424B4 1 d260023d424b4.htm 424(B)(4) 424(B)(4)
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Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration Statement No. 333-256564

 

82,500,000 American Depositary Shares

 

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Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Representing 1,650,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

This is an initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, representing Class A ordinary shares of Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

We are offering 82,500,000 ADSs to be sold in this offering. Each ADS represents 20 Class A ordinary shares, US$0.00001 par value per share. The initial public offering price per ADS is US$19.00.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our shares. The ADSs have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “YMM.”

We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable United States federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

 

See “Risk Factors” on page 26 to read about factors you should consider before buying the ADSs.

Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

      

Per ADS

      

Total

 

Initial public offering price

       US$19.00          US$1,567,500,000  

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

       US$0.665          US$54,862,500  

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

       US$18.335          US$1,512,637,500  

 

(1)

For additional information on underwriting compensation, see “Underwriting.”

To the extent that the underwriters sell more than 82,500,000 ADSs in this offering, the underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase up to an aggregate of 12,375,000 additional ADSs from us at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

Each of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and an entity affiliated with Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, an Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor, or Mubadala, has agreed to purchase US$100.0 million of our Class A ordinary shares from us in a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act at a price per share equal to the initial public offering price adjusted for the ADS-to-Class A ordinary share ratio. This transaction is contingent upon, and is scheduled to close concurrently with the closing of this offering. See “Concurrent Private Placement.”

An affiliate of Fidelity International, one of our existing shareholders, has subscribed for, and has been allocated by the underwriters, an aggregate of 10,000,000 ADSs being offered in this offering at the initial public offering price and on the same terms as the other ADSs being offered. In addition, Invesco Advisers, Inc., or Invesco, the principal U.S. investment advisory subsidiary of Invesco, Ltd., acting as discretionary investment adviser for and on behalf of various funds and accounts, or the Invesco Managed Funds, has subscribed for, and has been allocated by the underwriters, an aggregate of 15,000,000 ADSs being offered in this offering at the initial public offering price and on the same terms as the other ADSs being offered.

Upon the completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement, 18,648,294,981 Class A ordinary shares and 3,068,619,066 Class B ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share will be entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to 30 votes and will be convertible to 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. Mr. Peter Hui Zhang, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, will hold the voting power over all of our issued Class B ordinary shares, which, together with the Class A ordinary shares he will hold, will represent in the aggregate 83.4% of the voting power of our total issued and outstanding shares immediately after the completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” as defined under the rules of the NYSE.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment in New York, New York on June 24, 2021.

 

 

 

Morgan Stanley   CICC   Goldman Sachs   UBS Investment Bank
Huatai Securities   Citigroup   Nomura   China Renaissance

 

 

CLSA Limited

Prospectus dated June 21, 2021


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Summary

     1  

Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data

     20  

Risk Factors

     26  

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Industry Data

     81  

Use of Proceeds

     82  

Dividend Policy

     83  

Capitalization

     84  

Dilution

     86  

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities

     89  

Our History and Corporate Structure

     91  

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

     98  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     103  

Industry Overview

     134  

Business

     140  

Regulations

     165  

Management

     179  

Principal Shareholders

     188  

Related Party Transactions

     193  

Description of Share Capital

     196  

Description of American Depositary Shares

     209  

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

     219  

Taxation

     221  

Underwriting

     227  

Concurrent Private Placement

     241  

Expenses Related to this Offering

     242  

Legal Matters

     243  

Experts

     243  

Where You Can Find More Information

     244  

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-1  

No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent as to anything not contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell, and we are seeking offers to buy, only the ADSs offered hereby, and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the ADSs.

Neither we nor the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or the possession or distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where other action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of

 

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this prospectus or any free writing prospectus filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus outside of the United States.

Until July 16, 2021 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary may not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the ADSs. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including “Risk Factors” and the financial statements, before making an investment decision. This prospectus contains information from an industry report commissioned by us and prepared by China Insights Consultancy, or CIC, an independent market research firm, to provide information regarding our industry and our market position in China. We refer to this report as the CIC Report.

Our Mission

Our mission is to make logistics better. We are shaping the future of logistics with technology.

Logistics is the lifeblood of our economy, powering the movement of goods and connecting the engines of production and consumption. We aspire to revolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce carbon footprint for our planet.

Overview

Full Truck Alliance, or FTA, is the world’s largest digital freight platform by gross transaction value, or GTV, in 2020, according to the CIC Report. We have transformed China’s road transportation industry by pioneering a digital, standardized and smart logistics infrastructure across the value chain.

Our platform connects shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. We have built a vibrant ecosystem of millions of shippers and truckers. In March 2021, approximately 1.4 million shippers posted shipping orders on our platform. In 2020, we facilitated 71.7 million fulfilled orders with GTV of RMB173.8 billion (US$26.6 billion), and over 2.8 million truckers fulfilled shipping orders on our platform. Approximately 20% of all China’s heavy-duty and medium-duty truckers fulfilled shipping orders on our platform in 2020, according to the CIC Report. In the first quarter of 2021, we facilitated 22.1 million fulfilled orders with GTV of RMB51.5 billion (US$7.9 billion), representing 170.2% and 108.0% year-over-year growth, respectively.

Industry Background and Challenges

China has the world’s largest road transportation market with a market size of RMB6.2 trillion (US$951.5 billion) in 2020, according to the CIC Report. The transportation of full-truckload, or FTL, and less-than-truckload, or LTL, shipments, makes up a majority of the road transportation market in China, amounting to RMB5.3 trillion (US$816.7 billion) in 2020 and expected to reach RMB6.5 trillion by 2025, according to the CIC Report.

The road transportation industry in China is highly fragmented, complex and inefficient. Road shipments are primarily arranged on-demand, and information is highly asymmetric. There is a high degree of fragmentation among both shippers and truckers, with a large long-tail of shippers who are small and medium-sized enterprises, and truckers who are individual owner-operators. This is structurally different from the U.S., where shippers are concentrated and served by scaled incumbents. In China, the matching of shippers and truckers traditionally took place offline in remote logistics parks, where shipping orders were written on blackboards in a disorganized manner, with most of the negotiation process conducted over the phone or in person.

As a result, industry participants faced significant challenges in China. Typically, shippers spent days to find a trucker and had to go through multiple layers of middlemen, resulting in higher costs. Pricing was opaque, and



 

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transactions were entered into in blind faith, without adequate protection of shipper or trucker interests. Truck utilization was limited due to highly asymmetric information, especially for individual truckers on back-hauls, who usually spent days in finding their next shipments. Truckers made frequent trips to logistics parks, which were typically over 50 kilometers away from their last shipment destinations, to find their next shipments, resulting in wasted mileage, fuel costs and time. They were not able to plan their routes and had limited visibility on their income. The lack of standardized protocols and trust between shippers and truckers led to frequent disputes, resulting in unfulfilled transactions and payment delays, further undermining trust and efficiency in the industry.

The FTA Platform

We believe the key to addressing these industry challenges is a digital, standardized and smart platform that connects shippers and truckers seamlessly. Leveraging the proliferation of smartphones and the mobile internet, we established nationwide infrastructure and industry standards that promote transparency, trust and efficiency across the logistics industry. In so doing, we are contributing to China’s economic growth, improving lives of millions of shippers and truckers, and reducing carbon footprint for our planet.

Yunmanman and Huochebang were founded in 2013 and 2011, respectively, and both companies rapidly grew to become leading digital freight platforms in China. The two companies merged to create FTA in 2017, establishing a nationwide road logistics network with significant economies of scale.

We are constantly improving our offerings to better meet the diverse, complex and often non-standard needs of industry participants. We have evolved from a directory of freight listings to an ecosystem that enables logistics transactions from end to end with data-driven technology and a comprehensive range of value-added services.

The diagram below illustrates the major components of our platform.

 

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Freight matching services

 

   

Freight listing service. In 2011 and 2013, Huochebang and Yunmanman each began providing freight listing service through QQ and WeChat groups, taking the first step towards the digital transformation



 

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of China’s road transportation industry. At the end of 2013 and early 2014, Yunmanman and Huochebang each launched their mobile apps, where shippers could post shipping orders and truckers could contact them to find their next shipments in a standardized manner. After the two companies merged at the end of 2017, we began monetization of freight listing service in 2018 by launching membership service for frequent shippers, allowing paying shippers to post more shipping orders than non-paying shippers.

 

   

Freight brokerage service. In January 2018, we launched freight brokerage service, going a step further from freight listing service to provide end-to-end freight matching service with a higher level of service quality assurance to shippers. As a freight broker, we enter into contracts with shippers to sell shipping service and platform service and also enter into contracts with truckers to purchase shipping service. The difference between the amount we collect from shippers and the amount we pay to truckers represents our platform service fee. We assume the legal obligation to pay value-added tax, or VAT, which is assessed on the entire selling price of the shipping service and platform service. We receive partial tax refunds in the form of government subsidies from local financial bureaus as an incentive for developing the local economy and business. We issue VAT invoices to shippers that they can use for tax deductions, solving a significant pain point for many shippers when contracting with truckers. Shippers can track the transaction at each step in real-time and make payment for freight fees online. We also assume liability for cargo damages up to a specific amount per shipment, and obtain cargo insurance under certain circumstances to mitigate our risk.

 

   

Online transaction service. Building on the technology and operational knowhow developed from our freight listing and brokerage services, we launched online transaction service to further digitalize shipping transactions and enable shippers and truckers to transact through our platform. Truckers are required to make payments for freight deposits to our platform to secure a shipping order, which contributes to better service quality and higher fulfillment rates. We also offer shippers the option to track the transactions at each step in real-time. In August 2020, we began monetization of our online transaction service by collecting commissions from truckers on selected types of shipping orders originating from an initial batch of three cities, namely Hangzhou, Huzhou and Shaoxing. In March 2021, we collected commissions on shipping orders with GTV of RMB793.8 million, representing 96.8% of the total GTV originating from these three cities on our platform. Our daily average order volume and trucker retention remained stable in these cities since August 2020, demonstrating our users’ acceptance of such commissions. We started collecting commissions on shipping orders originating from certain other cities on a smaller scale in the fourth quarter of 2020. In March 2021, we collected commissions in a total of 60 cities on shipping orders with GTV of RMB8.6 billion, representing 89.6% of the total GTV originating from these 60 cities and 36.3% of the total nationwide GTV facilitated through our platform in the same month. Our total commission charges from these 60 cities were RMB46.6 million in March 2021.

Value-added services

We provide a range of value-added services, which cater to various essential needs of shippers and truckers and increase their stickiness and engagement on our platform. Shippers can access transportation management system, credit solutions and insurance on our platform. Truckers can access software for routing and managing traffic ticket records, credit solutions, insurance, electronic toll collection, or ETC, services and energy services on our platform.



 

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Benefits to Shippers and Truckers

Key benefits we provide to shippers and truckers include:

 

   

Efficient freight matching. Shippers can post shipping orders in a standardized manner on their mobile phones anytime and anywhere, without having to go through intermediaries or travel to logistics parks. Shippers can get quotes from reliable truckers often within minutes rather than days and make informed decisions about their suitability based on truckers’ profiles and track records. Truckers can find shipments in minutes while on-the-go, without having to travel to and wait for days at logistics parks. They also save on the mileage and time of traveling long distance to and from logistics parks between shipments.

 

   

Better profitability. Shippers enjoy lower shipping costs and more transparent pricing as they can interface directly with truckers, cutting out layers of middlemen and the need to rent space at logistics parks. According to the CIC Report, a shipping transaction may involve multiple middlemen, and their fees typically account for a 10-15% of the freight fees paid by shippers. Truckers can achieve higher income and utilization rates as less time and mileage is spent finding shipments. According to a trucker survey conducted by CIC, 63% of the respondents found an increase in their monthly shipping orders after using digital freight platforms. They can optimize their schedule and routes, leading to more visible incomes. With the transaction standards established by us, they also have higher certainty of freight fee collection and shorter receivable days.

 

   

Smarter operations. We enable shippers and truckers to operate in a smarter and more efficient manner. Shippers are supported by software that improve their operations such as transportation management systems as well as data-driven algorithms that recommend suitable pricing for shipments. Truckers are supported by software and data-driven algorithms that recommend suitable shipments, suggest optimal routes, and simplify their operations.

 

   

Greater assurance of service quality. We facilitate every part of the logistics transaction from end to end. Interactions and transactions are recorded on our platform, improving accountability and providing a source of support for dispute resolution. Our platform can act as an escrow agent through which freight deposits are made to and held by our platform until shippers confirm that the relevant transactions are completed, allowing shippers and truckers to transact with greater assurance. We provide round-the-clock customer service and protocols for dispute resolution.

 

   

Access to value-added services. We provide a comprehensive range of value-added services to shippers and truckers, catering to their diverse and complex needs and addressing various pain points. We only collaborate with business partners that have reliable track records to ensure the quality of value-added services offered to users.



 

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Our Scale and Financial Performance

 

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(1)

in the year ended December 31, 2020.

(2)

as of December 31, 2020.

(3)

in the month of December 2020.

(4)

over 2.8 million truckers fulfilled shipping orders on our platform in 2020, representing approximately 20% of China’s 13.7 million heavy-duty and medium-duty truckers in 2020.

We have grown rapidly and reached significant scale in recent years. We had over 1.3 million shipper MAUs in December 2020, representing a year-over-year growth of 42.2% from December 2019. As our platform’s matching efficiency continued to improve, our GTV increased significantly and reached RMB173.8 billion (US$26.6 billion) in 2020. China’s economy and our business was impacted by COVID-19, particularly in January and February 2020. Our average monthly GTV was RMB6.4 billion in January and February 2020, declining by 42.2% compared to average monthly GTV in the fourth quarter of 2019. We saw a strong recovery in transaction volumes for March 2020, achieving GTV of RMB 11.9 billion in March 2020, representing 145.4% growth compared to the previous month. Our GTV was RMB51.5 billion (US$7.9 billion) in the first quarter of 2021, representing 108.0% year-over-year growth compared to the same period in 2020.

We are at an early stage of monetization. We generate revenue primarily from membership fees from shippers, freight brokerage fees from shippers, as well as interests and fees from value-added services to shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants. We started monetization of online transaction service since August 2020, and we currently collect commissions from truckers for shipping orders originating from certain cities in China. Our total net revenues were RMB2,473.1 million and RMB2,580.8 million (US$395.5 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We recorded net loss of RMB1,523.7 million and RMB3,470.5 million (US$531.9 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We recorded non-GAAP adjusted net loss of RMB92.8 million in 2019 and non-GAAP adjusted net income of RMB281.1 million (US$43.1 million) in 2020.

Our Strengths

We believe the following strengths position us well to capitalize on the opportunities of a massive and rapidly changing road transportation market in China.

 

   

world’s largest and rapidly growing digital freight platform with powerful network effects;

 

   

pioneer in developing industry-wide logistics infrastructure that is digital, standardized and smart;

 

   

comprehensive logistics and value-added services driving increasing user engagement;



 

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proprietary and innovative technologies; and

 

   

experienced management with technology and logistics DNA.

Our Strategies

We pursue the following strategies to fulfill our mission to make logistics better:

 

   

grow our logistics network and the volume of transactions facilitated through our platform;

 

   

expand our service offerings;

 

   

continue to invest in infrastructure development and technology innovation; and

 

   

selectively pursue strategic alliances, investments and acquisitions.

Summary of Risk Factors

Investing in the ADSs involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus before making an investment in the ADSs. Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings. These risks are discussed more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors.”

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Risks and uncertainties relating to our business and industry include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

Our historical financial and operating performance may not be indicative of our future prospects and results of operations due to the limited operating history of some of our business lines, evolving business model and changing market;

 

   

Our operations have grown substantially since inception; we may not be able to effectively manage our growth, control our expenses or implement our business strategies;

 

   

Our business may be affected by fluctuations in China’s road transportation market;

 

   

If we are unable to attract or maintain a critical mass of shippers and truckers in a cost-effective manner, whether as a result of competition or other factors, our platform will become less appealing to shippers and truckers, and our financial results would be adversely impacted;

 

   

We may not succeed in continuing to maintain, protect and strengthen our brands, and any negative publicity about us, our business, our management, our ecosystem participants or the road transportation market in general, may materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations and growth;

 

   

If our solutions and services do not achieve and maintain sufficient market acceptance or provide the expected benefits to ecosystem participants, our financial condition, results of operations and competitive position will be materially and adversely affected;

 

   

If our users, other ecosystem participants or their employees engage in, or are subject to, criminal, violent, fraudulent, inappropriate or dangerous activities, our reputation, business, financial condition, and operating results may be adversely impacted;

 

   

If we fail to effectively match truckers with shipments and optimize our pricing models, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected;

 

   

We cannot guarantee that our monetization strategies or our business initiatives will be successfully implemented or generate sustainable revenues and profit; and

 

   

We have incurred, and in the future may continue to incur, net losses.



 

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Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

Risks and uncertainties relating to our corporate structure include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements in relation to our consolidated VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations;

 

   

We rely on contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs and their shareholders to conduct a substantial part of our operations in China, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control and otherwise have a material adverse effect as to our business; and

 

   

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

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

We are also subject to risks and uncertainties relating to doing business in China in general, including, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

Changes in the political and economic policies of the PRC government may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies;

 

   

There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations;

 

   

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in China, based on United States or other foreign laws, against us, our directors, executive officers or the expert named in this prospectus. Therefore, you may not be able to enjoy the protection of such laws in an effective manner; and

 

   

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection. In addition, the adoption of any rules, legislations or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause uncertainty, and we could be delisted if we were unable to meet any PCAOB inspection requirement in time.

Risks Relating to This Offering

In addition to the risks described above, we are subject to risks relating to the ADS and this offering, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

   

There has been no public market for our shares or the ADSs prior to this offering, and you may not be able to resell the ADSs at or above the price you paid, or at all;

 

   

The trading price of the ADSs may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to you;

 

   

The dual-class structure of our share capital may render the ADSs ineligible for inclusion in certain stock market indices, and thus adversely affect the market price and liquidity of the ADSs; and

 

   

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 NYSE corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the NYSE corporate governance listing standards.



