by an FIE to its immediate holding company outside of China, if such immediate holding company is considered as a non-resident enterprise without any establishment or place within China or if the received dividends have no connection with the establishment or place of such immediate holding company within China, unless such immediate holding company’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. According to the arrangement between Mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion in August 2006, dividends paid by an FIE in China to its immediate holding company in Hong Kong will be subject to withholding tax at a rate of no more than 5% (if the foreign investor owns directly at least 25% of the shares of the FIE). The Company did not record any dividend withholding tax, as it has no retained earnings for any of the periods presented.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

23. INCOME TAX EXPENSE (CONTINUED)

 

Composition of income tax expense

 

The current and deferred portions of income tax expense included in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss during the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 are as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Current income tax (expense)/credit

 

(831

)

(2,751

)

876

 

- Deferred income tax credit

 

620

 

1,107

 

1,678

 

 

 

(211

)

(1,644

)

2,554

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discontinued operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Current income tax expense

 

(359

)

(12,941

)

(2,992

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total income tax expense

 

(570

)

(14,585

)

(438

)

 

Reconciliation of the differences between statutory tax rate and the effective tax rate

 

Reconciliation of the differences between the statutory EIT rate applicable to losses of the consolidated entities and the income tax expenses of the Company:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss before tax from continuing operations

 

(1,272,210

)

(1,352,748

)

(1,360,463

)

Loss before tax from discontinued operations

 

(1,478,615

)

(173,583

)

(659,458

)

Loss before tax

 

(2,750,825

)

(1,526,331

)

(2,019,921

)

Income tax computed at PRC statutory tax rate

 

(687,706

)

(381,583

)

(504,980

)

Effect of different tax rate

 

6,709

 

(21,369

)

42,085

 

Non-deductible expense

 

241,114

 

93,925

 

180,699

 

Change of valuation allowance

 

439,313

 

294,442

 

281,758

 

 

 

(570

)

(14,585

)

(438

)

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

23. INCOME TAX EXPENSE (CONTINUED)

 

Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities

 

The following table sets forth the significant components of the deferred tax assets:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

Net accumulated losses-carry forward

 

636,440

 

780,265

 

Deductible advertising expense

 

540,627

 

617,918

 

Provision for credit losses

 

 

67,843

 

Accruals

 

68,271

 

67,067

 

Allowance

 

6,915

 

918

 

Less: valuation allowance

 

(1,252,253

)

(1,534,011

)

Net deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Intangible assets arisen from business combinations

 

4,759

 

3,081

 

Reclassified to liabilities held for sale

 

 

(3,081

)

Net deferred tax liabilities

 

4,759

 

 

 

Movement of valuation allowance

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at beginning of the year

 

(518,498

)

(957,811

)

(1,252,253

)

Changes of valuation allowance

 

(439,313

)

(294,442

)

(281,758

)

Balance at end of the year

 

(957,811

)

(1,252,253

)

(1,534,011

)

 

As of December 31, 2019, the Group had net operating loss carries forwards of approximately RMB4,035.9 million which arose from the subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries established in the PRC. For Youxinpai (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd and Youfang (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. which have been qualified as “high and technology enterprise”, its loss carries forwards will expire from 2020 to 2029 according to newly issued Caishui 2018[78]. For all other remaining subsidiaries in China, the loss carries forwards will expire from 2020 to 2023.

 

A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the amount of deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that amount of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. In making such determination, the Group evaluates a variety of factors including the Group’s operating history, accumulated deficit, the existence of taxable temporary differences and reversal periods.

 

The Group has incurred net accumulated operating losses for income tax purposes since its inception. The Group believes that it is more likely than not that these net accumulated operating losses and other deferred tax assets will not be utilized in the future. Therefore, the Group has provided full valuation allowances for the deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

24. ORDINARY SHARES

 

As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, 10,000,000,000 ordinary shares had been authorized respectively. A total of 887,617,391 ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, consists of 846,807,530 Class A ordinary shares and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares, had been issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019. A total of 880,659,899 ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, consists of 839,850,038 Class A ordinary shares and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares, had been issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018. 40,809,861 ordinary shares were redesignated to Class B ordinary shares with super voting power (one share with ten votes) granted to Mr. Kun Dai, Founder and CEO of the Group, upon the completion of the IPO.

 

The Company issued and granted 17,742,890 restricted shares to Mr. Kun Dai on May 14, 2018. The restricted shares were vested immediately upon consummation of the IPO. On May 25, 2018, one of the Company’s executive officers exercised his vested stock options to acquire 3,333,330 ordinary shares of the Company. In addition, the Company also offered vesting acceleration to that executive officer’s 1,666,670 unvested stock options on May 25, 2018 and the executive officer also exercised such stock options to acquire 1,666,670 ordinary shares of the Company. Besides of which, certain option holders exercised their stock options and acquired 3,479,505 ordinary shares.