 

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Recent Developments

Selected Unaudited Financial Data

The following sets forth certain selected unaudited financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2021. We cannot assure you that our financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2021 will be indicative of our financial results for future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2021. These selected unaudited financial data are not a comprehensive statement of our financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 or 2021, and should not be viewed as a substitute for our full interim or annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Please refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this prospectus for information regarding trends and other factors that may affect our results of operations.

 

     For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2020     2021  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net revenues (including value-added taxes, “VAT”, of RMB203,308 and RMB470,195 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively)

     438,569       867,154       132,897  

Selected operating expenses:

      

Cost of revenues (including VAT net of refund of VAT, of RMB105,936 and RMB322,676 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively)

     (189,697     (412,800     (63,264

Sales and marketing expenses

     (82,265     (170,386     (26,113

General and administrative expenses

     (171,189     (321,976     (49,345

Research and development expenses

     (90,775     (138,047     (21,157

Net loss

     (63,284 )      (196,956 )      (30,185 ) 

Revenues

We recorded net revenues of RMB438.6 million and RMB867.2 million (US$132.9 million) for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively. RMB203.3 million and RMB470.2 million (US$72.1 million) of our revenues were attributable to VAT in the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively, which were primarily related to VAT charged for freight brokerage services.

Revenues from freight matching services increased by 129.7% from RMB302.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB695.2 million (US$106.5 million) for the same period in 2021 due to increase in revenues from freight brokerage service and freight listing service as well as growth in transaction commissions since late 2020.

 

   

Revenues from freight brokerage service increased by 135.9% from RMB189.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB446.4 million (US$68.4 million) for the same period in 2021, primarily due to a significant increase in transaction activities involving our freight brokerage service, as China’s road transportation industry substantially recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by a decrease in our average fee rate to attract more shippers to use our service.

 

   

Revenues from freight listing service increased by 43.9% from RMB113.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB163.3 million (US$25.0 million) for the same period in 2021, primarily attributable to a significant increase in total paying members driven by increased shipper demand for our services.



 

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We started monetizing online transaction service by collecting commissions from truckers on certain shipping orders in August 2020. Transaction commission amounted to RMB85.5 million (US$13.1 million) for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Revenues from value-added services increased by 26.5% from RMB135.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB172.0 million (US$26.4 million) for the same period in 2021, due to the increase in revenues from credit solutions and other value-added services.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 117.6% from RMB189.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB412.8 million (US$63.3 million) for same period in 2021, primarily due to an increase in VAT, related tax surcharges and other tax costs, net of tax refunds from government authorities. Our cost of revenues as a percentage of our net revenues increased from 43.3% to 47.6% during the same period.

For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2021, the gross amount of VAT was RMB258.2 million and RMB622.2 million (US$95.4 million), respectively, of which RMB244.0 million and RMB598.4 million (US$91.7 million) was related to freight brokerage service, and the amount of related tax surcharges and other tax costs was RMB46.2 million and RMB97.3 million (US$14.9 million), respectively, substantially all of which was related to freight brokerage service. For the same periods, the amount of tax refunds (including refunds on VAT and related tax surcharges) from government authorities was RMB160.3 million and RMB358.5 million (US$54.9 million), respectively, of which RMB152.2 million and RMB299.5 million (US$45.9 million) was refunds on VAT. Substantially all of the tax refunds were related to freight brokerage service.

Sales and marketing expenses

Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 107.0% from RMB82.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB170.4 million (US$26.1 million) for the same period in 2021, and our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of our net revenues increased from 18.8% to 19.6% during the same period. The increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in salary and benefits expenses by RMB31.9 million (US$4.9 million) driven by an increase in sales and marketing headcount and an increase in welfare contribution rate, (ii) an increase in advertising and marketing expenses by RMB17.3 million (US$2.6 million) as a result of new marketing initiatives, and (iii) recognition of share-based compensation expenses of RMB26.2 million (US$4.0 million).

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses increased by 88.1% from RMB171.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB322.0 million (US$49.3 million) for the same period in 2021, primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expenses by RMB177.6 million (US$27.2 million). Our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of our net revenues decreased from 39.0% to 37.1% during the same period, primarily due to operating leverage on higher net revenues.

Research and development expenses

Our research and development expenses increased by 52.0% from RMB90.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB138.0 million (US$21.1 million) for the same period in 2021, primarily due to (i) an increase in salary and benefits expenses by RMB27.5 million (US$4.2 million) driven by an increase in research and development headcount and an increase in welfare contribution rate, and (ii) recognition of share-based compensation expenses of RMB15.0 million (US$2.3 million). Our research and development expenses as a percentage of our net revenues decreased from 20.7% to 15.9% during the same period, primarily due to operating leverage on higher net revenues.



 

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Net loss

We incurred a net loss of RMB197.0 million (US$30.2 million) for the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to a net loss of RMB63.3 million for the same period in 2020.

Our net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021 increased on a sequential basis from those for the three months ended December 31, 2020, primarily attributable to an increase in revenue from transaction commission due to the expansion of such business since late 2020, partially offset by a decrease in revenues from freight brokerage service and credit solutions, as we experienced a decrease in transaction volume caused by the seasonal impact from the Chinese New Year holiday season. Our net loss decreased over the same period primarily due to a significant decrease in our share-based compensation expenses.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We recorded non-GAAP adjusted operating income of RMB110.7 million (US$17.0 million) for the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to non-GAAP adjusted operating loss of RMB30.0 million for same period in 2020. Our non-GAAP adjusted net income increased by 324.4% from RMB26.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 to RMB112.9 million (US$17.3 million) for same period in 2021, driven by growth in net revenues.

The following table reconciles our non-GAAP adjusted operating (loss)/income in the periods presented to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which is loss from operations.

 

     For the Three Months Ended March 31,  
     2020     2021  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Loss from operations

     (122,828     (201,894     (30,942

Add:

      

Share-based compensation expense

     82,486       301,654       46,231  

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

     10,333       10,983       1,683  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP adjusted operating (loss)/income

     (30,009     110,743       16,972  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


 

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The following table reconciles our non-GAAP adjusted net income in the periods presented to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which is net loss.

 

     For the Three Months Ended March 31,  
     2020     2021  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net loss

     (63,284     (196,956     (30,185

Add:

      

Share-based compensation expense

     82,486       301,654       46,231  

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

     10,333       10,983       1,683  

Tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments(1)

     (2,583     (2,746     (421
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less:

      

Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax

     341       —         —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP adjusted net income

     26,611       112,935       17,308  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)   Comprise tax effects relating to amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions.

    

Key Operating Metrics

Set forth in the table below are our key operating metrics for the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared with those for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Our average shipper MAUs, fulfilled orders and GTV increased significantly on a year-over-year basis due to increased demand for our services, as China’s road transportation industry substantially recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as continued expansion of our business. In March 2021, approximately 1.4 million shippers posted shipping orders on our platform, representing a year-over-year growth of 63.0% from March 2020.

 

     For the Three Months Ended March 31,  
     2020      2021  

Average shipper MAUs (in millions)

     0.73        1.22  

Fulfilled orders (in millions)

     8.2        22.1  

GTV (RMB in billions)

     24.7        51.5  

In August 2020, we began monetization of our online transaction service by collecting commissions from truckers on selected types of shipping orders originating from an initial batch of three cities, namely Hangzhou, Huzhou and Shaoxing. In March 2021, we collected commissions on shipping orders with GTV of RMB793.8 million, representing 96.8% of the total GTV originating from these three cities on our platform. Commission charges were RMB5.4 million in March 2021. We started collecting commissions on shipping orders originating from certain other cities on a smaller scale in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. In March 2021, we collected commissions in a total of 60 cities on shipping orders with GTV of RMB8.6 billion, representing 89.6% of the total GTV originating from these 60 cities and 36.3% of the total nationwide GTV facilitated through our platform in the same month. Our total commission charges from these 60 cities were RMB46.6 million in March 2021.

Other Developments

From May 28, 2021 to June 10, 2021, we repurchased and canceled an aggregate of 91,236,935 Class A ordinary shares from Dai WJ Holdings Limited, 20,274,875 Class A ordinary shares from Geng XF Holdings



 

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Limited, 15,206,156 Class A ordinary shares from Liu XF Holdings Limited, 40,549,749 Class A ordinary shares from Tang TG Holdings Limited, 105,675,493 Series A-9 preferred shares from Capital Champion Holdings Limited and 64,446,468 Series A-9 preferred shares from Nanjing Ai De Fu Luo Na Information Technology Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership) at a repurchase price of US$0.98644260 per share for an aggregate repurchase price of US$332,815,549.

Our History and Corporate Structure

The operations of Yunmanman commenced in 2013. Prior to December 2017, the Yunmanman platform was operated by the subsidiaries and variable interest entities of Full Truck Logistics Information Co. Ltd, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The operations of Huochebang commenced in 2011. Prior to December 2017, the Huochebang platform was operated by the subsidiaries and variable interest entities of Truck Alliance Inc., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

In December 2017, Full Truck Logistics Information Co. Ltd and Truck Alliance Inc. merged into Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Due to PRC laws and regulations that impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign equity ownership of entities providing value-added telecommunications services and certain financial services, we conduct a substantial part of our operations in China through contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei Information Consulting Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Xiwei, Beijing Yunmanman Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Yunmanman, and Guizhou FTA Logistics Technology Co., Ltd., or Guizhou FTA, which are our consolidated VIEs. Our consolidated VIEs and their subsidiaries hold certain licenses required to operate our business in China. We gained control over Shanghai Xiwei and Beijing Yunmanman through Jiangsu Manyun by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei, Beijing Yunmanman and their respective shareholders. In addition, we gained control over Guizhou FTA through Full Truck Alliance Information Consulting Co., Ltd., or FTA Information, by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Guizhou FTA and its shareholders. For more details and risks related to our variable interest entity structure, please see “—Contractual Arrangements with the VIEs and their Shareholders” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.”



 

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure with our principal subsidiaries as of the date of this prospectus. Certain entities that are immaterial to our results of operations, business and financial condition are omitted. Except as otherwise specified, equity interests depicted in this diagram are held as to 100%.

 

LOGO

 

(1)

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang and Ms. Guizhen Ma hold 65% and 35% equity interest, respectively, in Beijing Yunmanman. Mr. Peter Hui Zhang is our founder, chairman of our board of directors and chief executive officer. Ms. Guizhen Ma is a director and a member of our management. Beijing Yunmanman is not currently engaged in any material business operation.

(2)

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang and Ms. Guizhen Ma hold 60% and 40% equity interest, respectively, in Shanghai Xiwei. Shanghai Xiwei and its subsidiaries are primarily involved in operating our Yunmanman apps and providing freight matching services and value-added services.

(3)

Includes one insignificant subsidiary that is wholly-owned by Shanghai Xiwei and two other insignificant subsidiaries, each with 51% equity interest held by Shanghai Xiwei.

(4)

Includes five insignificant subsidiaries that are wholly-owned by Manyun Software and one other insignificant subsidiary with 70% equity interest held by Manyun Software.

(5)

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang and Ms. Guizhen Ma hold 70% and 30% equity interest, respectively, in Guizhou FTA. Guizhou FTA and its subsidiaries are primarily involved in operating our Huochebang apps and providing freight matching services and value-added services. Previously, Guiyang Huochebang was a consolidated VIE of FTA Information. Guizhou FTA was a newly established entity. In March 2021, as directed by FTA Information, Guizhou FTA acquired 100% of equity interest in Guiyang Huochebang for a nominal price from the shareholders of Guiyang Huochebang pursuant to the contractual arrangements between FTA Information and the shareholders of Guiyang Huochebang, and FTA Information gained control over Guizhou FTA through contractual arrangements. Guiyang Huochebang continues to hold the licenses required to operate its business following such transactions.

(6)

Includes 21 insignificant subsidiaries that are wholly-owned by Guiyang Huochebang.



 

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Our Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at No. 123 Kaifa Avenue, Economic and Technical Development Zone, Guiyang, Guizhou 550009, People’s Republic of China and Wanbo Science and Technology Park, 20 Fengxin Road, Yuhuatai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210012, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone numbers at these addresses are +86-851-8384-2056 and +86-25-6692-0156, respectively. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. Investors should submit any inquiries to the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices set forth above.

Our main websites are www.ymm56.com and www.huochebang.cn, and the information contained on these websites are not a part of this prospectus. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10168.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or 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, related to the assessment of the effectiveness 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 will take advantage of the extended transition period. As a result of this election, our financial statements may not be comparable to other public companies that comply with the public company effective dates for these new or revised accounting standards.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of our fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least US$1.07 billion; (b) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering; (c) the date on which we have, during the previous three year period, issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (d) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of the ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer and a Controlled Company

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act and, as such, we are permitted to follow the corporate governance practices of our home country, the Cayman Islands, in lieu of the corporate governance standards of NYSE applicable to U.S. domestic companies. For example, we are not required to have a majority of the board consisting of independent directors nor have a compensation committee or a nominating and corporate governance committee consisting entirely of independent directors. We intend to continue to follow our home country’s corporate governance practices as long as we remain a foreign private issuer. As a result, you may not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of U.S. domestic companies that are subject to NYSE corporate governance requirements. As a foreign private issuer, we are also subject to



 

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reduced disclosure requirements and are exempt from certain provisions of the U.S. securities rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers such as the rules regulating solicitation of proxies and certain insider reporting and short-swing profit rules.

Upon the completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement, we will be a “controlled company” as defined under the rules of NYSE, because Mr. Peter Hui Zhang, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, will be able to exercise 83.4% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding shares, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. Under the rules of NYSE, a “controlled company” may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements. Currently, we do not plan to utilize the “controlled company” exemptions with respect to our corporate governance practice after we complete this offering and the concurrent private placement.

Conventions That Apply to This Prospectus

Unless we indicate otherwise, references in this prospectus to:

 

   

“active shippers” are to the aggregate number of registered shipper accounts on our platform that have posted at least one shipping order on our platform during a given period; some shippers may use more than one account, and/or may share the same account with other shippers;

 

   

“ADSs” are to American depositary shares, each of which represents 20 Class A ordinary shares;

 

   

“CAGR” are to compound annual growth rate;

 

   

“China” and the “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this prospectus only, Taiwan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region;

 

   

“fulfilled orders” on our platform in a given period are to all shipping orders matched through our platform during such period but exclude (i) shipping orders that are subsequently canceled, and (ii) shipping orders for which our users failed to specify any freight prices as there are substantial uncertainties as to whether the shipping orders are fulfilled;

 

   

“GTV” or “gross transaction value” of our platform in a given period are to the aggregate freight prices specified by our users for all fulfilled orders on our platform during the period without deducting any commission or service fee charged by us; we make downward adjustments to unreasonably high freight prices specified by users that are apparently due to clerical errors;

 

   

“ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares, US$0.00001 par value per share, and Class B ordinary shares, US$0.00001 par value per share; each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote; each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 30 votes prior to the completion of this offering, and will be entitled to 30 votes upon the completion of this offering pursuant to our sixth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or post-listing memorandum and articles of association, which will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering;

 

   

“quarterly fulfilled orders per average shipper MAU” are calculated by dividing (i) the number of fulfilled orders on our platform for a quarter, by (ii) the average shipper MAUs in such quarter;

 

   

“RMB” or “Renminbi” are to the legal currency of China;

 

   

“road transportation industry” or “road transportation market” are to the market of transportation services for raw material, semi-finished goods and finished goods by trucks on roads;

 

   

“shipper MAUs” are to the number of active shippers in a given month; “average shipper MAUs” in a given period are calculated by dividing (i) the sum of shipper MAUs for each month of such period, by (ii) the number of months in such period;



 

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

 

   

“VIE” are to variable interest entity; and

 

   

“we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” are to Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs and their respective subsidiaries, as the context requires.

Unless specifically indicated otherwise or unless the context otherwise requires, all information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs.

This prospectus contains translations between Renminbi and U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. The translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this prospectus were made at a rate of RMB6.5250 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on December 31, 2020. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus 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. On June 18, 2021, the noon buying rate for Renminbi was RMB6.4525 to US$1.00.



 

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The Offering

 

Price per ADS

US$19.00 per ADS.

 

ADSs Offered by Us

82,500,000 ADSs

 

ADSs Outstanding Immediately After This Offering

82,500,000 ADSs (or 94,875,000 ADSs if the underwriters exercise in full the over-allotment option).

 

Concurrent Private Placement of Class A Ordinary Shares

Concurrently with, and subject to, the completion of this offering, each of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and an entity affiliated with Mubadala has agreed to purchase US$100.0 million of our Class A ordinary shares from us in a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act at a price per share equal to the initial public offering price adjusted for the ADS-to-Class A ordinary share ratio. Based on the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS, each of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and the entity affiliated with Mubadala will purchase 105,263,157 of our Class A ordinary shares, or 210,526,314 Class A ordinary shares in the aggregate. We will receive the full proceeds and will not pay any underwriting discounts or commissions with respect to the Class A ordinary shares that we sell in the concurrent private placement. The sale of the Class A ordinary shares in the concurrent private placement is contingent upon the completion of this offering but will not be registered as part of this offering. The Class A ordinary shares we sell in the concurrent private placement will be subject to lock-up restrictions for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. We refer to the private placement of these Class A ordinary shares as the concurrent private placement.

 

Class A Ordinary Shares to Be Outstanding Immediately After This Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement

18,648,294,981 Class A ordinary shares (or 18,895,794,981 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full).

 

Class B Ordinary Shares to Be Outstanding Immediately After This Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement

3,068,619,066 Class B ordinary shares.
 

 

The ADSs

Each ADS represents 20 Class A ordinary shares.

 

  The depositary will be the holder of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs and you will have the rights of an ADS holder as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of ADSs from time to time.


 

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  You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. The depositary will charge you a fee for such an exchange.