 

Immediately prior to the completion of the IPO, all classes of preferred shares of the Company were converted and redesignated as 743,343,820 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, all ordinary shares of the Company were redesignated as Class B ordinary share. Mr. Kun Dai, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the Company, will be deemed to beneficially own all of our issued Class B ordinary shares

 

On June 27, 2018, the Company completed its IPO on NASDAQ Global Select Market. The Company offered 75,000,000 Class A ordinary shares which represented 25,000,000 ADS.

 

Pursuant to an agreement entered into by the Company with Mr. Kun Dai and Xin Gao Group on May 28, 2018, Mr. Kun Dai and Xin Gao Group agreed to surrender and deliver 37,990,839 shares held by Xin Gao Group to the Company, and the Company agreed to accept these surrendered shares to settle all the outstanding principal and interest accrued of the loan due from Xin Gao Group, Mr. Kun Dai and Gao Li Group.

 

Fairlubo Share Swap represents the issuance of 13,026,713 Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of Fairlubo shares held by certain Fairlubo shareholders upon completion of this offering, at an initial public offering price of US$9.00 per ADS.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

25. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

 

On March 26, 2013, the Company adopted the 2013 Stock Incentive Plan (“2013 Plan”).

 

Under the 2013 Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors has approved that a maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards granted under the 2013 Plan shall be 34,275,990 shares. On November 13, 2015, the Company increased the maximum number of shares available for grants of awards to 40,942,650. On April 20, 2016, the Company increased the maximum number of shares available to 65,000,000.

 

On February 14, 2018, the Company adopted the 2018 Amended and Restated Share Incentive Plan (“2018 Plan”) and replaced 2013 Plan. Under the 2018 Plan, the Company increased the maximum number of shares available to 87,742,890.

 

On November 19, 2018, the Company amended and restated the 2018 Plan, and renamed it 2018 Second Amended and Restated Incentive Plan (“2018 Second Plan”). Under the 2018 Second Plan, the Company increased the maximum number of shares available to 102,040,053.

 

Stock options granted to an employee under the 2018 Second Plan are generally be exercisable upon the Company completes a Qualified IPO or a defined Corporate Transaction (i.e. change of control, etc.) and the employee renders service to the Company in accordance with a stipulated service schedule. Employees are generally subject to a four-year service schedule, under which an employee earns an entitlement to vest in 25% of his option grants at the end of each year of completed service.

 

For the Company’s key management grantee, the vested stock options granted could be retained and be exercised until the earlier of (i) any day commencing from the day that is six (6) months prior to the anticipated consummation of an IPO, or (ii) the day immediately prior to the consummation of a Corporate Transaction before March 26, 2023. For the Company’s employee grantee, prior to the Company completes a Qualified IPO or Corporate Transaction, the stock options granted to the employee shall be forfeited three months after termination of employment of the employee. The Company’s key management, management and employee grantees are collectively hereafter referred to as “Grantees”.

 

The Company accounted for the share based compensation costs using an acceleration method over the requisite service period for the award based on the fair value on their respectively grant date.

 

Option modification

 

On September 22, 2019, the Company’s board of directors approved a reduction in the exercise price for all outstanding options previously granted by the Company with any exercise prices which were higher than US$1.03 per ordinary share, up to US$3.00 per ordinary share, to US$1.03 per ordinary share, provided that any participating option holder agrees to amendment in the number of shares subject to his or her option as determined by the plan administrator. The Company accounted for this reduction as a share option modification which required the remeasurement of these share options at the time of the modification. The total incremental cost as a result of the modification was US$4.1 million. The incremental cost related to vested options amounted to US$2.1 million and was recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss in the year ended December 31, 2019. The incremental cost related to unvested options amounted to US$2.0 million and will be recorded over the remaining service period.

 

The Company granted 12,819,330, 25,224,000 and 4,247,500 stock options to Grantees for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

25. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (CONTINUED)

 

The following table sets forth the stock options activity for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019:

 

 

 

Number of
shares

 

Weighted-
average
exercise price

 

Weighted average
remaining
contractual term

 

Aggregate
intrinsic
value

 

Weighted
average fair
value of
options

 

 

 

 

 

US$

 

 

 

000’US$

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of January 1, 2017

 

31,572,960

 

0.45

 

8.02

 

57,467.59

 

0.85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

12,819,330

 

2.13

 

 

 

1.72

 

Forfeited

 

(3,146,130

)

1.31

 

 

 

1.06

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017

 

41,246,160

 

0.90

 

7.53

 

147,427.66

 

1.10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

25,224,000

 

2.90

 

 

 

3.32

 

Forfeited

 

(2,822,511

)

2.39

 

 

 

2.32

 

Exercised

 

(8,452,649

)

0.20

 

 

 

1.23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018

 

55,195,000

 

1.85

 

7.74

 

27,773.18

 

2.03

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

4,247,500

 

1.36

 

 

 

0.02

 

Forfeited

 

(11,454,468

)

2.36

 

 

 

2.65

 

Exercised

 

(6,772,504

)

0.03

 

 

 

0.54

 

Modified

 

(5,873,482

)

2.82

 

 

 

2.95

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2019

 

35,342,046

 

1.81

 

8.33

 

31,391.17

 

1.72

 

 

F-67


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

25. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (CONTINUED)

 

The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and the estimated fair value of the underlying stock at each reporting date.

 

Prior to our initial public offering, in determining the grant date fair value of our ordinary shares for purposes of recording share-based compensation in connection with employee stock options, we, with the assistance of independent appraisers, performed retrospective valuations instead of contemporaneous valuations because, at the time of the valuation dates, our financial and limited human resources were principally focused on business development efforts. This approach is consistent with the guidance prescribed by the AICPA Audit and Accounting Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, or the Practice Aid. Specifically, the ‘‘Level B’’ recommendation in paragraph 16 of the Practice Aid sets forth the preferred types of valuation that should be used.

 

We, with the assistance of an independent valuation firm, evaluated the use of three generally accepted valuation approaches: market, cost and income approaches to estimate our enterprise value. We and our appraisers considered the market and cost approaches as inappropriate for valuing our ordinary shares because no exactly comparable market transaction could be found for the market valuation approach and the cost approach does not directly incorporate information about the economic benefits contributed by our business operations. Consequently, we and our appraisers relied solely on the income approach in determining the fair value of our ordinary shares. This method eliminates the discrepancy in the time value of money by using a discount rate to reflect all business risks including intrinsic and extrinsic uncertainties in relation to our company.

 

The income approach involves applying discounted cash flow analysis based on our projected cash flow using management’s best estimate as of the valuation dates. Estimating future cash flow requires us to analyze projected revenue growth, gross margins, operating expense levels, effective tax rates, capital expenditures, working capital requirements, and discount rates. Our projected revenues were based on expected annual growth rates derived from a combination of our historical experience and the general trend in this industry. The revenue and cost assumptions we used are consistent with our long-term business plan and market conditions in this industry. We also have to make complex and subjective judgments regarding our unique business risks, our limited operating history, and future prospects at the time of grant. Other assumptions we used in deriving the fair value of our equity include:

 

· no material changes will occur in the applicable future periods in the existing political, legal, fiscal or economic conditions in China;

 

· no material changes will occur in the current taxation law in China and the applicable tax rates will remain consistent;

 

· we have the ability to retain competent management and key personnel to support our ongoing operations; and

 

· industry trends and market conditions for the used car e-commerce businesses will not deviate significantly from current forecasts.

 

After our initial public offering in June 2018, the fair value of ordinary shares is determined by the closing market price of the ordinary shares on the relevant grant dates.

 

F-68


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

25. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (CONTINUED)

 

Options granted to Grantees were measured at fair value on the dates of grant using the Binomial Option Pricing Model with the following assumptions:

 

 

 

Year ended
December 31, 2017

 

Year ended
December 31, 2018

 

Year ended
December 31, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expected volatility

 

43%-51%

 

42%-47%

 

44%~45%

Risk-free interest rate (per annum)

 

2.08%-2.32%

 

2.49%~2.69%

 

1.6%~1.9%

Exercise multiple

 

2.8/2.2

 

2.8/2.2

 

2.8/2.2

Expected dividend yield

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

Contractual term (in years)

 

10

 

10

 

10

 

The expected volatility was estimated based on the historical volatility of comparable peer public companies with a time horizon close to the expected term of the Company’s options. The risk-free interest rate was estimated based on the yield to maturity of U.S. treasury bonds denominated in US$ for a term consistent with the expected term of the Company’s options in effect at the option valuation date. The exercise multiple is estimated as the ratio of fair value of underlying shares over the exercise price as at the time the option is exercised, based on a consideration of empirical studies on the actual exercise behavior of employees. The expected dividend yield is zero as the Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its shares, and the Company does not anticipate any dividend payments in the foreseeable future. The expected term is the contract life of the option.

 

For the Company’s stock options granted to Grantees, the completion of an IPO or the Corporate Transaction is considered to be a performance condition of the awards. An IPO or the Corporate Transaction, is not considered to be probable until it is completed. Under ASC 718, compensation cost should be accrued if it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. As a result, no compensation expense will be recognized related to these options until the completion of an IPO or the Corporate Transaction. In case when it is considered probable that a Qualified IPO will be completed, the compensation cost should be recognized earlier for the key management grantees, at six (6) months prior to the anticipated consummation of the IPO, based on this special term offered to the key management grantees. All the options granted to key management are fully vested as at December 31, 2017, and a share-based compensation expense of US$ 4.2 million (equivalent to RMB 28.2 million) was recognized for the vested options offered to key management grantees for the year ended December 31, 2017, given the Qualified IPO is expected to be consumed within 6 months. A total of US$ 36.7 million (equivalent to RMB 242.9 million) share compensation expense was recognized immediately upon the completion of IPO on June 27, 2018. A total of US$21.7 million (equivalent to RMB 150.9 million) share-based compensation expense was recognized for the vested options offered to management and employees.