 

  We and the depositary may amend or terminate the deposit agreement for any reason without your consent. Any amendment that imposes or increases fees or charges or which materially prejudices any substantial existing right you have as an ADS holder will not become effective as to outstanding ADSs until 30 days after notice of the amendment is given to ADS holders. If an amendment becomes effective, you will be bound by the deposit agreement as amended if you continue to hold your ADSs.

 

  To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the section in this prospectus entitled “Description of American Depositary Shares.” We also encourage you to read the deposit agreement, which is an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

 

Ordinary Shares

Pursuant to our post-listing memorandum and articles of association, which will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, our ordinary shares will be divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. In respect of all matters subject to a shareholder’s vote, each Class A ordinary share will be entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share will be entitled to 30 votes, voting together as one class. Each Class B ordinary share will be convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares will not be convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any transfer of Class B ordinary shares by a holder to any person or entity which is not an affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the equivalent number of Class A ordinary shares. See “Description of Share Capital” for more information.

 

Over-Allotment Option

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of 12,375,000 additional ADSs at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions, solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments.

 

Use of Proceeds

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately US$1,707.7 million from this offering and the concurrent private placement, or approximately US$1,934.6 million if the underwriters exercise in full the over-allotment option, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

 

We anticipate using the net proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement as follows: (i) approximately 40% for investment in infrastructure development and technology innovation,



 

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(ii) approximately 40% for expansion of service offerings and (iii) the balance for general corporate purposes.

 

  See “Use of Proceeds” for more information.

 

Lock-up

We, our officers and directors, our existing shareholders and the concurrent private placement purchasers have agreed not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. The ADSs purchased by the affiliate of Fidelity International in this offering will not be subject to the foregoing lock-up restrictions. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting.”

 

Risk Factors

See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of the risks relating to investing in the ADSs. You should carefully consider these risks before deciding to invest in the ADSs.

 

Listing

The ADSs have been approved for listing on the NYSE. Our ordinary shares will not be listed on any exchange or quoted for trading on any over-the-counter trading system.

 

NYSE Trading Symbol

YMM

 

Payment and settlement

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment on June 24, 2021, through the facilities of the Depositary Trust Company, or DTC.

 

Depositary

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas

The total number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding immediately after this offering and the concurrent private placement will be 18,648,294,981 Class A ordinary shares and 3,068,619,066 Class B ordinary shares, which is based upon (i) 1,822,292,382 Class A ordinary shares and 963,610,653 Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering; (ii) the re-classification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics Information Co., Ltd, or Full Load Logistics, and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (iii) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (iv) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (v) 1,650,000,000 Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with this offering (assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs); and (vi) 210,526,314 Class A ordinary shares issued in the concurrent private placement, but exclude:

 

   

185,365,851 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of 185,365,851 outstanding options under the share incentive plan we adopted in November 2018, which was amended and restated in April 2020 and December 2020, or the 2018 Plan; and

 

   

194,542 Class A ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under the 2018 Plan and 466,685,092 Class A ordinary shares initially reserved for future issuance under the 2021 equity incentive plan we adopted in April 2021, or the 2021 Plan.



 

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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA

The following summary consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss data and summary consolidated statement of cash flows data for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 and summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or the U.S. GAAP. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period. The following summary consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated are qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” both of which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The following table presents our summary consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data for the periods indicated.

 

     For the Years Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands, except share and per share data)  

Summary Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss:

      

Net revenues (including value-added taxes, “VAT”, of RMB1,359,320 and RMB1,434,015 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively)

     2,473,061       2,580,820       395,528  

Operating expenses:

      

Cost of revenues (including VAT net of refund of VAT, of RMB953,200 and RMB893,909 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively)(1)

     (1,389,864     (1,316,017     (201,688

Sales and marketing expenses(1)

     (403,117     (454,343     (69,631

General and administrative expenses(1)

     (1,189,423     (3,938,565     (603,611

Research and development expenses(1)

     (396,692     (413,369     (63,352

Provision for loans receivables

     (127,790     (94,160     (14,431
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     (3,506,886     (6,216,454     (952,713

Other operating income

     13,223       21,031       3,223  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (1,020,602     (3,614,603     (553,962

Other (expense) income

      

Interest income

     229,310       209,832       32,158  

Interest expenses

     (39,996     (8,367     (1,282

Foreign exchange loss

     (4,410     (21,276     (3,261

Investment income

     —         3,321       509  

Unrealized gains from fair value changes of trading securities and derivative assets

     —         18,140       2,780  

Other expenses, net

     (8,585     (5,559     (852

Impairment loss

     (710,331     (22,030     (3,376

Share of loss in equity method investees

     (1,729     (11,054     (1,694
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other (loss) income

  

 

 

 

 

 

(535,741

 

 

) 

    163,007       24,982  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss before income tax

     (1,556,343     (3,451,596 )      (528,980 ) 

Income tax benefit (expense)

     14,676       (19,336     (2,963

Net loss from continuing operations

     (1,541,667     (3,470,932 )      (531,943 ) 

Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax

     18,010       452       69  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


 

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     For the Years Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands, except share and per share data)  

Net loss

     (1,523,657     (3,470,480 )      (531,874 ) 

Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

     (7     (8     (1

Net loss attributable to Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

     (1,523,650     (3,470,472 )      (531,873 ) 

Deemed dividend

     —         (120,086     (18,404

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

     (1,523,650     (3,590,558 )      (550,277 ) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss earning per ordinary share:

      

Continuing operations

     (0.47     (1.05     (0.16

Discontinued operations

     0.01       0.00       0.00  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted—ordinary shares

     (0.46     (1.05     (0.16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average shares used in calculating net loss per ordinary share:

      

Basic

     3,299,723,079       3,423,687,654       3,423,687,654  

Diluted

     3,299,723,079       3,423,687,654       3,423,687,654  

Net loss

     (1,523,657     (3,470,480 )      (531,874 ) 

Other comprehensive income (loss)

      

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of nil

     89,399       (498,157     (76,346
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

     (1,434,258     (3,968,637     (608,220
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less: comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests

     (7     (8     (1

Comprehensive loss attributable to Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

     (1,434,251     (3,968,629     (608,219

Deemed dividend

     —         (120,086     (18,404

Comprehensive loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

     (1,434,251     (4,088,715 )      (626,623 ) 
      

 

(1)

Share-based compensation expenses were allocated as follows:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2020  
     RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

General and administrative expenses

     455,634        3,341,145        512,053  

Sales and marketing expenses

     —          94,640        14,504  

Research and development expenses

     —          42,680        6,541  

Cost of revenues

     —          7,842        1,202  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     455,634        3,486,307        534,300  


 

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The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheets data as of the dates indicated.

 

    As of December 31,  
    2019     2020  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

    3,983,721       10,060,391       1,541,822  

Total current assets

    12,501,355       20,683,351       3,169,861  

Total non-current assets

    4,457,048       4,450,005       681,994  

Total assets

    16,958,403       25,133,356       3,851,855  

Total current liabilities

    2,281,372       1,962,347       300,743  

Total non-current liabilities

    123,333       118,783       18,204  

Total liabilities

    2,404,705       2,081,130       318,947  

Mezzanine equity (convertible redeemable preferred shares)

    21,644,964       31,535,947       4,833,095  

Total shareholders’ deficit

    (7,091,696     (8,484,143     (1,300,252
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ deficit

    16,958,403       25,133,356       3,851,855  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following table presents our summary consolidated cash flow data for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Summary Consolidated Cash Flow Data:

     

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

    (923,965     574,742       88,084  

Net cash used in investing activities

    (3,391,199     (2,690,895     (412,399

Net cash provided by financing activities

    1,693,225       8,324,448       1,275,777  

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

    19,884       (127,770     (19,581

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

    (2,602,055     6,080,525       931,881  

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

    6,681,698       4,079,643       625,233  

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

    4,079,643       10,160,168       1,557,114  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

    4,079,643       10,160,168       1,557,114  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating our business, we consider and use non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) and non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss), each a non-GAAP financial measure, as supplemental measures to review and assess our operating performance. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We define non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) as loss from operations excluding (i) share-based compensation expense, (ii) compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares from certain employees in excess of fair value and (iii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions. We define non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss) as net loss excluding (i) share-based compensation expense, (ii) compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares from certain employees in excess of fair value, (iii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, (iv) impairment loss related to a one-time write-off of loans in connection with our investment in Guangzhou Zhihong Logistics Co., Ltd. in 2019, (v) tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments and (vi) net income from discontinued operations, net of tax.



 

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With respect to amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, the relevant intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase accounting and contribute to revenue generation of our company. Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized.

We present non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and formulate business plans. Our non-GAAP financial measures enable our management to assess our operating results without considering the impact of share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, which are non-cash charges, compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares in excess of fair value, which is a non-recurring charge, impairment loss related to a one-time write-off, which is a non-cash and non-recurring charge and net income from discontinued operations, net of tax, which is non-recurring. We also believe that the use of non-GAAP measures facilitate investors’ assessment of our operating performance.

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool. Our non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect all items of expense that affect our operations. Share-based compensation expense has been and may continue to be incurred in our business and is not reflected in the presentation of our non-GAAP financial measures.

We reconcile the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measures. Non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) and non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss) should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to operating income/(loss) and net income/(loss) or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Our non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

The following table reconciles our non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) in the periods presented to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which is loss from operations.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Loss from operations

     (1,020,602     (3,614,603     (553,962

Add:

      

Share-based compensation expense

     455,634       3,486,307       534,300  

Compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares in excess of fair value

     251,891       234,113       35,879  

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

     41,333       42,200       6,467  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss)

     (271,744     148,017       22,684  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


 

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The following table reconciles our non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss) in the periods presented to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which is net loss.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net loss

     (1,523,657     (3,470,480     (531,874

Add:

      

Share-based compensation expense

     455,634       3,486,307       534,300  

Compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares in excess of fair value

     251,891       234,113       35,879  

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

     41,333       42,200       6,467  

Impairment loss related to a one-time write-off

     710,331       —         —    

Tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments(1)

     (10,333     (10,550     (1,617

Less:

      

Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax

     18,010       452       69  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss)

     (92,811     281,138       43,086  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

Comprise tax effects relating to amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions.

Key Operating Metrics

We regularly review the following key operating metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions.

 

    For the Three Months Ended  
    March 31,
2019
    June 30,
2019
    September 30,
2019
    December 31,
2019
    March 31,
2020
    June 30,
2020
    September 30,
2020
    December 31,
2020
    March 31, 
2021(2)
 

Average shipper MAUs (in millions)

    0.41       0.56       0.72       0.88       0.73       1.09       1.22       1.31       1.22  

Fulfilled orders (in millions)

    N/A (1)      N/A (1)      10.0       11.5       8.2       19.2       19.8       24.6       22.1  

GTV (RMB in billions)

    N/A (1)      N/A (1)      27.7       33.3       24.7       46.9       45.2       56.9       51.5  

 

(1)

GTV and number of fulfilled orders were not systematically collected from truckers and shippers prior to the third quarter of 2019 as we did not request truckers or shippers to provide such information. Therefore, GTV and fulfilled orders in the first and second quarter of 2019 are unavailable to us.

(2)

Due to the Chinese New Year holiday season, we experienced a decrease in transaction activities on our platform in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the fourth quarter of 2020.

For definitions of our key operating metrics, see “Prospectus Summary—Conventions That Apply to This Prospectus.”



 

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The transaction volume on our platform is typically lower during the first quarter of each year due to the Chinese New Year holiday season. The COVID-19 outbreak, together with the seasonality of our business, resulted in major declines in shipper demand and transaction activities on our platform in the first quarter of 2020, compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect our results of operations” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Impact of COVID-19.”

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our platform quickly recovered in the second quarter of 2020. GTV increased from RMB27.7 billion for the third quarter of 2019 to RMB45.2 billion for the third quarter of 2020; average shipper MAUs increased from 0.7 million for the third quarter of 2019 to 1.2 million for the third quarter of 2020.



 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in the ADSs involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in the ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends. In any such case, the market price of the ADSs could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. In particular, as we are a China-based company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, you should pay special attention to the subsection headed “Risks Relating to Doing Business in China” below.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Our historical financial and operating performance may not be indicative of our future prospects and results of operations due to the limited operating history of some of our business lines, evolving business model and changing market.

We started our business in 2011 by providing freight listing service through QQ and WeChat groups. Today, we are the world’s largest digital freight platform, according to the CIC Report, and we facilitated GTV of RMB173.8 billion (US$26.6 billion) in 2020 and RMB 51.5 billion (US$7.9 billion) in the first quarter of 2021. We have limited experience in certain key aspects of our business operations, such as freight matching and pricing, offering value-added services, as well as developing and maintaining long-term relationships with a wide range of ecosystem participants. In addition, as we only have a limited track record as a combined company after the completion of the merger between Yunmanman and Huochebang, it is difficult to predict our future revenues and appropriately budget for our costs and expenses, and the evaluation of our business and prediction about our future performance may not be as accurate as they would be if we had a longer operating history. In the event that actual results differ from the investors’ expectations, the market price of our ADSs could decline.

As our business develops or in response to competition, we may continue to introduce new services, make adjustments to our existing services, our business model or our operations in general. For example, we began to monetize our online transaction service by collecting commissions from truckers for matching shipping orders originating from certain cities in China in August 2020. We cannot assure you that this new business model will be successful or generate results that meet our expectations, or at all. Any significant change to our business model or failure to achieve the intended business results may have a material and adverse impact on our business and results of operations. We also face challenges to successfully develop new platform features and expand our service offerings to enhance the experience of shippers and truckers. Therefore, it may be difficult to effectively assess our future prospects. Furthermore, the road transportation market in China is undergoing constant change. The laws and regulations governing the road transportation market in China are also subject to further changes and interpretation. As the market, the regulatory environment or other conditions evolve, our existing solutions and services may not continue to deliver the expected business results.

You should consider our business and prospects in light of the risks and challenges we encounter or may encounter given the limited operating history of some of our business lines, as well as our evolving business model and changes in the market in which we operate. These risks and challenges include our ability to, among other things:

 

   

continue to maintain, protect and strengthen our brands;

 

   

attract or maintain a critical mass of shippers and truckers;

 

   

continue to provide superior experience to shippers and truckers;

 

   

keep up with the technological developments and implementation of advanced technologies;

 

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effectively match truckers with shipments and optimize the related pricing models;

 

   

capture monetization opportunities on our platform;

 

   

comply with complex and evolving laws and regulations;

 

   

improve our operational efficiency;

 

   

attract, retain and motivate talented employees, particularly sales and marketing and research and development personnel to support our business growth;

 

   

navigate economic conditions and fluctuations;

 

   

implement our business strategies, including the offering of new services; and

 

   

defend ourselves against legal and regulatory actions.

Our operations have grown substantially since inception. We may not be able to effectively manage our growth, control our expenses or implement our business strategies.

Our operations have grown substantially since inception, which placed significant strain on our management and resources. There can be no assurance that our level of revenue growth will be sustainable or achieved at all in the future. We believe that our growth and expansion will depend on our ability to attract and retain shippers and truckers on our platform, to increase engagement and transaction activities of users on our platform, monetize our services, and leverage our scale of business to manage operating costs and expenses. There can be no assurance that we will achieve any of the above.

To manage our growth and expansion, we anticipate that we will need to implement a variety of new and upgraded operational systems, procedures and controls, including improving our technology infrastructure as well as internal management systems. Expanding into new businesses and developing and adopting new technologies will require us to incur additional labor-related costs, such as compensation, benefit costs and office rental expenses. We will also need to further expand, train, manage and motivate our workforce and manage our relationships with ecosystem participants. All of these endeavors involve risks and will require substantial management efforts and skills and significant additional expenditures. Our further expansion may divert our management, operational or technological resources from our existing business operations. In addition, our expansion may require us to adjust our existing offerings or enter into new market segments, and we may have difficulty in satisfying market demands and regulatory requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully maintain our growth rate or implement our future business strategies effectively, and failure to do so may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.

Our business may be affected by fluctuations in China’s road transportation market.

We are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact cargo volumes and truck capacity. China’s road transportation market historically has experienced cyclical fluctuations due to economic slowdowns, downturns in business cycles of shippers, volatility in energy price, pandemic and other economic factors beyond our control. Deterioration in the economic environment subjects our business to various risks, including the following that may have a material and adverse impact on our operating results and cause us not to achieve growth or profitability:

 

   

a reduction in overall cargo volumes reduces our revenue and opportunities for growth; in addition, a decline in the volume of cargo shipped due to a downturn in shippers’ business cycles or other factors generally results in decreases in order pricing, as truckers compete for shipping orders to maintain truck productivity, which will affect our monetization opportunities;

 

   

a number of truckers may go out of business and we may be unable to have sufficient truckers to meet shippers’ demand when the market recovers; and

 

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we may not be able to appropriately adjust our expenses to changing platform activities. In order to maintain high variability in our business model, it is necessary to adjust staffing levels to changing platform activities. In periods of rapid change, it is more difficult to match our staffing levels to our business needs. In addition, we have other expenses that are fixed for a period of time, and we may not be able to adequately adjust them in a period of rapid change in platform activities.

If we are unable to attract or maintain a critical mass of shippers and truckers in a cost-effective manner, whether as a result of competition or other factors, our platform will become less appealing to shippers and truckers, and our financial results would be adversely impacted.

Our success significantly depends on our ability to maintain and increase the scale of our network by attracting additional shippers and truckers to our platform in a cost-effective manner. If shippers choose not to use our platform, we may lack sufficient opportunities for truckers to find shipments, which may reduce the perceived utility of our platform. Similarly, if truckers choose not to offer their services through our platform, or elect to offer them through other freight matching channels, we may lack a sufficient supply of truckers to attract shippers to our platform. An insufficient supply of shippers and truckers would adversely affect our revenue and financial results. Although we may benefit from having larger network of shippers and truckers than our competitors, the network effects of our platform may not result in sufficient competitive advantages or may be overcome by our competitors. Maintaining a balance between shipper demand and trucker supply for any given route at any given time and our ability to execute operationally may be more important to service quality than the absolute size of the network. If our service quality diminishes or our competitors’ services achieve greater market adoption, our competitors may be able to grow at a quicker rate than we do and may diminish our network effects. Additionally, if we fail to cater to the needs and preferences of shippers and truckers, control our costs in doing so or fail to deliver superior user experience, we may not be able to attract additional shippers and truckers in a cost-effective manner, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Transaction activities on our platform may decline materially or fluctuate as a result of many factors, including, among other things, dissatisfaction with the operation of our platform, the price of shipping orders, dissatisfaction with the quality of service provided by the truckers on our platform, quality of platform user support, negative publicity related to our brands, including as a result of safety incidents, or dissatisfaction with our services and offerings in general. If we fail to provide high-quality support, or introduce new or upgraded service offerings, or features that truckers, shippers, as well as ecosystem participants recognize as valuable or if we cannot otherwise attract and retain a large number of shippers and truckers, our GTV and revenue would decline, and our business would suffer. In addition, new features and functions on our platform that may be received positively by one category of users may be viewed as negative to another category of users. For example, some truckers may be dissatisfied with the “tap and go” feature, which allows a shipper to post shipping order with a fixed price and is intended to replace price negotiation and streamline the transaction process between shippers and truckers, because such feature may result in lower prices for certain transactions. Furthermore, although we aim to increase truckers’ truck utilization, earnings potential, as well as profitability through smarter and more efficient freight matching, some truckers may view the increased efficiency in overall freight price discovery and negotiation on our platform as a negative to their gross earnings. Dissatisfied truckers may lodge complaints with regulators, which, regardless of their veracity, may result in possibly heightened attention from regulators, the public and the media. In addition, as our platform continues to grow, we may introduce additional new features and functions, including pricing mechanisms to automate and minimize negotiations and improve the overall transaction efficiency on our platform. We are committed to protecting interests of all of our platform users and adjusting features and functions on our platform based on user feedback. However, we cannot assure you that we will not experience user dissatisfaction or receive negative reactions from our users. Any complaints and negative comments resulting from user dissatisfaction or negative reactions may cause government inquiries or substantial harm to our brand, reputation and operations.

Shippers and truckers on our platform may engage in unethical or fraudulent behaviors that harm the interests of their counterparties. For example, shippers may misrepresent cargo information or refuse to pay shipping fees to

 

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truckers; and truckers may raise shipping fees after picking up cargos. We have implemented rules that are designed to protect the interests of shippers and truckers on our platform and promote honest dealings, but there can be no assurance as to the effectiveness of such rules. Shippers and truckers may feel dissatisfied towards our platform due to the unethical behaviors of other ecosystem participants. Any decline in the number of shippers or truckers using our platform or their activity level on our platform would reduce the value of our network and would harm our future operating results.

We may not succeed in continuing to maintain, protect and strengthen our brands, and any negative publicity about us, our business, our management, our ecosystem participants or the road transportation market in general, may materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations and growth.

Enhancing the recognition and reputation of our brands is critical to our business and competitiveness. Factors that are vital to this objective include but are not limited to our ability to:

 

   

maintain the quality and reliability of services offered on our platform;

 

   

maintain and develop relationships with, shippers, truckers, and other ecosystem participants;

 

   

provide prospective and existing shippers and truckers with superior experiences;

 

   

effectively manage and resolve user complaints; and

 

   

effectively protect personal information and privacy of, and any sensitive data received from shippers and truckers.

Any malicious or inadvertent negative allegations made by the media or other parties about the foregoing or other aspects of our company, including but not limited to our management, business, regulatory compliance, financial condition or prospects, whether with merit or not, could severely hurt our reputation and harm our business and results of operations.

As the road transportation market in China is under constant development and the regulatory framework for this market is subject to changes and developments, negative publicity about this industry may arise from time to time. Negative publicity about the road transportation market in general may also have a negative impact on our reputation, regardless of whether we have engaged in any inappropriate activities. Any actual or perceived failure of other digital freight platforms to detect or prevent illegal activities or provide high-quality services could compromise our image, undermine the trust and credibility we have established and have a negative impact on our ability to attract new shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants. Negative developments in the road transportation market, such as fraudulent or illegal behavior by industry participants, may also lead to tightened regulatory scrutiny of the sector and limit the scope of permissible business activities that may be conducted by us. If any of the foregoing takes place, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We collaborate with various road transportation industry participants in providing our solutions and services. Such participants include financial institutions, insurance companies, gas station operators and other business partners. Negative publicity about such counterparties, including any failure by them to adequately protect the information of shippers and truckers, to comply with applicable laws and regulations or to otherwise meet required quality and service standards could harm our reputation.

If our solutions and services do not achieve and maintain sufficient market acceptance or provide the expected benefits to ecosystem participants, our financial condition, results of operations and competitive position will be materially and adversely affected.

We have incurred and will continue to incur expenses to develop, adjust and market existing or new solutions and services for shippers and truckers. For example, we plan to have dedicated teams to design and

 

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develop user experiences and operations for less-than-truckload, or LTL, and intra-city services respectively, to better serve the unique user needs of these verticals. Adjusted or new solutions and services must achieve high levels of market acceptance in order for us to recoup our investment in developing, acquiring and bringing them to market.

Our existing or new solutions and services and changes to our platform could fail to maintain or achieve sufficient market acceptance for many reasons, including but not limited to:

 

   

our failure to predict market demand accurately and supply solutions and services that meet this demand in a timely fashion;

 

   

ecosystem participants may not like, find useful or agree with the functions and features of our solutions and/or services, fees charged for our solutions and/or services, or any changes we make;

 

   

our failure to properly price new solutions and services;

 

   

negative publicity about our solutions and services or our platform’s performance or effectiveness;

 

   

our failure to satisfy the expectations of the quality or reliability of our solutions and/or services;

 

   

views taken by regulatory authorities that the new solutions and services or platform changes do not comply with PRC laws, rules or regulations applicable to us; and

 

   

the introduction or anticipated introduction of competing solutions and services by our competitors, particularly in the LTL and intra-city segments.

If our existing solutions and services do not maintain market acceptance, or our new solutions and services do not achieve adequate acceptance in the market or provide the expected benefits to ecosystem participants, the level of user engagement and transaction activities on our platform may decrease and our market share and profitability may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as our reputation and brands. In addition, we may incur higher cost and expenses as a result of adjusted or new solutions and services. New solutions and services may also subject us to additional regulatory or licensing requirements. Failure by us to comply with any such new regulatory or licensing requirements could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

If our users, other ecosystem participants or their employees engage in, or are subject to, criminal, violent, fraudulent, inappropriate or dangerous activities, our reputation, business, financial condition, and operating results may be adversely impacted.

We are not able to control or predict the actions of shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants, either during their use of our platform or otherwise, and we may be unable to protect or provide a safe environment for ecosystem participants and other third parties as a result of certain actions by shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants. Such actions may result in accidents, injuries, loss of cargo, truck damage, leakage of sensitive personal information, business interruption, or damages to our financial condition, brands and reputation. Our users may also suffer damages due to false or misleading information posted on our platform. Although we administer certain qualification measures for shippers and truckers, including requiring identity information from shippers and truckers in the user registration process, these qualification measures may not provide us with all potentially relevant information. Furthermore, if we fail to duly verify the requisite qualifications or licenses of shippers, truckers or other ecosystem participants, we may be subject to fines, penalties or other regulatory actions. In addition, as an online platform, we do not inspect the cargos that truckers carry, and such cargos may contain unsafe, prohibited or restricted items. We also do not independently test truckers’ driving skills. Consequently, we expect to continue to receive complaints from shippers, and we may become subject to actual or threatened legal action related to trucker conduct.

Due to the large number of transactions on our platform, we may not be able to identify every incident of inappropriate, illegal or fraudulent activities involving our platform, or prevent all such activities from occurring.

 

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For example, if truckers engage in criminal activities, fraud or misconduct, such as speeding, drowsy driving and other traffic violations, operating beyond licensed scope, or use our platform as a conduit for criminal or fraudulent activities, shippers may not consider our service offerings safe, and we may receive negative press coverage or regulatory inquiries as a result of our business relationships with such truckers, which would adversely impact our brands, reputation, and business. On the other hand, if shippers engage in criminal or fraudulent activities or misconduct while using our platform, truckers may be unwilling to continue using our platform. We cannot assure you our safety measures against potential criminal activities and safety incidents will be effective. If any of these happens, our ability to attract platform users may be harmed, and our business and financial results could be adversely affected. In such event, claims may also be brought against us for civil or criminal liabilities. In response to allegations of illegal, fraudulent or inappropriate activities conducted through our platform, relevant governmental authorities may also intervene and hold us liable for non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations and subject us to penalties. Defending or attending to such actions could be costly and require significant time and attention of our management and other resources, which would materially and adversely affect our business.

Public reporting or disclosure of safety incidents reportedly occurring on or related to our platform, whether generated by us or third parties such as media or regulators, may adversely impact our business and financial results. Further, we may be subject to claims of significant liability based on traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, or other incidents that are caused by truckers or shippers while using our platform, or even when shippers or truckers are not actively using our platform. In addition, regulators may decide to hold us liable for incidents caused by shippers or truckers, despite our status as a platform that facilitates transactions between shippers and truckers. Even if these claims or regulatory proceedings do not result in liability or penalties on us, we could incur significant costs in investigating and defending against them or suffer significant reputational damage, which could have a material and adverse effect on our prospects and future growth, including our ability to attract and retain shippers and truckers.

If we fail to effectively match truckers with shipments and optimize our pricing models, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We offer shippers and truckers a digital freight platform that matches them efficiently. Our ability to attract shippers and truckers to use, and build trust in, our platform is significantly dependent on our ability to match suitable shipping orders to reliable truckers. In order to recommend or present suitable shipping orders to truckers, our matching algorithms compare the labels of cargos with those of the trucker and predict the probability for the trucker to accept each shipping order. If the quantity or quality of data available to us for analysis is unsatisfactory, or if our matching algorithms have deficiencies, our matching may not be effective, resulting in low fulfillment rate on our platform, which in turn would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

In addition, we apply freight pricing models in our “tap and go” feature for shippers and, in certain circumstances, commission-charging for online transaction service. Our system generates a recommended price based on the prices of historical comparable shipping orders for shippers to determine the actual price for their shipping orders. In addition, in certain circumstances, such as when the order prices are not available to us, our commissions for online transaction service are based on fair market prices estimated by our freight pricing models. The pricing methodology depends on the availability of comparable historical transaction data. If our freight pricing models are flawed or ineffective or the data we accumulate are incorrect or incomplete, our price recommendation or estimate could be adversely affected. Shippers may not use our “tap and go” feature if our price recommendation fails to serve as a meaningful reference. With respect to our commissions for online transaction service, underestimation of the fair market price would reduce the amount of commissions paid by truckers to us, and overestimation of such price would result in trucker dissatisfaction. As a result of such flawed pricing, our business, brands, reputation, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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We cannot guarantee that our monetization strategies or our business initiatives will be successfully implemented or generate sustainable revenues and profit.

We are at an early stage of monetizing our platform services and our monetization model is evolving. Historically, our revenue from our digital freight platform primarily consisted of membership fees from shippers and service fees from shippers for freight brokerage service, and we also generate revenue from various value-added services. We cannot assure you that we can successfully implement our existing business model to generate sustainable revenue. In addition, we started to monetize our online transaction service in August 2020. Currently, for shipping orders originating from certain cities in China, we collect commissions from truckers for shipping transactions matched through our online transaction service. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully monetize our online transaction service or generate results that meet our expectations, or at all. If our existing business model fails to maintain market acceptance or we fail to develop or implement new monetization strategies, we may not be able to maintain or increase our revenue or effectively manage any associated costs. In addition, we are exploring and will continue to explore new business initiatives that we believe are important to our long-term success and future growth, but they may have the effect of increasing our costs, reducing our revenue and lowering our margins and profit, and this effect may be significant in the short term and potentially over longer periods.

Furthermore, we may introduce new products and services or increase investments in products and services for which we have limited scale or operating experience. For example, we plan to have dedicated teams to design and develop user experiences and operations for LTL and intra-city services, to better serve the unique user needs of these verticals. Our services in these segments may be less profitable than other services. If these new products or services fail to meet our expectations or are unable to attract or engage shippers and truckers or other ecosystem participants, as the case may be, we may fail to diversify our revenue streams or generate sufficient revenues to justify our investments and costs, and our business and operating results may suffer as a result.

We have incurred, and in the future may continue to incur, net losses.

We have incurred significant losses in the past. We incurred net loss of RMB1,523.7 million and RMB3,470.5 million (US$531.9 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We will need to generate and sustain increased revenue levels and effectively manage expenses in future periods to achieve profitability, and even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase profitability. We focus on the long-term success and future growth. We have in the past and will continue to invest in efforts to serve more shippers and truckers, enhance their user experience, and expand the capabilities and scope of our platform. We believe these efforts are important to our long-term success and future growth, but they may have the effect of increasing our costs, reducing our revenue and increasing our net losses, and this effect may be significant in the short term and potentially in the long term. These efforts may also prove more expensive than we anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue sufficiently to offset these expenses. For example, we aim to aggressively expand our market share in LTL and intra-city verticals, and we may incur substantial costs in connection with such efforts. In addition, as part of our future growth strategy, we may decide to lower our service fee for freight brokerage service to serve more shippers and drive their engagement, which would result in lower revenue from freight brokerage service in the near term. Furthermore, many of our efforts to generate revenue are new and unproven, and any failure to adequately increase revenue or contain the related costs could prevent us from attaining or increasing profitability. Our strategic investments and acquisitions may also adversely affect our results of operations. For example, our investment in PlusAI Corp, or Plus, may have the effect of increasing our net losses in the future, especially if our agreements with Plus and/or its successor result in our control, and consolidation of the financial results, of Plus or its successor into our financial statements. Plus is a developer of automated driving systems for trucks, and it has incurred significant losses and may not become profitable in the near future or at all. See “Business—Plus” for more information. As such, we may not be able to achieve, maintain or increase profitability in the future.

 

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We face risks associated with the cargo transported using our freight brokerage service and vicarious liability for vehicles registered with us.

We handle a large volume of cargos through our freight brokerage service, and face challenges with respect to the safety of these cargos. Cargos may be stolen, damaged or lost for various reasons, and we may be perceived or found liable for such incidents. Although we only assume liability for cargo damages up to RMB20,000 per shipment, we may need to expend resources on responding to and defending against claims arising out of these incidents. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we will be able to limit our liability to RMB20,000 per shipment in every instance. In addition, we do not inspect cargos for unsafe, prohibited or restricted items. Unsafe items, such as flammables and explosives, toxic or corrosive items and radioactive materials, may damage other cargos, injure recipients and harm truckers, damage properties or cause serious accidents. Furthermore, if truckers on our platform transport and deliver prohibited or restricted items, we may be subject to administrative or criminal penalties, and if any personal injury or property damage takes place, we may be subject to civil liabilities.

Historically, we allowed a number of truckers to register their vehicles with our transportation companies to satisfy their compliance and financing needs in connection with our legacy financial leasing business. Although we have ceased offering financial leases and stopped registering new vehicles, our transportation companies may continue to face vicarious liability for traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, cargo damage or other incidents that are caused by vehicles registered with us. Our auto insurance and general liability insurance policies may not cover all potential claims to which we are exposed, and may not be adequate to indemnify us for all potential liabilities. These incidents may also subject us to negative publicity, which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and future prospects.

The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect our results of operations.

In an effort to halt the COVID-19 outbreak, the PRC government placed significant restrictions on travel within China and closed certain businesses, and governments outside of China have halted or sharply curtailed the movement of people, goods and services to and from China since late January 2020. Moreover, the COVID-19 outbreak has become a global pandemic and affected regions outside of China, such as Europe and North America. While we have resumed normal business operations, we experienced certain disruptions in our operations as a result of the government imposed suspensions due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China. A substantial number of our offices were closed for certain periods in February and March of 2020. In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak materially and adversely affected shippers’ operations, resulting in major declines in shipper demand and transaction activities on our platform. We also temporarily experienced significant declines in trucker supply due to quarantines and travel restrictions imposed on truckers, as well as certain temporary highway closures in China. Our average monthly GTV was RMB6.4 billion in January and February 2020, declining by 42.2% compared to average monthly GTV in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak and its potential impact on the Chinese and global economy have created uncertainty about the overall demand for road transportation solutions, which could have negative implications for road transportation market. While we continue to assess the impact from the COVID-19 outbreak, we are unable to accurately predict the full impact of COVID-19 on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows due to numerous uncertainties, including the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, additional actions that may be taken by governmental authorities, as well as the further impact on the business of shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants.

If we fail to keep up with the technological developments and implementation of advanced technologies, our business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We apply technologies to serve our ecosystem participants more efficiently and bring them better user experience. Our success will in part depend on our ability to keep up with the changes in technologies and the

 

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continued successful implementation of advanced technology, including AI and data analytics. If we fail to adapt our platform and services to changes in technological developments in an effective and timely manner, our business operations may suffer. Changes in technologies may require substantial expenditures in research and development as well as in modification of our services, which may be disruptive to our business and can be time-consuming and expensive, and may increase management responsibilities and divert management attention. Hurdles in implementing technological advances may result in our services becoming less attractive to ecosystem participants, which, in turn, may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

We are subject to the evolving laws and regulations governing the road transportation and internet service industries in the PRC. Heightened regulatory scrutiny may lead to frequent regulatory communications, inquiries or investigations that could materially and adversely affect our business model, results of operations and prospects.

Our business is subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the PRC governing the rapidly evolving road transportation and internet service industries. The application and interpretation as to certain of these laws and regulations are currently ambiguous and evolving, and may be interpreted and administered inconsistently between the different government authorities and local bureaus.