 

The Company granted 160,190 and 151,655 restricted shares to Grantees for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

F-69


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

25. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (CONTINUED)

 

The following table sets forth the restricted shares activity for the year ended December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

Number of
shares

 

Weighted average
grant date fair
value

 

 

 

 

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested as of December 31, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

160,190

 

1.95

 

Vested

 

(26,856

)

0.39

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested as of December 31, 2018

 

133,334

 

2.26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

151,655

 

1.41

 

Vested

 

(184,988

)

0.75

 

Forfeited

 

(66,667

)

2.26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested as of December 31, 2019

 

33,334

 

2.26

 

 

Total share-based compensation cost for the restricted shares amounted to US$ 0.1 million and US$ 0.1 million (equivalent to RMB 0.7 million) for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

Other share-based compensation

 

The Company issued and granted 17,742,890 restricted shares to Mr. Kun Dai, Founder and CEO of the Group, on May 14, 2018. The restricted shares were vested immediately upon consummation of a successful IPO of the Company. In June 2018, the Company recorded share-based compensation expense of US$ 93.8 million (equivalent to RMB 620.4 million) in general and administrative expense.

 

On May 25, 2018, one of the Company’s executive officers exercised his vested stock options to acquire 3,333,330 ordinary shares of the Company. In addition, the Company also offered vesting acceleration to that executive officer’s 1,666,670 unvested stock options on May 25, 2018 and the executive officer also exercised such stock options to acquire 1,666,670 ordinary shares of the Company. Therefore, in May 2018, the Company recorded all remaining unrecognized compensation costs which were accelerated in the amount of US$ 4.8 million (equivalent to RMB 31.8 million) in general and administrative expense.

 

On June 27, 2018, US$ 0.8 million (equivalent to RMB 5.2 million) share-based compensation was recorded as the redesignation of the Company’s ordinary shares and super voting power was granted to Class B beneficial owner, Mr. Kun Dai in general and administrative expense.

 

F-70


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

25. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (CONTINUED)

 

Stock incentive plan adopted by Fairlubo

 

In 2017, Fairlubo Auction Company Limited, one of the Group’s non-wholly owned subsidiaries adopted and started to operate its own share-based compensation plan. Their exercise prices of the share options, as well as the vesting periods of the share options and awarded shares are determined by the board of directors of this subsidiary at their sole discretion. The share options granted are normally vested over 4-year period, with ¼ of the total shares to be vested on each anniversary of the vesting commencement date, and the exercises of the awards of the Fairlubo are also subject to the completion of an IPO or immediately prior to a defined corporate transaction, which are considered to be a performance condition of the awards. An IPO or the defined corporate transaction is not considered to be probable until it is completed. Under ASC 718, compensation cost should be accrued if it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. As a result, no compensation expense will be recognized related to the Fairlubo’s stock options until the completion of an IPO or the corporate transaction, and hence no share-based compensation expense was recognized for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The salvage car related business was divested in January 2020 subsequently.

 

26. SEGMENT INFORMATION

 

Segments are business units that offer different services and are reviewed separately by the chief operating decision maker (the “CODM”), or the decision-making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance.

 

The CODM, who is responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the operating segment, has been identified as Uxin’s Chief Executive Officer.

 

The Group operates as a single operating segment. The single operating segment is reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the CODM.

 

The Group primarily generates its revenues in China, and assets of the Company are also primarily located in China Area. Accordingly, no geographical segments are presented.

 

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

Assets and liabilities disclosed at fair value

 

The Company measures its cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables, loan recognized as a result of payment under the guarantee, financial lease receivables and short-term borrowing at amortized cost. The carrying value of accounts receivable and financial lease receivables approximate their fair value which are considered a level 3 measurement. The fair value was estimated by discounting the scheduled cash flows through to estimated maturity using estimated discount rates based on current offering rates of comparable institutions with similar services. The carrying value of the Company’s debt obligations approximate fair value as the borrowing rates are similar to the market rates that are currently available to the Company for financing obligations with similar terms and credit risks and represent a level 2 measurement. The guarantee liabilities are presented as a level 3 measurement, with the fair value estimated by discounting expected future payouts, net loss rates, expected collection rates and a discount rate for time value.

 

Assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis

 

The Company measured its property and equipment, intangible assets and equity method investment at fair value on a nonrecurring basis whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may no longer be recoverable.

 

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Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis

 

The Company measured its available-for-sale debt security investment, derivative liabilities, and guarantee liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. As the Company’s available-for-sale debt security investments, derivative liabilities and guarantee liabilities are not traded in an active market with readily observable prices, the Company uses significant unobservable inputs to measure the fair value of available-for-sale investment, derivatives liabilities and guarantee liabilities. These instruments are categorized in the Level 3 valuation hierarchy based on the significance of unobservable factors in the overall fair value measurement. The Company did not transfer any assets or liabilities in or out of level 3 during the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

The following table summarizes the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on recurring basis as of December 31, 2018 and 2019:

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

 

 

Active market

 

Observable input

 

Non-
observable input

 

 

 

 

 

(Level 1)

 

(Level 2)

 

(Level 3)

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term investments

 

 

553,568

 

42,510

 

596,078

 

Available-for-sale debt security investment

 

 

 

41,179

 

41,179

 

 

 

 

553,568

 

83,689

 

637,257

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guarantee liabilities

 

 

 

146,427

 

146,427

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

Active market

 

Observable input

 

Non-
observable input

 

 

 

 

 

(Level 1)

 

(Level 2)

 

(Level 3)

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available-for-sale debt security investment

 

 

 

3,114

 

3,114

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guarantee liabilities

 

 

 

388,307

 

388,307

 

 

Refer to Note 13 and 15 for additional information about Level 3 available-for-sale debt security investment and guarantee liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

F-72


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

The roll forward of major Level 3 investments are as followings:

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

Fair value of Level 3 investments as of December 31, 2017

 

 

New addition

 

237,510

 

Disposal of investments

 

(195,000

)

Effect of exchange rate change

 

 

Fair value of Level 3 investments as of December 31, 2018

 

42,510

 

Maturity of investments

 

(42,510

)

Fair value of Level 3 investments as of December 31, 2019

 

 

 

Valuation Techniques

 

a. Short-term investment

 

Short-term investment primarily including term deposits and investment products placed with banks with original maturities longer than three months but less than one year.

 

b. Available-for-sale debt security investment

 

Available-for-sale financial assets represent investment of redeemable preferred shares, and fair value of which is determined with reference to the issuance price of latest round of financing.

 

c. Guarantee liabilities

 

The fair value of the guarantee liabilities at loan inception is estimated by applying several different statistical methods allowing for the different features of loan products. The assumptions used are based on historical data and supplemented by market benchmarking. The time value of the estimated guarantee liabilities is recognized through discounting which considers the duration of the future payment pattern. The selected discount rate is based on the one year benchmark interest rate published by The People’s Bank of China.

 

F-73


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

c. Guarantee liabilities (continued)

 

Valuation Methodology

 

· Paid Chain-ladder Development (“PCD”) method

 

The PCD method projects ultimate guarantee liabilities by using historical development patterns of cumulative loan default payments. The historical pattern is shown as the ratios of quarterly increases in cumulative payments by loan origination quarter. The methodology implicitly allows for future inflation as past inflation is included in the observed factors.

 

The methodology implies that the past payment history is a good estimate for the future pattern of guarantee liabilities development, assuming stable pricing and claim pattern, and no significant changes in external factors.

 

· Expected Delinquent Ratio (“EDR”) method

 

The EDR method estimates the ultimate guarantee liabilities by applying the expected delinquent ratio to the total loan amount (total risk exposure). This is done for different product types and by different loan origination quarter.

 

This method largely relies on the expected delinquent ratios used where the ratios are selected based on historical loss experiences of similar products in the market, future loss trends and etc.

 

F-74


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

· Paid Bornhuetter-Ferguson (“PBF”) method

 

The PBF method is normally used in situations where the claims data is scarce and/or the loan origination quarters are less matured. The method assumes each loan origination quarter has an expected delinquent ratio at the outset with an expected pattern of the emergence of loan default payments.

 

There are two major assumptions for this method:

 

(a) The initial expected delinquent ratios which are selected following the same logic of the EDR method;

 

(b) The expected portion of the ultimate yet to be paid which is derived from loan default payment patterns used in PCD method.

 

The estimated ultimate guarantee liabilities from PBF method are then the sum of the following two:

 

(a) Expected ultimate guarantee liabilities that have not been paid as at the valuation date: the product of initial expected ultimate guarantee liabilities, which are the product of the total loan amount and the selected initial expected ultimate delinquent ratio for each loan origination quarter, multiplied by the expected portion of the ultimate yet to be paid as at the valuation date; and

 

(b) Actual paid claim amount as at the valuation date.

 

· Life Cycle (“LC”) method

 

The LC method first categorizes each loan by its maturity (the difference between the total loan periods and the remaining loan periods). By analyzing the historical claim data, we got the actual delinquent ratios for each loan maturity. The cumulative product of the actual delinquent ratios of each maturity is then the estimated ultimate delinquent ratio.