As of date of this prospectus, we have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties due to any material violations of applicable PRC laws or regulations. However, if the PRC government continues to tighten its regulatory framework for the road transportation and internet service industries in the future, and subject industry participants such as our company to new or specific requirements, such as licensing requirements, or require us to adjust our existing business practices, our business, financial condition and prospects would be materially and adversely affected. Recently, we, together with other industry players, were requested to attend certain regulatory guidance meetings and subsequently, furnish materials concerning our business practices in user (particularly trucker) protection, pricing, competition and other aspects to the relevant regulators for their review. Going forward, we may continue to be required to attend similar meetings or become subject to regulatory inquiries or investigations with PRC regulators. There is no guarantee that such regulatory communications would not result in substantial penalties or orders that require us to adjust our existing business practices in ways that may materially and adversely affect our growth and results of operations. Compliance with existing and future rules, laws and regulations can be costly and if our practices are deemed to violate any existing or future rules, laws and regulations, we may face injunctions, including orders to cease non-compliant activities, and may be exposed to other penalties as determined by the relevant government authorities as well. We may also suffer reputational damages, if we or our business partners are deemed to violate any existing or future rules, laws and regulations.

Under PRC laws and regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet or wireless networks content that, among other things, violates the principle of the PRC constitution, laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China or the public interest, or is obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory. If any of the content posted or displayed on our platform is deemed by the PRC government or any international regulatory authority to violate any content restrictions, we could become subject to penalties, including confiscation of income, fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may from time to time develop new solutions and services, which may also subject us or our business partners to additional regulatory or licensing requirements. Failure by us or our business partners to comply with any such new regulatory or licensing requirements could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

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Regulatory uncertainties relating to, or failure to comply with, anti-monopoly and competition laws could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or operating results.

The PRC anti-monopoly enforcement agencies have in recent years strengthened enforcement under the PRC Anti-monopoly Law, including levying significant fines, with respect to concentration of undertakings and cartel activity, mergers and acquisitions, as well as abusive behavior by companies with market dominance. In March 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation, or SAMR, was formed as a new governmental agency to take over, among other things, the anti-monopoly enforcement functions from the relevant departments under the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, or the SAIC, respectively. The SAMR issued a new set of guidelines with respect to merger control review in September 2018, and issued the Notice on Anti-monopoly Enforcement Authorization on December 28, 2018, which grants authorizations to the SAMR’s provincial branches to enforce anti-monopoly laws within their respective jurisdictions. The SAMR has imposed several administrative penalties on various companies for failing to duly make filings as to their transactions subject to merger control review by the SAMR. The scope of the companies that were penalized is broad, and covers a variety of different industries.

Significant regulatory uncertainty existed as to whether prior filing of notification of concentration is required for business concentration involving variable interest entities prior to 2020. In November 2020, the Anti-monopoly Bureau of SAMR released the draft Guidelines on Anti-monopoly Issues in Platform Economy, or the Platform Economy Anti-monopoly Guidelines, for public comment and in February 2021, adopted the Platform Economy Anti-monopoly Guidelines, which for the first time specified that, any concentration made between the variable interest entities shall be regulated by the Anti-monopoly Law. In addition, the Platform Economy Anti-monopoly Guidelines set out detailed standards and rules in respect of the definition of relevant markets, typical types of cartel activities and abusive behaviors by online platform operators with market dominance, which provide further guidelines for enforcement of anti-monopoly laws against online platform operators. For instance, online platform operators that use technological advantages, such as data and algorithms, to eliminate or restrict competition or impose price restrictions or exclusivity requirements on users may be deemed to be abusing dominant market position. Prior to the effectiveness of the Platform Economy Anti-monopoly Guidelines, the SAMR has already fined certain companies that acquired businesses using variable interest entities without obtaining merger control approval or without prior filing of notification of concentration, indicating its increased scrutiny over historical cases of concentration of undertakings involving companies using variable interest entities and heightened enforcement efforts over past failure to file prior notification of concentration of undertakings for such transactions. Since 2020, the SAMR has fined companies that acquired or merged with or cooperated with onshore or offshore entities, including those operated through variable interest entities for failure to file prior notification before conducting the mergers or cooperation transactions. Although we do not believe we were legally required to make a merger control review filing or obtain merger control approval in relation to the historical merger between Yunmanman and Huochebang in 2017, there can be no assurance that regulators will agree with us, particularly, in light of the enforcement actions since 2020. In addition, as there were few cases where companies using variable interest entities were investigated for failure to make filings in connection with concentration of undertakings prior to 2020, we did not file prior notification of concentration of undertakings for our historical business alliance or joint-investment transactions with our business partners. There can also be no assurance that regulators will not initiate anti-monopoly enquiry or investigation into, or take enforcement actions against, the historical merger between Yunmanman and Huochebang and/or our historical business alliance or joint-investment transactions in the future or require us to submit filings in relation to such historical transactions. We may be subject to penalty in connection with any such enquiry or investigation, if we are determined by the SAMR to have failed to make the requisite filings, including fines up to RMB500,000 per case, and in extreme cases where any such transaction is determined by the SAMR to have constituted concentration of undertakings under the applicable PRC anti-monopoly law, we may be ordered to terminate the contemplated concentration, to dispose of our equity or asset within a prescribed period, or to transfer our business within a prescribed time or to take any other necessary measures to return to the pre-concentration status. We may also be subject to claims from our competitors or users, which could

 

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adversely affect our business and operations. Furthermore, any new requirements or restrictions, or proposed requirements or restrictions, could result in adverse publicity or fines against us.

In addition, stricter anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition enforcement by the PRC regulatory authorities, especially enforcement actions focused on platform economy, may, among other things, prohibit us from future acquisitions, divestitures, or combinations we plan to make, impose fines or penalties, require divestiture of certain of our assets, or impose other restrictions that limit or require us to modify our operations, including limitations on our contractual relationships with shippers and truckers or restrictions on our pricing or revenue models, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. Furthermore, as we continue to navigate the evolving legislative environment and varied local implementation practices of anti-monopoly and competition laws and regulations in the PRC, we have attended and may continue to be required to attend administrative guidance meetings or other communications with regulators from time to time. We may continue to receive greater scrutiny and attention from regulators and more frequent and stringent investigation or review by regulators, which will increase our compliance costs, and it could be time-consuming to comply with the relevant regulations described above to complete future transactions and carry out our business operations. Heightened regulatory inquiries, investigations and other governmental actions and approval requirements from governmental authorities such as the SAMR, may be uncertain and could delay or inhibit our ability to complete these transactions and carry out our business operations, which could affect our ability to expand our business, maintain our market share or otherwise achieve the goals of our acquisition strategy, divert significant management time and attention and our financial resources, bring negative publicity, subject us to liabilities or administrative penalties, and/or materially and adversely affect our financial conditions, operations and business prospects.

We may not be able to compete effectively, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as our reputation and brands.

The road transportation market is intensely competitive and characterized by fragmentation and shifting user preferences. We face competition from regional players in local markets and players that focus on certain segments of the road transportation market. We also compete with other companies for value-added services that cater to various essential needs of shippers and truckers. Players that focus on certain segments of the road transportation market may enter into new segments in which we operate and compete with us. Furthermore, large technology companies that have strong brand recognition, substantial financial resources and sophisticated technology capabilities may develop their own digital freight platforms in the future.

Our competitors may operate different business models, have different cost structures or participate selectively in different industry segments. They may ultimately prove to be more successful or more adaptable to customer demand and new regulatory, technological and other developments. Some of our current and potential competitors may have significantly more financial, technological, marketing and other resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and support of their platforms and service offerings. Our competitors may also have longer operating history and greater brand recognition than us. Additionally, a current or potential competitor may acquire, or form a strategic alliance with, one or more of our other competitors. Our competitors may be better at developing new solutions and services, offering more attractive fees, responding more quickly to new technologies and undertaking more extensive and effective marketing campaigns. More players may enter the road transportation market and intensify the market competition. In response to competition, we may have to lower and/or adjust the various fees that we charge to shippers and truckers or increase our operating expenses and capital expenditures to attract more shippers and truckers, which could materially and adversely affect our business, margins and results of operations. If we are not able to compete effectively, our ability to attract and retain shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants may be adversely affected, the level of transaction activities and user engagement on our platform may decrease and our market share may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as our reputation and brands.

 

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The profitability of our freight brokerage service has been and is expected to continue to be reliant upon, among others, government subsidies provided by local financial bureaus. If we cannot continue to receive such subsidies, our freight brokerage service and its contribution to our financial performance may be materially and adversely affected.

We pay a significant amount of VAT to local tax authorities in connection with our freight brokerage service. As an online freight broker, we enter into contracts with shippers to sell shipping service and platform service and also enter into contracts with truckers to purchase shipping service pursuant to relevant PRC regulations. The difference between the amount we collect from shippers and the amount we pay to truckers represents our platform service fee and our net revenue. We assume the legal obligation to pay VAT assessed on the entire selling price of the shipping service and platform service pursuant to our contracts with shippers and truckers. The gross amount of VAT related to freight brokerage services that we were obliged to pay exceeded our net revenues from such services in 2019 and 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, and we expect such situation to continue. Nevertheless, we were able to generate gross profit from our freight brokerage service in 2019 and 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 because we received partial VAT refunds in the form of government subsidies from local financial bureaus. Our VAT obligations net of the VAT refunds were recorded in our cost of revenues for freight brokerage service. We take into consideration the VAT obligation we assume under our contracts with shippers and truckers, the estimated amount of government subsidies that we expect to receive from local financial bureaus, as well as other relevant factors when setting the rate of our platform service fee. As such, the profitability of our freight brokerage service significantly depends upon the amount of government subsidies provided by local financial bureaus, which are not guaranteed, as well as our pricing strategy and other factors. Whether we can obtain such government subsidies in a particular province in the PRC is subject to the policy of the local financial bureau and the negotiation between such local financial bureau and us. While we are currently entitled to government subsidies based on a percentage of VAT we pay to local tax authorities in most of the provinces where we provide freight brokerage service, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to receive such government subsidies on similar terms, or at all. In the event that the government subsidies are reduced or canceled, we may have to adjust the rate of our platform service fee, which could make our freight brokerage service less attractive to shippers and truckers and our business could be materially and adversely affected. We cannot assure you that we will always be able to pass on any increased VAT costs due to reduction or elimination of related government subsidies through adjustment of the rate of our platform service fee either, in which case, we may incur gross loss for our freight brokerage service and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to obtain or maintain licenses, permits or approvals applicable to our business, we may become subject to significant penalties and other regulatory proceedings or actions.

The road transportation business in China is highly regulated by the PRC government. See also “Regulation—Regulations Related to Road Transportations.” In addition, in connection with the online operations of our platform, we are also required to obtain value-added telecommunications service licenses, in order to provide relevant value-added telecommunication services. We have obtained value-added telecommunications service licenses for the operations of our mobile apps and websites.

To enhance the experience of shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants, we offer various auxiliary functions, content and value-added services through our platform. Given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practices by relevant government authorities, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for these functions, content and services. For example, it remains unclear whether the in-app message and voice call functions on our mobile apps would require a separate value-added telecommunications service authorization in relation to “instant interactive services” under the applicable PRC laws and regulations. Although we do not believe that a separate authorization is required because our mobile apps are not primarily communication software and such in-app message and voice call functions are only auxiliary functions to our main services. However, we cannot assure you that the relevant PRC government authorities would agree with our interpretation. If we were required to obtain additional authorization, we may not be able to do so in a timely manner, if at all.

 

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Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain existing licenses and permits, or renew any of them when their current term expires, or update information (such as information related to our websites, mobile applications, legal representatives, business scopes or professional staff) filed with regulators in time. Under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, any failure to obtain, maintain and/or renew the licenses and permits, or any failure to update information filed with regulators in time, in each case required to conduct our business may subject us to various penalties, including confiscation of revenues, imposition of fines, and restrictions on or termination of the business operation subject to such license or permit requirement. Any such disruption in the business operations of our PRC subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs or consolidated affiliated entities could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, if we enter into new service categories or business lines, adopt new business models, or any of our current services are determined to be subject to new licensing requirements in the future, especially due to the evolving application or interpretation of relevant laws and regulations, we may be required to obtain licenses or permits that we do not currently have or to amend the licenses or permits we currently have. We will strive to obtain and amend the relevant licenses and permits but we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain or amend such licenses and permits in a timely manner, or at all.

Regulatory uncertainties relating to online lending industry in China could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The online lending industry in China is subject to evolving regulation. We cannot assure you that our existing or future credit solutions provided as part of our value-added services that cater to various essential needs of shippers and truckers would not be deemed by regulators to be in violation of any laws, regulations and rules in the future. In addition, new laws and regulations relating to online lending industry may be adopted, and existing laws and regulations may be interpreted in ways that are inconsistent with our existing or future business practices, which, along with any possible changes needed to fully comply with any existing or new regulations, could require us to modify our business or operations. Compliance with such laws or regulations could force us to incur increased operating expenses, or modify our business models, which may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Financing Guarantee Companies, or the Financing Guarantee Rules in 2017. According to the Financing Guarantee Rules, the establishment of financing guarantee companies shall be subject to the approval by the competent government 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 to RMB1,000,000, confiscation of illegal gains if any, and if the violation constitutes a criminal offense, criminal liability shall be imposed in accordance with the applicable law.

We currently facilitate loans funded by third-party financial institutions that we collaborate with, and we guarantee such loans through our VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities. In some instances, guarantees have been provided by certain of our VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities that do not have the required license to operate financial guarantee business, and one of our consolidated affiliated entities provided guarantees during a period in which its license for financial guarantee business had expired. We have subsequently renewed such license. If such practices were found by the regulatory authorities to be in violation of the applicable regulations, we would be subject to penalties, such as confiscation of illegal gains and fines, which could have a material and adverse impact on impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we will be able renew our licenses for financial guarantee business when such licenses expire in the future.

In November 2020, the CBIRC and PBOC published the draft Interim Measures for Online Small Loan Business, or the Draft Online Small Loan Measures, for public comments. The Draft Online Small Loan

 

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Measures provide, among others, that an online small loan company must obtain the CBIRC’s approval before carrying out online small loan business across different provinces. Under the Draft Online Small Loan Measures, existing online small loan companies with businesses across provinces in China will have a three-year transition period to obtain the required approval and adjust their businesses as necessary to be in compliance with these measures. We have utilized our small loan company to fund a portion of the cash loans to shippers and truckers. The Draft Online Small Loan Measures, if enacted in substantially the form published for public comment, will, among other things, require our small loan company to obtain the CBIRC’s approval to be able to continue to operate our cash loan business across different provinces after the three-year transition period. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the CBIRC’s approval in a timely manner, or at all. In addition, we also utilize the trusts established by us to fund cash loans to shippers and truckers. There can be no assurance that such funding arrangement will not be subject to regulatory restrictions in the future. As of December 31, 2020, the total outstanding balance of the on-balance sheet loans, consisting of the total principal amounts and all accrued and unpaid interests (net of provisions) of the loans funded through our small loan company and the trusts established by us, was RMB1,314.0 million (US$201.4 million).

Furthermore, relevant regulatory and judicial authorities may change the private lending rate of interest that can be charged by non-financial institutions from time to time. On August 20, 2020, China’s Supreme People’s Court, or the SPC, announced its decision to lower the cap for such private lending rate in a revised judicial interpretation. Under the revised judicial interpretation, such total annual percentage rates (inclusive of any default rate, default penalty and any other fee) exceeding four times that of China’s benchmark one-year loan prime rate, or LPR, as published on the 20th of each month will not be legally protected. Based on the LPR of 3.85% as published on January 20, 2021, such cap would be 15.4%. According to a guidance letter issued by the SPC on December 29, 2020, clarifying the applicability of its revised judicial interpretation, the cap for private lending rate does not apply to small loan companies, financial guarantee companies, financial leasing companies, commercial factoring companies and certain other local financial organizations under the supervision of local financial regulatory authorities. However, uncertainties still exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of existing and future laws and regulations governing small loan companies. If the regulatory requirements for our licensed small loan company, financial guarantee companies or commercial factoring company are strengthened by any newly adopted, or by the application of any existing, laws, regulations or rulings, our licensed small loan company, financial guarantee companies or commercial factoring company may need to change their business models, which may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects.

We rely on commercial banks and third-party online payment service providers for payment processing services for certain of our services. If these payment services are restricted or curtailed in any way or become unavailable or unavailable on reasonable terms to us for any reason, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

We are not licensed to process payments and rely on commercial banks and third-party online payment service providers for payment processing services for certain of our services involving payments. If the quality, utility, convenience or attractiveness of these payment processing services declines, or we have to change our business arrangements with them for using these payment services for any reason, the attractiveness of our platform could be materially and adversely affected.

Our third-party online payment service providers and our relationship with them are subject to a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect their ability to provide payment processing and escrow services to us, including:

 

   

dissatisfaction with these online payment services or decreased use of their services by shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants;

 

   

increasing competition, including from other established Chinese internet companies, payment service providers and companies engaged in other financial technology services;

 

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changes to rules or practices applicable to payment systems that third-party online payment service providers reply on;

 

   

breach of users’ personal information and concerns over the use and security of information collected from users;

 

   

service outages, system failures or failures to effectively scale the system to handle large and growing transaction volumes;

 

   

increasing costs to third-party online payment service providers, including fees charged by commercial banks processing transactions through online payment channels, which could in turn be passed on to us and increase our costs of revenues; and

 

   

failure to manage funds accurately or loss of funds, whether due to employee fraud, security breaches, technical errors or otherwise.