 

The development to ultimate pattern of each loan maturity is just the following:

 

The actual delinquent ratio at that maturity / The estimated ultimate delinquent ratio

 

Using the above implied pattern, we simulate the development to ultimate pattern for each loan origination month. We then apply the corresponding development pattern to the specific loan origination month to derive the ultimate guarantee liabilities for that month

 

Assumptions

 

· Selected Payment Pattern for PCD and PBF Methods

 

Payment patterns are selected for different product groups due to different risk factors. The largest development factor is observed in the second quarter where the amount of payment at end of first quarter tends to be 65 times more when reaching the end of second quarter on average. The development factors for payment matured two quarters and more are in the range of 3.11 to 1.01.

 

F-75


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

· Initial Expected Delinquent Ratios for EDR and PBF Methods

 

The initial expected delinquent ratios used in the EDR and PBF methods are the same and are selected based on the historical experiences and supplemented with industry benchmark. The range of initial expected delinquent ratios are generally between 9% and 12%. If there are any abnormal loss events, the initial expected delinquent ratio will be set at a higher level incorporating the actual abnormal loss experiences.

 

· Discount Factors

 

The discount factors are in the range of 0.95 to 1 for guarantee liabilities with different maturities.

 

· Final Selection of Ultimate Delinquent Ratios

 

The selected final ultimate delinquent ratios are weighted average of the estimated delinquent ratios from each valuation method applied, where the weights are based on the applicability of each valuation method and the historical pattern observed from the historical data:

 

· Sufficient Historical Data

 

For more matured quarters, more weights are given to the PCD method and LC method while for less matured quarters, more weights are given to the PBF method. This is in line with the applicability of each method.

 

· Sparse Historical Data

 

More weights are given to the EDR method as the loss pattern from the historical data are much less credible. However, when data becomes more and more credible, more weights will be given to other methods.

 

· Collection Rate

 

The collection rate used is 57%, 68% and 66.4% for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, which is based on the historical experience supplemented with market benchmark.

 

F-76


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

28. NET LOSS PER SHARE

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share for each of the years presented are calculated as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from continuing operations

 

(1,268,824

)

(1,351,761

)

(1,327,678

)

Net loss from discontinued operations

 

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

Total net loss

 

(2,747,798

)

(1,538,285

)

(1,990,128

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss from continuing operations

 

(1,268,824

)

(1,351,761

)

(1,327,678

)

Less: net loss from operations attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders

 

(25,202

)

(15,771

)

(1,452

)

Net loss from continuing operations, attributable to UXIN Limited

 

(1,243,622

)

(1,335,990

)

(1,326,226

)

Accretion on convertible redeemable Preferred Shares

 

(555,824

)

(318,951

)

 

Deemed dividend to Preferred Shareholders

 

(587,564

)

(544,773

)

 

Deemed dividend from Preferred Shareholders

 

92,779

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders from continuing operations

 

(2,294,231

)

(2,199,714

)

(1,326,226

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders from discontinued operations

 

(1,478,974

)

(186,524

)

(662,450

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted

 

49,318,860

 

477,848,763

 

886,613,598

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Continuing

 

(46.52

)

(4.60

)

(1.50

)

- Discontinued

 

(29.99

)

(0.39

)

(0.75

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, diluted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Continuing

 

(46.52

)

(4.60

)

(1.50

)

- Discontinued

 

(29.99

)

(0.39

)

(0.75

)

 

F-77


Table of Contents

 

UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

28. NET LOSS PER SHARE (CONTINUED)

 

As the Company incurred losses for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the potential ordinary shares were anti-dilutive and excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share of the Company, pursuant to ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share”. The weighted-average numbers of Preferred Shares, convertible notes, Fairlubo Share Swap, non-vested restricted shares and options granted excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share of the Company of respective year were as follows:

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred Shares

 

541,283,717

 

367,859,970

 

 

Convertible notes

 

 

53,589,548

 

253,165,870

 

Fairlubo Share Swap

 

2,571,946

 

6,352,753

 

 

Non-vested restricted shares

 

 

133,328

 

33,331

 

Outstanding weighted average stock options

 

28,283,332

 

14,118,546

 

4,096,724

 

Total

 

572,138,995

 

442,054,145

 

257,295,925

 

 

29. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT

 

Full time employees of the Group in the PRC participate in a government mandated defined contribution plan, pursuant to which certain pension benefits, medical care, employee housing fund and other welfare benefits are provided to the employees. Chinese labor regulations require that the PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries of the Group make contributions to the government for these benefits based on certain percentage of the employees’ salaries, up to a maximum amount specified by the government. The Group has no legal obligation for the benefits beyond the contribution made.

 

The total amounts charged to the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for such employee benefits amounted to approximately RMB28.7 million, RMB116.1 million and RMB169.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

30. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Contingencies

 

In the ordinary course of business, the Group is from time to time involved in legal proceedings and litigations. During 2017, one competitor of the Group has filed lawsuits against the Group relating to disputes with respect to trademarks. In January and June 2019, two competitors of the Group has filed lawsuits against the Group relating to disputes with respect to unfair competition and infringement, respectively. During 2019, two putative securities class actions were brought on behalf of a class of persons who allegedly suffered damages as a result of alleged misstatements and omissions in certain disclosure documents in connection with the Company’s initial public offering in June 2018. Based on currently available information, the Group does not believe that the ultimate outcome of any unresolved matter, individually and in aggregate, is reasonably possible to have a material adverse effect on the Group’s consolidated financial statements. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties and the Group’s view of these matters may change in the future. The Group records a liability when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonable estimated. No accrual has been recorded by the Group as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 in respect of these cases.

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

31. CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Group to the concentration of credit risks consist of cash and cash equivalents.

 

The Group deposits its cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions located in jurisdictions where the subsidiaries are located. The Company believes that no significant credit risk exists as these financial institutions and financing partners have high credit quality.

 

Substantially all revenue was derived from customers located in China. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenue in any of the periods presented.

 

32. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

On January 16, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with Boche to divest its salvage car related business in exchange for a total cash consideration of RMB330 million, of which RMB165 million was received in January 2020. The transaction with Boche was closed in January 2020. 

 

On March 24, 2020, the Company entered into definitive agreements with 58.com to sell its 2B online used car auction business in exchange for a total cash consideration of US$105 million, of which US$75 million was received in April 2020. The transaction with 58.com was closed in April 2020.

 

Previously on July 12, 2019 and September 30, 2019, the Company entered into a binding term sheet and definitive agreements with Golden Pacer relating to the divestiture of its 2C intra-regional business and loan facilitation related service, respectively. On April 23, 2020, the Company entered into supplemental agreements with Golden Pacer to modify and supplement certain terms and conditions in connection with the divestiture. Pursuant to the series of agreements, the Company has divested its entire 2C intra-regional business to Golden Pacer and ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee starting from the fourth quarter of 2019. In exchange, upon Golden Pacer’s achievement of certain profitability-related performance targets for both years of 2020 and 2021, the Company is entitled to purchase certain amount of preferred shares of Golden Pacer in 2020 and 2021, representing up to an aggregate of 18.4% of Golden Pacer’s outstanding shares (assuming no further issue of new shares) on a fully diluted and as-converted basis for US$0.00001 per share. In addition, the Company will be entitled to receive 85% of net cash inflow generated by the divested and transferred assets and liabilities from Golden Pacer in relation to the historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank. The transaction contemplated under the definitive and supplemental agreements was closed upon the signing of the supplemental agreements.

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

32. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS (CONTINUED)

 

COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Since early 2020, the epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (the “COVID-19 pandemic”) has spread across China and other countries, and has adversely affected businesses and economic activities in the first quarter of 2020 and beyond. In response to that, the Company has assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic has the following related impacts on the Company’s business and operations:

 

i.                    The outbreak of COVID-19 has severely affected the used car industry with disruptions impacting the industry’s infrastructure and supply chains since January 2020. Throughout February and early March 2020, the majority of local used car markets and dealerships in China were closed and unable to resume operations. Logistics and delivery of used cars were also impacted by the closure of roads and highways in many regions across China. Title transfers were also hindered as local vehicle registration and management bureaus either remained closed or had yet to resume full operations. All of these measures created considerable barriers to used car purchase and fulfillment, therefore it has disrupted the Company’s business and operations during the first quarter of 2020 and may continue to weigh on the Company’s operation results throughout the second quarter of 2020.

 

ii.                 In addition, borrowers’ abilities or willingness to repay their auto loans have been adversely affected by general economic downturns. Thus, additional provisions for both credit losses and additional guarantee liabilities are warranted in the first quarter of 2020, as the Company expects a higher delinquency ratio and a lower collection ratio for the historically-facilitated loans that were not divested. Up to the date of this report, the Company is still assessing the aforementioned additional provisions in accordance with the new accounting standard ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326) for credit loss effective January 1, 2020. The Company is still evaluating these provisions, which are expected to be material.

 

Change in Fiscal Year End to Adapt to Seasonality

 

On April 26, 2020, the Board of directors approved to change the Company’s fiscal year end from December 31 to March 31 to ensure that the Company can allocate ample resources towards driving sales during peak season in the fourth quarter and focus on strategic planning for the new fiscal year during slow season in the first quarter.

 

The Company will file a transition report on the Form 20-F to cover the transition period from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 in due course as required under the applicable regulations. The Company’s earnings release for the three months ended March 31, 2020 will be announced concurrently with the filing of the transition report on the Form 20-F.