If any of the foregoing takes place, our third-party online payment service providers’ services may be restricted or curtailed or become unavailable or unavailable on reasonable terms to us, and our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, the commercial banks and third-party online payment service providers that we work with are subject to the supervision of the People’s Bank of China, or the PBOC. The PBOC may publish rules, guidelines and interpretations from time to time regulating the operation of financial institutions and payment service providers that may in turn affect the business arrangements between such entities and us. For example, in November 2017, the PBOC published a notice, or the PBOC Notice, on the investigation and administration of illegal offering of settlement services by financial institutions and third-party payment service providers to unlicensed entities. The PBOC Notice intended to prevent unlicensed entities from using licensed payment service providers as a conduit for conducting the unlicensed payment settlement services, so as to safeguard the fund security and information security. As the laws and regulations in this area are still evolving and subject to interpretation, we cannot assure you that the PBOC or other governmental authorities will not scrutinize our business arrangements with commercial banks and third-party online payment service providers. For instance, the business arrangements between us and one of our payment settlement banks may be deemed to involve unlicensed payment settlement services due to technical issues associated with such bank’s settlement procedures. We are committed to adjusting our business arrangements in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. However, if our business arrangements were found by the regulatory authorities to be noncompliant, or if required by the PBOC or any new laws, rules or regulations, our payment service providers may decide to, among other things, suspend their services or be forced to adjust their business arrangements with us. As a result, we may incur additional expenses to find alternative payment service providers or adjust our business practices or invest considerable resources in complying with the requirements. Furthermore, if the PBOC or other governmental authorities deem our business arrangements with payment service providers to be noncompliant, we may be subject to regulatory action, investigations, fines and penalties, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and reputation.

If we fail to effectively manage the credit risks related to our credit solutions provided to truckers and shippers on our platform, our business may be adversely affected.

We provide various credit solutions to shippers and truckers to meeting their financial needs. We have primarily used our own capital to fund cash credit solutions for shippers and truckers. We also facilitate loans funded by third-party financial institutions, and we guarantee such loans. We believe our credit solutions create value for our ecosystem participants and enhance user engagement and transaction activities on our platform. As of December 31, 2020, the total outstanding balance of the on-balance sheet loans, consisting of the total principal amounts and all accrued and unpaid interests (net of provisions) of the loans funded through our small loan company and the trusts established by us, was RMB1,314.0 million (US$201.4 million), and the total non-performing loan ratio for these loans was 1.41%. Our non-performing loan ratio is calculated by dividing the

 

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outstanding principal and all accrued and unpaid interests of the loans that were over 90 calendar days past due (excluding loans that are over 180 days past due and are therefore charged off) by the total outstanding principal and all accrued and unpaid interests of the loans (excluding loans that are over 180 days past due and are therefore charged off) as of a specified date.

As we continue to grow our business, we may increase the amount of credit we offer and we are exploring freight fee receivable loans for truckers to improve their cash flows. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain adequate funding for our credit solutions. Furthermore, while we have implemented a risk management system, we cannot assure you as to the effectiveness of such system. If we fail to effectively manage the credit risks related to our credit solutions, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, our failure to collect payments on the loans funded or guaranteed by us may have a material adverse effect on our business operations and financial positions. Moreover, the current regulatory regime for debt collection in the PRC remains unclear. We aim to ensure collection efforts carried out by us and our third-party service providers comply with the relevant laws and regulations in the PRC, and we have employed contractual measures to further ensure third-party service providers’ compliance with the law. However, we only exercise limited 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.

Employee misconduct may expose us to vicarious liabilities, reputational harm and/or economic damages.

Many of our employees play critical roles in ensuring the safety and reliability of our services or our compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Certain of our employees have access to sensitive information, proprietary technologies and know-hows. While we have adopted codes of conduct for all of our employees and implemented detailed policies and procedures relating to data privacy, intellectual property, anti-corruption, proprietary information and trade secrets, we cannot assure you that our employees will abide by these codes, policies and procedures or that the precautions we take to detect and prevent employee misconduct will be effective. For example, prior to the merger of Yunmanman and Huochebang, a then employee of Huochebang was found guilty by a court for stealing user data from Huochebang’s database. There were other instances of employee misconducts in the past, but there were no legal liabilities for our company or our employees. Although such incidents did not have a material impact on our business, we cannot assure you that employee misconduct will not materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition in the future. If any of our employees engage in any misconduct, illegal or suspicious activities, including but not limited to, misappropriation or leakage of sensitive user information or proprietary information, we and such employees could be subject to legal claims and liabilities and our reputation and business could be materially and adversely affected as a result. In addition, while we have screening procedures during the recruitment process, we cannot assure you that we will be able to uncover misconduct of job applicants that occurred before we offered them employment, or that we will not be affected by legal proceedings against our existing or former employees as a result of their actual or alleged misconduct.

Our business generates, collects, stores and processes a large amount of data, which include sensitive personal information. The improper collection, use or disclosure of such data by us or our employees could materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face risks inherent in handling and protecting a large amount of data that our business generates and processes from the significant number of transactions our platform facilitates, and such data include sensitive personal information. In particular, we face a number of challenges relating to data from transactions and other activities on our platform, including:

 

   

protecting the data in and hosted on our system, including against attacks on our system by external parties or misbehavior by our employees;

 

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addressing concerns related to privacy, security and other factors; and

 

   

complying with applicable laws, rules and regulations relating to the collection, storage, use, transfer, disclosure and security of personal information, including any requests from regulatory and government authorities relating to such data.

In particular, if we fail to secure our users’ identity and protect their identity-specific data, such as their addresses and contact information, our users may be vulnerable to harassments, and their assets may also be put at risk due to data leakages. As a result, we may be held liable for these incidents, and our users may feel insecure and cease to use our services. In addition, any system or technological failure or compromise of our technology system that results in unauthorized access to or release of any personal data of our users or proprietary information of our business operations could significantly harm our reputation and/or result in litigation, regulatory investigations and penalties against us.

We are subject to various data privacy and protections laws and regulations in China, including without limitation, the PRC Cybersecurity Law. Under the Cyber Security Law of China, the owners and administrators of networks and network service providers have various personal information security protection obligations, including restrictions on the collection and use of personal information of users, and they are required to take steps to prevent personal data from being divulged, stolen, or tampered with. See “Regulation—Regulations Related to Internet Security and Privacy Protection” for details. Moreover, different regulatory bodies in China, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, the Ministry of Public Security and the SAMR, have enforced data privacy and protections laws and regulations with various standards and applications. These various standards in enforcing data privacy and protection laws may create difficulties in ensuring full compliance and increase our operating cost, as we need to spend time and resources to deal with various inspections for compliance.

While we have adopted a rigorous and comprehensive policy for the collection, processing, storage and other aspects of data use and privacy and taken necessary measures to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of these policies and measures undertaken by us, or business partners on our platform. In the past, we received notices from regulatory authorities that identified certain compliance defects in our data privacy and protections practices, requiring us to rectify our data privacy measures, without imposing any penalty on us. We have adopted several remedial measures in response to such notices and submitted our rectification reports to the relevant governmental authorities. Despite the absence of any material cybersecurity breach and our continuous efforts to comply with our internal policies as well as applicable laws and regulations, any failure or perceived failure to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, any failure or perceived failure of our business partners to do so, or any failure or perceived failure of our employees to comply with our internal control measures, may result in negative publicity and legal proceedings or regulatory actions against us, and could result in fines, revocation of licenses, suspension of business operations or other penalties or liabilities, which may in turn damage our reputation, discourage current and potential shippers and truckers from using our services, and subject us to fines and damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Furthermore, the PRC regulatory and enforcement regime with regard to data security and data protection is still evolving. PRC regulators have been increasingly focused on regulation in the areas of data security and data protection. For example, in October 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China released a draft personal information protection law, or the Draft PI Protection Law, for public comment. The Draft PI Protection Law provides for various requirements on personal information protection, including legal bases for data collection and processing, requirements on data localization and cross-border data transfer, requirements for consent and requirements on processing of sensitive personal information. As the Draft PI Protection Law remain subject to change, we may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with the enacted form of the law. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that relevant regulators

 

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will not interpret or implement the laws or regulations in ways that negatively affect us. In addition, it is possible that we may become subject to additional or new laws and regulations in this regard, which may result in additional expenses to us and subject us to potential liability and risk of negative publicity. We expect that data security and protection will continue to receive significant public attention and scrutiny from regulators going forward, which could increase our compliance costs and subject us to heightened risks and challenges associated with data security and protection. If we are unable to manage these risks, we could become subject to penalties, fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, and our reputation and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Any significant disruption in our mobile apps and information technology systems, including events beyond our control, could prevent us from offering our solutions and services or reduce their attractiveness.

In the event of a system outage, malfunction or data loss, our ability to provide services would be materially and adversely affected. The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our technology, mobile apps and information technology systems and our underlying network infrastructure are critical to our operations, user service, reputation and our ability to attract new and retain existing shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants. Our information technology infrastructure is currently deployed and our data is currently maintained on customized cloud computing services. Our servers are housed at two third-party data centers, and our operations depend on the service providers’ ability to protect our systems in their facilities as well as their own systems against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, air quality issues, environmental conditions, computer malware, viruses, spamming, phishing attacks or other attempts to harm our systems, criminal acts and similar events, many of which may be beyond our control. Our mobile apps are provided through third-party app stores and any disruptions to the services of these app stores may negatively affect the delivery of our mobile apps to users. Moreover, if our arrangement with these service providers are terminated or if there is a lapse of service or damage to their facilities or if the services are no longer cost-effective to us, we could experience interruptions in our solutions and service as well as delays and additional expense in arranging new solutions and services for shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants.

Any interruptions or delays in our service, whether as a result of third-party error, our error, natural disasters or security breaches, whether accidental or willful, could harm our relationships with shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants and our reputation. We may not have sufficient capacity to recover all data and services lost in a timely manner in the event of an outage. These factors could prevent us from matching shippers with truckers or engaging in other business operations, damage our brands and reputation, divert our employees’ attention, reduce our revenue, subject us to liability and cause shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants to abandon our solutions and services, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Information technology is a critical aspect in the efficient operation of our business, failure to maintain or improve our information technology infrastructure could harm our business and prospects.

The efficient and reliable operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. We are continuously upgrading our platform to provide increased scale, improved performance, additional capacity and additional built-in functionality, including functionality related to security. Adopting new services and maintaining and upgrading our information technology infrastructure require significant investment of time and resources. Any failure to maintain and improve our information technology infrastructure could result in unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times, impaired user experience, delays in reporting accurate operating and financial information and failures in risk management. The risks of these events occurring are even higher during certain periods of peak usage and activity when cargo volume is higher on our platform. In addition, much of the software and interfaces we use are internally developed and proprietary technology. If we experience problems with the functionality and effectiveness of our software, interfaces or platform, such as undetected errors or defects, or are unable to maintain and continuously improve our information technology infrastructure to handle our business needs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as our reputation and brand, could be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Furthermore, our information technology infrastructure and services, including our service offerings, incorporate third-party-developed software, systems and technologies, as well as hardware purchased or commissioned from external suppliers. As our information technology infrastructure and services expand and become increasingly complex, we face increasingly serious risks to the performance and security of our information technology infrastructure and services that may be caused by these third-party-developed components, including risks relating to incompatibilities among these components, service failures or delays or back-end procedures on hardware and software. We also need to continuously enhance our existing technology. Otherwise, we face the risk of our information technology infrastructure becoming unstable and susceptible to security breaches. This instability or susceptibility could create serious challenges to the security and uninterrupted operation of our platform and services, which would materially and adversely affect our business and reputation.

We face risk in collecting our accounts receivable.

We grant credit terms to certain of our ecosystem participants for services rendered to them. For example, we promote ETC cards for highway authorities through our mobile apps and offline marketing and grant credit terms for service fees charged to highway authorities. We may not be able to collect our accounts receivable if the operation and liquidity condition of these ecosystem participants change, or if they dispute the services we provided. As of December 31, 2020, the balance of our accounts receivable was RMB34.7 million (US$5.3 million). If we fail to collect all or part of such accounts receivable in a timely manner, or at all, our financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Any failure by us or our business partners to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations could damage our reputation.

We and our business partners and third-party payment service providers are subject to anti-money laundering obligations under applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations and are regulated in that respect by the PBOC. If any of our third-party service providers 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 industries relevant to our business, such as any failure of online transaction platform 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.

We have granted and expect to continue to grant share-based awards in the future under our share incentive plans, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.

We adopted a share incentive plan in November 2018, which was amended and restated in April 2020 and December 2020, or the 2018 Plan, to provide additional incentives to directors, officers, employees and consultants. The maximum aggregate number of Class A ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2018 Plan is 2,636,675,056. We adopted the 2021 equity incentive plan in April 2021, or the 2021 Plan, to provide additional incentives to our employees, directors and consultants. The maximum number of Class A ordinary shares that may be subject to equity awards pursuant to the 2021 Plan, or the share reserve, was initially set at 466,685,092. If the share reserve falls below 3.0% of our total outstanding shares on the last day of a calendar year, the share reserve shall automatically be increased to 3.0% of our total outstanding shares on the January 1 immediately thereafter. See “Management—Share Incentive Plans.” We have granted options to certain directors, officers and employees, and option to purchase 185,365,851 ordinary shares was outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. We recorded RMB455.6 million and RMB3,486.3 million (US$ 534.3 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively, in share-based compensation expenses in relation to share-based award grants, including grants to the management members of certain of our equity investees. We also expect to continue to grant awards under our share incentive plans, which we believe is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Our financial results may vary significantly from period to period due to the seasonality of our business and fluctuations in our operating costs.

Our quarterly results of operations, including the levels of our revenue, operating cost and expenses, net (loss)/income and other key metrics, may vary significantly in the future due to a variety of factors, some of which are outside of our control, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful, especially given our limited operating history. Accordingly, the results for any one quarter are not necessarily an indication of future performance. Fluctuations in quarterly results may adversely affect the price of our ADSs. Factors that may cause fluctuations in our quarterly financial results include:

 

   

our ability to attract or maintain a critical mass of shippers and truckers;

 

   

the levels of user engagement and transaction activities;

 

   

the mix of solutions and services we offer;

 

   

the amount and timing incurring our operating cost and expenses and the maintenance and expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;

 

   

our focus on the long-term success and future growth, instead of near-term profit;

 

   

our ability to execute our monetization strategies;

 

   

network outages or security breaches;

 

   

general economic, industry and market conditions; and

 

   

changes in applicable laws and regulations.

In addition, because our revenue generated from freight brokerage and online transaction service is related to the available working days of shippers and truckers, national holidays and the number of business days during a given period may also create seasonal impact on our results of operations. The transaction volume on our platform is typically lower during the first quarter each year due to the Chinese New Year holiday season. In addition, some shippers operate in industries where shipping patterns are tied closely to consumer demand, which can sometimes be difficult to predict or are based on just-in-time production schedules. Therefore, our revenue is, to a large degree, affected by factors that are outside of our control. There can be no assurance that our historic operating patterns will continue in future periods, as we cannot influence or forecast many of these factors. The quarterly fluctuations in our revenue and results of operations could result in volatility and cause the price of our ADSs to fall. As our revenue grow, these seasonal fluctuations may become more pronounced.

The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance, reliability and security of the internet infrastructure in China.

The successful operation of our business depends on the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China. Almost all access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunications operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the MIIT. Moreover, we primarily rely on a limited number of telecommunication service providers to provide us with data communications capacity. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s internet infrastructure or the telecommunications networks provided by telecommunications service providers. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our platform. However, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by telecommunications service providers. If the prices we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Further, if internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user engagement and transaction activities may decline and our business may be harmed.

 

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Our business depends upon the interoperability of our platform across devices, operating systems, and third-party applications that we do not control.

One of the most important features of our platform is its broad interoperability with a range of devices, operating systems, and third-party applications. Our platform is accessible from devices running various operating systems such as iOS and Android and the web portals for personal computers. We depend on the accessibility of our platform across these third-party operating systems and applications that we do not control. Moreover, third-party services and products are constantly evolving, and we may not be able to modify our platform to assure its compatibility with that of relevant third parties following development changes. The loss of interoperability, whether due to actions of third parties or otherwise, could adversely affect our business.

Our use of third-party open source software could adversely affect our ability to offer our products and offerings and subjects us to possible litigation.

We use open source software in our software and systems and will use open source software in the future. The licenses applicable to our use of open source software may require the source code that is developed using open source software be made available to the public and that any modifications or derivative works to certain open source software continue to be licensed under open source licenses. From time to time, we may face claims from external parties claiming infringement of their intellectual property rights, or demanding the release or license of the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software (which could include our proprietary source code) or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. Our use of open source software may also present additional security risks because the source code for open source software is publicly available, which may make it easier for hackers and other parties to determine how to breach our systems that rely on open source software. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage, and, if not addressed, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

We are dependent on app stores to distribute our mobile apps.

We currently cooperate with Apple’s app store and Android app stores to distribute our mobile apps to users. As such, the promotion, distribution and operation of our applications are subject to such distribution platforms’ standard terms and policies for application developers, which are subject to the interpretation of, and frequent changes by, these distribution channels. If these third-party distribution platforms change their terms and conditions in a manner that is detrimental to us, or refuse to distribute our applications, or if any other major distribution channel with which we would like to seek collaboration refuses to collaborate with us in the future on commercially favorable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We may be subject to potential liability in connection with pending or threatened legal proceedings and other matters, which could adversely affect our business or financial results.

From time to time, we have become and may in the future become a party to various legal or administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business, including claims arising from our freight brokerage service and discontinued financial leasing service. See “—We face risks associated with the cargo transported using our freight brokerage service and vicarious liability for vehicles registered with us.”. We may also be subject to potential liability in connection with pending or threatened legal proceedings arising from breach of contract claims, anti-competition claims and other matters.

These proceedings, investigations, claims and complaints could be initiated or asserted under or on the basis of a variety of laws in different jurisdictions, including data protection and privacy laws, trucker or consumer protection laws, labor and employment laws, anti-monopoly or competition laws, transportation laws, advertising laws, value-added telecommunication services laws, intellectual property laws, securities laws, financial services

 

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laws, tort laws, contract laws and property laws. 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. If we fail to defend ourselves in these actions, we may be subject to restrictions, fines or penalties that will materially and adversely affect our operations. Even if we are successful in our attempt to defend ourselves in legal and regulatory actions or to assert our rights under various laws and regulations, the process of communicating with relevant regulators, defending ourselves and enforcing our rights against the various parties involved may be expensive, time-consuming and ultimately futile. These actions could expose us to negative publicity, 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.

Certain of our leased property interests may be defective, which could cause disruption to our business.