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

33. STATUTORY RESERVES AND RESTRICTED NET ASSETS

 

Pursuant to laws applicable to entities incorporated in the PRC, the Group’s subsidiaries in the PRC must make appropriations from after-tax profit to non-distributable reserve funds. These reserve funds include one or more of the following: (i) a general reserve, (ii) an enterprise expansion fund and (iii) a staff bonus and welfare fund. Subject to certain cumulative limits, the general reserve fund requires an annual appropriation of 10% of after tax profit (as determined under accounting principles generally accepted in the PRC at each year-end) until the accumulative amount of such reserve fund reaches 50% of a company’s registered capital; the other fund appropriations are at the subsidiaries’ discretion. These reserve funds can only be used for specific purposes of enterprise expansion and staff bonus and welfare and are not distributable as cash dividends. During the year ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, no appropriations to the statutory reserve, enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund have been made by the Group.

 

In addition, due to restrictions on the distribution of share capital from the Group’s PRC subsidiaries and also as a result of these entities’ unreserved accumulated losses, total restrictions placed on the distribution of the Group’s PRC subsidiaries’ net assets was RMB825.2.million, or 177.4% of the Group’s total consolidated net assets as of December 31, 2019 (RMB978.2 million, or 41.1% as of December 31, 2018).

 

The Company performed a test on the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S-X Rule 4-08 (e) (3), “General Notes to Financial Statements” and concluded that it was applicable for the Company to disclose the financial statements for the parent company.

 

The subsidiaries did not pay any dividend to the Company for the periods presented. For the purpose of presenting parent only financial information, the Company records its investments in its subsidiaries under the equity method of accounting. Such investments are presented on the separate condensed balance sheets of the Company as “investments deficit in subsidiaries” and the loss of the subsidiaries is presented as “share of loss of subsidiaries”. Certain information and footnote disclosures generally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP have been condensed and omitted.

 

The Company did not have significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations, or guarantees as of December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

34. CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY

 

Balance sheets

 

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

10,288

 

3,341

 

Short-term investment

 

553,568

 

 

Prepaid expenses

 

23,100

 

1,047

 

Amounts due from related parties

 

9,318,188

 

9,140,957

 

Other receivables

 

18,015

 

6,984

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

9,923,159

 

9,152,329

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Other payables and accruals

 

10,584

 

93,821

 

Investment deficit in subsidiaries

 

6,195,553

 

8,194,449

 

Amounts due to related parties

 

90,251

 

12,937

 

Convertible notes, current

 

1,188,192

 

324,644

 

Other current liabilities

 

64,446

 

22,998

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Convertible notes, non-current

 

 

34,312

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

7,549,026

 

8,683,161

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value, 10,000,000,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively; 839,850,038 Class A ordinary shares and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018; 846,771,473 Class A ordinary shares and 40,809,861 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019)

 

575

 

581

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

12,967,986

 

13,069,560

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

86,061

 

68,192

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(10,680,489

)

(12,669,165

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

2,374,133

 

469,168

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

9,923,159

 

9,152,329

 

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

34. CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (CONTINUED)

 

Statements of comprehensive loss

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total revenues

 

 

4,497

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

 

(147

)

 

Gross profit

 

 

4,350

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

(34,591

)

(24,622

)

Research and development

 

 

(17,376

)

(258

)

General and administrative

 

(171,172

)

(1,019,055

)

(136,459

)

Total operating expenses

 

(171,172

)

(1,071,022

)

(161,339

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

(171,172

)

(1,066,672

)

(161,339

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share of loss of subsidiaries and VIEs

 

(1,703,491

)

(1,641,754

)

(1,818,665

)

Interest income/(expense), net

 

17,849

 

(25,262

)

(47,677

)

Other (expense)/income, net

 

(14

)

4,213

 

39,131

 

Foreign exchange gain

 

3,849

 

2,951

 

(126

)

Fair value change of derivative liabilities

 

(869,617

)

1,204,010

 

 

Net loss

 

(2,722,596

)

(1,522,514

)

(1,988,676

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accretion on redeemable preferred shares to redemption value

 

(555,824

)

(318,951

)

 

Deemed dividend to Preferred Shareholders

 

(587,564

)

(544,773

)

 

Deemed dividend on Preferred Shareholders

 

92,779

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(3,773,205

)

(2,386,238

)

(1,988,676

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

(2,722,596

)

(1,522,514

)

(1,988,676

)

Other comprehensive income/(loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation

 

46,065

 

11,406

 

(17,869

)

Total comprehensive loss

 

(2,676,531

)

(1,511,108

)

(2,006,545

)

 

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UXIN LIMITED

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)

 

34. CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (CONTINUED)

 

Statements of cash flows

 

 

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash generated from/ (used in) operating activities

 

6,080

 

(55,088

)

18,977

 

Net cash generated from/(used in) investing activities

 

102,577

 

(3,999,403

)

755,553

 

Net cash (used in)/generated from financing activities

 

(29,042

)

3,982,230

 

(781,527

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(2,592

)

4,730

 

50

 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

77,023

 

(67,531

)

(6,947

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year

 

796

 

77,819

 

10,288

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year

 

77,819

 

10,288

 

3,341

 

 

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