Certain of our leasehold interests in leased properties have not been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities as required by PRC law, which may expose us to potential fines if we fail to remediate after receiving any notice from the relevant PRC government authorities. As of the date of this prospectus, we are not aware of any material claims or actions being contemplated or initiated by government authorities with respect to our leasehold interests in or use of such properties. In addition, we may become involved in disputes with the property owners or parties who otherwise have rights to or interests in our leased properties, and for instance, if a lessor of our leased properties has not obtained valid authorizations from the legal owners with respect to our leases, or has not obtained requisite approvals or permits with respect to the construction of such properties, our leases with such lessor could be invalid. 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 external parties’ challenges on our use of such properties. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We may need additional capital to pursue business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances, and financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

Growing and operating our business will require significant cash investments, capital expenditures and commitments to respond to business challenges, including developing or enhancing new or existing services and technologies and expanding our infrastructure. If cash on hand, cash generated from operations, and the net proceeds from this offering and the concurrent private placement are not sufficient to meet our cash and liquidity needs, we may need to seek additional capital, potentially through debt or equity financings. We may not be able to raise required cash on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Volatility in the credit markets may have an adverse effect on our ability to obtain debt financing. Issuances of equity or convertible debt securities may be on terms that are dilutive or potentially dilutive to our shareholders, and the prices at which new investors would be willing to purchase our securities may be lower than the public offering price of this offering. The holders of new securities may also have rights, preferences, or privileges that are senior to those of existing stockholders. If new financing sources are required, but are insufficient or unavailable, we may need to modify our growth and operating plans and business strategies based on available funding, if any, which would harm our ability to grow our business.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our directors, executive officers, senior management, key employees and qualified personnel, and our operations may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our future success depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our directors, executive officers, senior management, and key employees and qualified personnel. In particular, we rely on the leadership, expertise, experience and vision of our directors and senior management team. If one or more of our directors, executive officers, senior management, key employees or qualified personnel were unable or unwilling to continue their services with us, whether due to resignation, accident, health condition, family considerations or any other

 

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reason, we might not be able to find their successors, in a timely manner, or at all. The size and scope of our platform also require us to hire and retain a wide range of capable and experienced personnel who can adapt to a dynamic, competitive and challenging business environment. We will need to continue to attract and retain experienced and capable personnel at all levels. Since the road transportation industry is characterized by high demand and intense competition for talent, we cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain qualified management or other highly skilled employees.

We do not have key man insurance for our directors, executive officers, senior management or other key employees. If any of our key employees terminate his or her services or otherwise becomes unable to provide continuous services to us, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected and we may incur additional expenses to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel. Each of our executive officers and key employees has entered into an employment agreement with a non-compete clause with us. However, these agreements may be breached by the counterparties, and there may not be adequate and timely remedies available to us to compensate our losses arising from the breach. We cannot assure you that we would be able to enforce these non-compete clauses. If any of our executive officers or key employees joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, know-hows and key professionals and staff members.

Our metrics and estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.

We rely on certain key operating metrics, such as GTV, fulfilled orders, average shipper MAUs and shipper MAUs, among other things, to evaluate the performance of our business. Our operating metrics may differ from estimates published by third parties or from similarly titled metrics used by other companies due to differences in methodology and assumptions. We calculate these operating metrics using internal company data, which are subject to our estimates and adjustments. For example, we define (i) active shippers as the aggregate number of registered shipper accounts on our platform that have posted at least one shipping order on our platform during a given period, and (ii) shipper MAUs as the number of active shippers in a given month. However, some shippers may use more than one account, and/or may share the same account with other shippers. As a result, our shipper MAUs may understate or overstate the number of shippers who have posted at least one shipping order on our platform in a given month. If we discover material inaccuracies in the operating metrics we use, or if they are perceived to be inaccurate, our reputation may be harmed and our evaluation methods and results may be impaired, which could negatively affect our business. If investors make investment decisions based on operating metrics we disclose that are inaccurate, we may also face potential lawsuits or disputes.

We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of our intellectual property and we may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, either of which could harm our business and competitive position.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and confidentiality agreements to protect our proprietary rights. As of December 31, 2020, we had 73 patents, 294 pending patent applications, 766 registered trademarks, 147 pending trademark applications and 139 registered software copyrights in China. As of December 31, 2020, we had 19 registered trademarks and one pending trademark in other countries, including India, Russia and Vietnam.

We have invested significant resources to develop these intellectual properties. However, any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or such intellectual property may not be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, other parties may misappropriate our intellectual property rights, which would cause us to suffer economic or reputational damage. Because of the rapid pace of technological change, there can be no assurance that all of our proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property will be patented in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. Furthermore, parts of our business rely on technologies developed or licensed by other parties, or co-developed with other parties,

 

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including open source software, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these other parties on reasonable terms, or at all.

It is often difficult to register, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation. For instance, we may seek to register new trademarks in the future, and there is no assurance that the relevant applications for trademark registrations in the PRC will be approved by competent governmental authority. If such trademarks could not be successfully registered in the categories related to our business, we may fail to prevent others from using such trademarks in businesses similar to ours, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Preventing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we take may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. Any failure in protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Meanwhile, our operations or any aspects of our business could infringe upon or otherwise violate trademarks, copyrights, know-how, proprietary technologies or other intellectual property rights held by other parties. We may be from time to time in the future subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, other parties’ trademarks, copyrights, know-how, proprietary technologies or other intellectual property rights may be infringed by our services or other aspects of our business without our awareness. Holders of such intellectual property rights may seek to enforce such intellectual property rights against us in China, the U.S. or other jurisdictions. If any infringement claims are brought against us, we may be forced to divert management’s time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these claims, regardless of their merits.

Additionally, the application and interpretation of China’s intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, copyrights, know-how, proprietary technologies or other intellectual property rights in China are still evolving and are uncertain, and there can be no assurance that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we were found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. As a result, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our insurance coverage strategy may not be adequate to protect us from all business risks or, if insurance carriers change the terms of such insurance in a manner not favorable to us, if we are required to purchase additional insurance for other aspects of our business, or if we fail to comply with regulations governing insurance coverage, our business could be harmed.

We maintain various insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events. However, we do not maintain business interruption insurance or key-man insurance or any insurance covering liabilities resulting from misconducts or illegal activities committed by our employees, users or business partners. 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 policy on a timely basis, or at all. If we incur any loss that is not covered by our insurance policies, or the compensated amount is significantly less than our actual loss, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. See also “—We face risks associated with the cargo transported using our freight brokerage service and vicarious liability

 

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for vehicles registered with us.” If our insurance carriers change the terms of our policies in a manner unfavorable to us, our insurance costs could increase.

In addition, we are subject to laws, rules, and regulations relating to insurance coverage which could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. Further, shippers using our freight brokerage service may require higher levels of coverage as a condition to entering into contracts with us. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with laws, rules, and regulations or contractual obligations relating to insurance coverage could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. These lawsuits, proceedings, or actions may subject us to significant penalties and negative publicity, require us to increase our insurance coverage, require us to amend our insurance policy disclosure, increase our costs, and disrupt our business.

From time to time we may evaluate and potentially consummate strategic investments or acquisitions, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business and adversely affect our financial results.

We may evaluate and consider strategic investments, combinations, acquisitions or alliances to enhance our competitive position. For example, our platform was created through the merger of Yunmaman and Huochebang in 2017. These transactions could be material to our financial condition and results of operations if consummated. If we are able to identify an appropriate business opportunity, we may not be able to successfully consummate the transaction and, even if we do consummate such a transaction, we may be unable to obtain the benefits or avoid the difficulties and risks of such transaction, which may result in investment losses.

Strategic investments or acquisitions will involve risks commonly encountered in business relationships, including:

 

   

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, including the inability to successfully further develop the acquired technology;

 

   

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

 

   

diversion of management’s time and resources from our normal daily operations and potential disruptions to our ongoing business;

 

   

strain on our liquidity and capital resources;

 

   

difficulties in executing intended business plans and achieving synergies from such strategic investments or acquisitions;

 

   

difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies within the overall organization;

 

   

difficulties in retaining relationships with existing business partners 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;

 

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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; and

 

   

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

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.

We have limited influence over our minority-owned investees, which subjects us to substantial risks, including potential loss of value.

Our growth strategy has included investing in minority ownership positions in technology and logistics companies. Our investment in these entities involves significant risks that are outside of our control. We have limited influence over our minority-owned investees. As a result, the boards of directors or management teams of these companies may make decisions or take actions with which we disagree or that may be harmful to the value of our ownership in these companies.

In addition, any material decline in the business of these entities would adversely affect the value of our assets and our financial results. Furthermore, the value of these assets is based in part on the market valuations of these entities, and weakened financial markets have adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect such valuations. These positions could expose us to risks, litigation, and unknown liabilities because, among other things,

 

   

these companies have limited operating histories in an evolving industry and may have less predictable operating results;

 

   

these companies are privately owned and, as a result, limited public information is available and we may not learn all the material information regarding these businesses;

 

   

these companies may be domiciled and operate in countries with particular economic, tax, political, legal, safety, regulatory and public health risks, including the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business;

 

   

these companies depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of individuals, and, as a result, the death, disability, resignation, or termination of one or more of these individuals could have an adverse effect on the relevant company’s operations; and

 

   

these companies will likely require substantial additional capital to support their operations and expansion and to maintain their competitive positions. Any of these risks could materially affect the value of our assets, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Furthermore, we are contractually limited in our ability to sell or transfer these assets. There is currently no public market for any of these securities, and there may be no market in the future if and when we decide to sell such assets. Furthermore, we may have to sell these assets at a time at which we would not be able to realize what we believe to be the long-term value of these assets. Additionally, we may have to pay significant taxes upon the sale or transfer of these assets. Accordingly, we may never realize the value of these assets relative to the contributions we made to these businesses.

In addition, loss incurred by our equity method investees affects our results of operations. We recognized share of loss in equity method investees of RMB1.7 million and RMB11.1 million (US$1.7 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We also extend loans to certain companies from time to time and may experience impairment loss in connection with such loans. We recognized impairment loss of RMB710.3 million in 2019, which was related to a one-time write-off of loans made to Guangzhou Zhihong Logistics Co., Ltd., or Guangzhou Zhihong.

 

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If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, and investor confidence in our company and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

Prior to this offering, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal controls and procedures. Our management has not completed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. In the course of auditing our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified one material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, in accordance with the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States.

The material weakness identified relates to the lack of sufficient skilled financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge, in particular, to (i) to establish and implement key controls over period end closing, financial reporting and contract management, and (ii) to handle accounting issues and to properly prepare and review financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting requirements. We have implemented and are continuing to implement a number of measures to address the material weakness that has been identified. For details, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.” However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue implementing these measures in the future, or that we will not identify additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future.

We will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the NYSE after the completion of this offering. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. Commencing with our fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting in our Form 20-F filing for that year, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as the 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 may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, 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. This will require that we incur substantial additional professional fees and internal costs to expand our accounting and finance functions and that we expend significant management efforts.

In addition, our internal control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.

If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, or if we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, the market price of our ADSs could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the NYSE, SEC or other regulatory authorities.

 

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Enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations and increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The economy in China has experienced increases in inflation and labor costs in recent years. As a result, average wages in the PRC are expected to continue to increase. In addition, we are required by PRC laws and regulations to pay various statutory employee benefits, including pension insurance, housing funds, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to control our labor costs or pass on these increased labor costs, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Further, pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law, as amended, or the Labor Contract law, and its implementation rules, employers are subject to various 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 Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to affect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

In addition, we cannot assure you that our employment practices will be deemed to be in compliance with labor-related laws and regulations in China due to interpretation and implementation uncertainties related to the evolving labor laws and regulations, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. Under the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Measures on Housing Provident Fund, employees are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and housing provident funds, and employers are required, together with their employees or separately, to pay the contributions to social insurance and housing provident funds for their employees. The relevant government agencies may examine whether an employer has made adequate payments of the requisite statutory employee benefits, and employers who fail to make adequate payments may be subject to late payment fees, fines and/or other penalties. For instance, certain of our PRC subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities engage third-party human resources agencies to make social insurance and housing provident fund contributions for some of their employees. There is no assurance that such third-party agencies make contributions in full in a timely manner, or at all, and even if they do, regulators may deem such practice to be noncompliant with the relevant labor laws and bring enforcement actions against us. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to make additional contributions to social insurance or housing provident funds, pay late fees and fines, provide additional compensation to our employees or adjust our labor practices and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Any financial or economic crisis, or perceived threat of such a crisis may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation.

Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese or global economy may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In particular, general economic factors and conditions in China or worldwide, may affect the road transportation industry in general. The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States. There have been concerns over the downturn in economic output caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. It is unclear whether these challenges will be contained and what effects they each may have. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions. Recently there have been signs that the rate of China’s economic growth is declining, and China’s economy contracted in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Any prolonged slowdown in China’s economic development might lead to tighter credit markets, increased market volatility, sudden drops in business and consumer confidence and dramatic changes in business and consumer behaviors. These adverse economic effects could negatively affect the road transportation industry, resulting in reduced cargo volumes and truck capacity on our platform and as

 

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well as financial difficulty among shippers and truckers, which would negatively impact their ability to repay loans facilitated by us or otherwise materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face risks related to health epidemics and other outbreaks, harsh weather and natural disasters, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic, such as COVID-19, swine flu, avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, Ebola, Zika, harsh weather conditions or natural disasters, such as snowstorms, earthquakes, fires or floods, or other events, such as wars, acts of terrorism, environmental accidents, power shortage or communication interruptions. The occurrence of a disaster or a prolonged outbreak of an epidemic illness or other adverse public health developments in China could materially disrupt our business and operations. These events could also significantly impact the industries we operate in and cause a temporary closure of the facilities we use for our operations, which would severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operations could be disrupted if any of our employees, or employees of our business partners were suspected of contracting an epidemic disease, since this could require us or business partners to quarantine some or all of these employees or disinfect the facilities used for operations. In addition, our revenue and profitability could be materially reduced to the extent that a health epidemic, adverse weather conditions or natural disaster or other outbreak harms the global or Chinese economy in general. Our operations could also be severely disrupted if shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants were affected by health pandemics or epidemics, harsh weather conditions, natural disasters or other outbreaks. See also “—The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect our results of operations.”

We could be adversely affected by political tensions between the United States and China.

Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated in recent years due to, among other things, the trade war between the two countries since 2018, the COVID-19 outbreak, the PRC National People’s Congress’ passage of Hong Kong national security legislation, the imposition of U.S. sanctions on certain Chinese officials from China’s central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the U.S. government, and the imposition of sanctions on certain individuals from the U.S. by the Chinese government, various executive orders issued by former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, such as the one issued in August 2020 that prohibits certain transactions with ByteDance Ltd., Tencent Holdings Limited and the respective subsidiaries of such companies, the executive order issued in November 2020 that prohibits U.S. persons from transacting publicly traded securities of certain “Communist Chinese military companies” named in such executive order, as well as the executive order issued in January 2021 that prohibits such transactions as are identified by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce with certain “Chinese connected software applications,” including Alipay and WeChat Pay, as well as the Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-territorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Other Measures promulgated by China’s Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, on January 9, 2021, which will apply to Chinese individuals or entities that are purportedly barred by a foreign country’s law from dealing with nationals or entities of a third country. Rising political tensions between China and the U.S. could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. The measures taken by the U.S. and Chinese governments may have the effect of restricting our ability to transact or otherwise do business with entities within or outside of China and may cause investors to lose confidence in Chinese companies and counterparties, including us. If we were unable to conduct our business as it is currently conducted as a result of such regulatory changes, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, there have 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, and delisting China-based companies from U.S. national securities exchanges. In January 2021, after reversing its own

 

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delisting decision, the NYSE ultimately resolved to delist China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom in compliance with the executive order issued in November 2020, after receiving additional guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury and its Office of Foreign Assets Control. These delistings have introduced greater confusion and uncertainty about the status and prospects of Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock exchanges. If any further such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have a material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the United States such as us, and we cannot assure you that we will always be able to maintain the listing of our ADSs on a national stock exchange in the U.S., such as the NYSE or the Nasdaq Stock Market, or that you will always be allowed to trade our shares or ADSs.

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements in relation to our consolidated VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

The current industry entry clearance requirements governing the foreign investment activities in the PRC are set out in two categories, namely the Encouraged Industry Catalog for Foreign Investment (2019 version), as promulgated by the NDRC and the MOFCOM and taking effect on July 30, 2019, and the 2020 Negative List. Industries not listed in these two catalogs are generally deemed “permitted” for foreign investments unless specifically restricted by other PRC laws. According to the 2020 Negative List and other applicable laws and regulations, the industry of value-added telecommunications services (other than the services of electronic commerce, multiparty conferencing within the PRC, information storage and forwarding, and call center) generally falls into the restricted category with very limited exceptions in certain pilot demonstration zones.

Because we are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are classified as a foreign enterprise under PRC laws and regulations, and our PRC subsidiaries are foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs. Due to PRC laws and regulations that impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign equity ownership of entities providing value-added telecommunications services and certain financial services, we conduct a substantial part of our operations in China through our consolidated VIEs, as defined below, which hold certain licenses required to operate our business in China. Our subsidiary, Jiangsu Manyu Logistics Information Co., Ltd., or Jiangsu Manyu, has entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei Information Consulting Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Xiwei, Beijing Yunmanman Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Yunmanman, and their respective shareholders. In addition, our subsidiary, Full Truck Alliance Information Consulting Co., Ltd., or FTA Information, has entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Guizhou FTA Logistics Technology Co., Ltd., or Guizhou FTA, and its shareholders. Shanghai Xiwei, Beijing Yunmanman and Guizhou FTA are collectively referred to as our consolidated VIEs. For a detailed description of these contractual arrangements, see “Our History and Corporate Structure—Contractual Arrangements with Consolidated VIEs and Their Shareholders.”

We believe that our corporate structure and contractual arrangements comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC legal counsel, based on its understanding of the relevant laws and regulations, is of the opinion that each of the contracts among (i) Jiangsu Manyun, Shanghai Xiwei and Shanghai Xiwei’s shareholders, (ii) Jiangsu Manyun, Beijing Yunmanman and Beijing Yunmanman’s shareholders and (iii) FTA Information, Guizhou FTA and Guizhou FTA’s shareholders is valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms. However, as there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including the PRC Foreign Investment Law and its implementing rules, the Telecommunications Regulations and the relevant regulatory measures concerning the telecommunications industry and other industries we are or will be engaged in, there can be no assurance that the PRC government authorities, including the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the MIIT or other competent authorities would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC

 

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licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations.

If our corporate structure and contractual arrangements are deemed by the MIIT or the MOFCOM or other regulators having competent authority to be illegal, either in whole or in part, we may lose control of our consolidated VIEs and have to modify such structure to comply with regulatory requirements. However, there can be no assurance that we can achieve this without material disruption to our business. Further, if our corporate structure and contractual arrangements are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, the relevant regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:

 

   

revoking our relevant business and operating licenses;

 

   

fines on us;

 

   

confiscating any of our income that they deem to be obtained through illegal operations;

 

   

shutting down our relevant services;

 

   

discontinuing or restricting our operations in China;

 

   

imposing conditions or requirements with which we may not be able to comply;

 

   

requiring us to change our corporate structure and contractual arrangements;

 

   

restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds from overseas offering to finance our PRC consolidated VIEs’ business and operations; and

 

   

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

Furthermore, new PRC laws, rules and regulations may be introduced to impose additional requirements that may be applicable to our corporate structure and contractual arrangements. See “—Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted PRC Foreign Investment Law and its implementing rules and how they may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.” Occurrence of any of these events could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if the imposition of any of these penalties or requirement to restructure our corporate structure causes us to lose the rights to direct the activities of our consolidated VIEs or our right to receive their economic benefits, we would no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of such VIEs in our consolidated financial statements. However, we do not believe that such actions would result in the liquidation or dissolution of our company, our subsidiaries in China or our consolidated VIEs or their subsidiaries. See “Our History and Corporate Structure—Contractual Arrangements with Consolidated VIEs and Their Shareholders.”

Our contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs may result in adverse tax consequences to us.

We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that our contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs were not made on an arm’s length basis and adjust our income and expenses for PRC tax purposes by requiring a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could adversely affect us by (i) increasing the tax liabilities of our consolidated VIEs without reducing the tax liability of our subsidiaries, which could further result in late payment fees and other penalties to our consolidated VIEs for underpaid taxes; or (ii) limiting the ability of our consolidated VIEs to obtain or maintain preferential tax treatments and other financial incentives.

 

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We rely on contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs and their shareholders to conduct a substantial part of our operations in China, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control and otherwise have a material adverse effect as to our business.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs and their shareholders to conduct a substantial part of our operations in China, which is important to our ability to offer a convenient customer experience. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Our History and Corporate Structure—Contractual Arrangements with Consolidated VIEs and Their Shareholders.” These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our consolidated VIEs. If our consolidated VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under these contractual arrangements, our recourse to the assets held by our consolidated VIEs is indirect and we may have to incur substantial costs and expend significant resources to enforce such arrangements in reliance on legal remedies under PRC law. These remedies may not always be effective, particularly in light of uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Furthermore, in connection with litigation, arbitration or other judicial or dispute resolution proceedings, assets under the name of any of record holder of equity interest in our consolidated VIEs, including such equity interest, may be put under court custody. As a consequence, we cannot be certain that the equity interest will be disposed pursuant to the contractual arrangement or ownership by the record holder of the equity interest.

If any of our VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements, and rely on legal remedies under PRC laws, including contractual remedies, which may not be sufficient or effective. All of these contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. However, the legal framework and system in China, in particularly those relating to arbitration proceedings, are 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. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a variable interest entity 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 laws, 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 the PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event that we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant time delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, it would be very difficult to exert effective control over our consolidated VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. See “—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.”

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

In connection with our operations in China, we rely on the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs to abide by the obligations under such contractual arrangements. The interests of these shareholders in their individual capacities as the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs may differ from the interests of our company as a whole, as what is in the best interests of our consolidated VIEs, including matters such as whether to distribute dividends or to make other distributions to fund our offshore requirement, may not be in the best interests of our company. There can be no assurance that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these individuals will act in the best interests of our company or those conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor. In addition, these individuals may breach or cause our consolidated VIEs and their subsidiaries to breach or refuse to renew the existing contractual arrangements with us. Control over, and funds due from, our consolidated VIEs may be jeopardized if such individuals breach the terms of the contractual arrangements or are subject to legal proceedings.

 

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Currently, we do not have arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs may encounter, on one hand, and as a beneficial owner of our company, on the other hand. We, however, could, at all times, exercise our option under the exclusive call option agreements to cause them to transfer all of their equity ownership in our consolidated VIEs to a PRC entity or individual designated by us as permitted by the then applicable PRC laws. In addition, if such conflicts of interest arise, we could also, in the capacity of attorney-in-fact of the then existing shareholders of our consolidated VIEs as provided under the power of attorney agreements, directly appoint new directors of our consolidated VIEs. We rely on the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs to comply with PRC laws and regulations, which protect contracts and provide that directors and executive officers owe a duty to our company and require them to avoid conflicts of interest and not to take advantage of their positions for personal gains, and the laws of the Cayman Islands, which provide that directors have a duty of care and a duty to act honestly in good faith with a view to our best interests. However, the legal frameworks of China and the Cayman Islands do not provide guidance on resolving conflicts in the event of a conflict with another corporate governance regime. If we cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between us and the shareholders of our consolidated VIEs, 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.

Our corporate actions will be substantially controlled by Mr. Peter Hui Zhang, who will have the ability to control or exert significant influence over important corporate matters that require approval of shareholders, which may deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your ADSs and materially reduce the value of your investment.

Our post-listing memorandum and articles of association will provide that in respect of all matters subject to a shareholders’ vote, each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 30 votes, voting together as one class. Mr. Peter Hui Zhang, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, will hold the voting power over all the Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, which, together with the Class A ordinary shares he will hold, will represent 83.4% of the voting power of our total issued and outstanding shares immediately after the completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. As a result, Mr. Peter Hui Zhang will have the ability to control or exert significant influence over important corporate matters, investors may be prevented from affecting important corporate matters involving our company that require approval of shareholders, including:

 

   

the composition of our board of directors and, through it, any determinations with respect to our operations, business direction and policies, including the appointment and removal of officers;

 

   

any determinations with respect to mergers or other business combinations;

 

   

our disposition of substantially all of our assets; and

 

   

any change in control.

These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders, including the holders of the ADSs. Furthermore, this concentration of ownership may also discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the dual effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and reducing the price of the ADSs. As a result of the foregoing, the value of your investment could be materially reduced.

The dual-class structure of our share capital may render the ADSs ineligible for inclusion in certain stock market indices, and thus adversely affect the market price and liquidity of the ADSs.

In July 2017, FTSE Russell and Standard & Poor’s announced that they would cease to allow most newly public companies utilizing dual or multi-class capital structures to be included in their indices. Affected indices include the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up

 

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the S&P Composite 1500. Under the announced policies, our dual-class capital structure would make the ADSs ineligible for inclusion in any of these indices, and as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track these indices will not be investing in the ADSs. These policies are still relatively new and it is yet unclear what effect, if any, they have had and will have on the valuations of publicly traded companies excluded from the indices, but it is possible that they may depress these valuations compared to those of other similar companies that are included and may adversely affect the liquidity of the shares of such companies. As such, the exclusion of the ADSs from these indices could result in a less active trading market for the ADSs and adversely affect their trading price.

If the custodians or authorized users of our controlling non-tangible assets, including chops and seals, fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets, our business and operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Under PRC law, legal documents for corporate transactions, including agreements and contracts such as the leases and sales contracts that our business relies on, are executed using the chop or seal of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with the relevant local branch of the SAMR. We generally execute legal documents by affixing chops or seals, rather than having the designated legal representatives sign the documents. The chops of our subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs are generally held by the relevant entities so that documents can be executed locally. Although we usually utilize chops to execute contracts, the registered legal representatives of our subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs have the apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of such entities without chops, unless such contracts set forth otherwise.

In order to maintain the physical security of our chops, we generally have them stored in secured locations accessible only to the designated key employees of our legal, administrative or finance departments. Our designated legal representatives generally do not have access to the chops. Although we have approval procedures in place and monitor our key employees, including the designated legal representatives of our subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs, the procedures may not be sufficient to prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. There is a risk that our key employees or designated legal representatives could abuse their authority, for example, by binding our subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs with contracts against our interests, as we would be obligated to honor these contracts if the other contracting party acts in good faith in reliance on the apparent authority of our chops or signatures of our legal representatives. If any designated legal representative obtains control of the chop in an effort to obtain control over the relevant entity, we would need to have a shareholder or board resolution to designate a new legal representative and to take legal action to seek the return of the chop, apply for a new chop with the relevant authorities, or otherwise seek legal remedies for the legal representative’s misconduct. If any of the designated legal representatives obtains and misuses or misappropriates our chops and seals or other controlling intangible assets for whatever reason, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations. We may have to take corporate or legal action, which could involve significant time and resources to resolve while distracting management from our operations, and our business and operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted PRC Foreign Investment Law and its implementing rules and how they may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The VIE structure through contractual arrangements has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed PRC Foreign Investment Law in January 2015, or the 2015 Draft FIL, according to which, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangements would also be deemed as foreign-invested entities, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. In March 2019, the PRC National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Foreign Investment Law, and in December 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules of PRC

 

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Foreign Investment Law, or the Implementing Rules, to further clarify and elaborate the relevant provisions of the PRC Foreign Investment Law. The PRC Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules both became effective from January 1, 2020 and replaced the major previous laws and regulations governing foreign investments in the PRC. Pursuant to the PRC Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investments” refer to investment activities conducted by foreign investors (including foreign natural persons, foreign enterprises or other foreign organizations) directly or indirectly in the PRC, which include any of the following circumstances: (i) foreign investors setting up foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC solely or jointly with other investors, (ii) foreign investors obtaining shares, equity interests, property portions or other similar rights and interests of enterprises within the PRC, (iii) foreign investors investing in new projects in the PRC solely or jointly with other investors, and (iv) investment in other methods as specified in laws, administrative regulations, or as stipulated by the State Council. The PRC Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules do not introduce the concept of “control” in determining whether a company would be considered as a foreign-invested enterprise, nor do they explicitly provide whether the VIE structure would be deemed as a method of foreign investment. However, the PRC Foreign Investment Law has a catch-all provision that includes into the definition of “foreign investments” made by foreign investors in China in other methods as specified in laws, administrative regulations, or as stipulated by the State Council, and as the PRC Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules are newly adopted and relevant government authorities may promulgate more laws, regulations or rules on the interpretation and implementation of the PRC Foreign Investment Law, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the concept of “control” as stated in the 2015 Draft FIL may be embodied in, or the VIE structure adopted by us may be deemed as a method of foreign investment by, any of such future laws, regulations and rules. If our consolidated VIE was deemed as a foreign-invested enterprise under any of such future laws, regulations and rules, and any of the businesses that we operate would be in any “negative list” for foreign investment and therefore be subject to any foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions, further actions required to be taken by us under such laws, regulations and rules may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

Changes in the political and economic policies of the PRC government may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.

Our operations are mainly conducted in the PRC, and all of our revenue has historically been sourced from the PRC. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations are affected to a significant extent by economic, political and legal developments in the PRC.

The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the extent of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC 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 is still owned by the government. In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, restricting the inflow and outflow of foreign capital, regulating financial services and institutions and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past three decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented

 

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various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. Our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us. The PRC government also has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based issuer, such as our company, to conduct its business. In addition, the PRC government has implemented in the past certain measures to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity, which in turn could lead to a reduction in demand for our services and consequently have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.

Our operations are mainly conducted in the PRC, and are governed by PRC laws, rules and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities are subject to laws, rules and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws, rules and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws, rules and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China or may be subject to significant degrees of interpretation by PRC regulatory agencies. In particular, because these laws, rules and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited number of published decisions and the nonbinding nature of such decisions, and because the laws, rules and regulations often give the relevant regulator significant discretion in how to enforce them, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve uncertainties and can be inconsistent and unpredictable. Uncertainties due to evolving laws and regulations could impede the ability of a China-based issuer, such as our company, to obtain or maintain permits or licenses required to conduct business in China. In the absence of required permits or licenses, governmental authorities could impose material sanctions or penalties on us. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until after the occurrence of the violation. Furthermore, if China adopts more stringent standards with respect to environmental protection or corporate social responsibilities, we may incur increased compliance cost or become subject to additional restrictions in our operations.

Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. 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. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and/or our intellectual property rights and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, the high volume of orders and transactions taking place on our platform as well as publicity about our business attracts heightened attention from the public, regulators and the media. In addition, due to changes that have occurred and will occur in our services or policies, we have faced and may continue to face objections, complaints and negative comments from members of the public, the traditional, new and social media, shippers, truckers and other participants on our platform. From time to time, these objections, complaints and negative comments, regardless of their veracity, may result in user dissatisfaction, public protests or negative publicity, which could result in government inquiries or substantial harm to our brand, reputation and operations.

 

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If we do not pay sufficient attention to public opinion or if any incident arises but is not dealt with in a timely manner, our reputation, brand and image will be adversely affected.

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, may be required in connection with this offering under a PRC regulation. The regulation also establishes more complex procedures for acquisitions conducted by foreign investors that could make it more difficult for us to grow through acquisitions.

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM, the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, currently known as the SAMR, the CSRC, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE, jointly adopted the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which came into effect on September 8, 2006 and were amended on June 22, 2009. The M&A Rules include, among other things, provisions that purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle that is controlled by PRC domestic companies or individuals and that has been formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures regarding its approval of overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles.

While the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear, we believe, based on the advice of our PRC legal counsel, CM Law Firm, that the CSRC approval is not required in the context of this offering because (i) we establish PRC subsidiary by means of direct investment and acquiring equity interests or assets of an entity other than “PRC domestic company” as defined under the M&A Rules; and (ii) no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the respective contractual arrangements between (x) Jiangsu Manyun, Shanghai Xiwei and Shanghai Xiwei’s shareholders, (y) Jiangsu Manyun, Beijing Yunmanman and Beijing Yunmanman’s shareholders and (z) FTA Information, Guizhou FTA and Guizhou FTA’s shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules. There can be no assurance that the relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC legal counsel. If the CSRC or other PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that we need to obtain the CSRC’s approval for this offering or if the CSRC or any other PRC government authorities promulgates any interpretation or implements rules before our listing that would require us to obtain CSRC or other governmental approvals for this offering, we may face adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. In any such event, these regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the PRC or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as our ability to complete this offering. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered by this prospectus. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that such settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring us to obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain waivers of such approval requirements. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirements could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

These regulations also established additional procedures and requirements that are expected to make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. For example, the M&A rules require that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC

 

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time-honored brand. The approval from the MOFCOM shall be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies. 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 the anti-monopoly authority under the State Council when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the Prior Notification Rules, issued by the State Council in August 2008 and amended in September 2018, is triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. We may grow our business in part by acquiring other companies operating in our industry. Complying with the requirements of the new regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. See “Regulations—M&A Rules and Overseas Listings.”

PRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits.

PRC residents are subject to restrictions and filing requirements when investing in offshore companies. The 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, on July 4, 2014. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of the SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, “control” refers to the act through which a PRC resident obtains the right to carry out business operation of, to gain proceeds from or to make decisions on a special purpose vehicle by means of, among others, shareholding entrustment arrangement. SAFE Circular 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. 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 making profit distributions 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. According to the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Policies for the Foreign Exchange Administration of Direct Investment released on February 13, 2015 by the SAFE, local banks will examine and handle foreign exchange registration for overseas direct investment, including the initial foreign exchange registration and amendment registration, under SAFE Circular 37 from June 1, 2015.

We may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. We do not have control over our beneficial owners and there can be no assurance that all of our PRC-resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, and there is no assurance that the registration under SAFE Circular 37 and any amendment will be completed in a timely manner, or will be completed at all. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their foreign exchange registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration

 

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procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to our company. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding our employee share incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies due to their position as director, senior management or employees of the PRC subsidiaries of the overseas companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies before they obtain the incentive shares or exercise the share options. Our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted options under our 2018 Plan may follow SAFE Circular 37 to apply for the foreign exchange registration before our company becomes an overseas listed company. After our company becomes an overseas listed company upon completion of this offering, we and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted options will be subject to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, according to which, employees, directors, supervisors and other management members participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, such as our 2018 Plan, who are PRC residents are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. We will make efforts to comply with these requirements. However, there can be no assurance that they can successfully register with SAFE in full compliance with the rules. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit the ability to make payment under our share incentive plans or receive dividends or sales proceeds related thereto, or our ability to contribute additional capital into our wholly-foreign owned enterprise in China and limit our wholly-foreign owned enterprise’s ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional share incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.

We may rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries to fund offshore cash and financing requirements. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC operating subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

We are a holding company and rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries, for our offshore cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, fund inter-company loans, service any debt we may incur outside of China and pay our expenses. When our principal operating subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities incur additional debt, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions or remittances to us. Furthermore, the laws, rules and regulations applicable to our PRC subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities and certain other subsidiaries permit payments of dividends only out of their retained earnings, if any, determined in accordance with applicable accounting standards and regulations.

Under PRC laws, rules and regulations, each of our subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities incorporated in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its net income each year to fund certain statutory reserves until the cumulative amount of such reserves reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserves, together with the registered capital, are not distributable as cash dividends. As a result of these laws, rules and regulations, our subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities incorporated in China are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their respective net assets to their shareholders as

 

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dividends, loans or advances. Certain of our subsidiaries, consolidated VIEs and consolidated affiliated entities did not have any retained earnings available for distribution in the form of dividends as of December 31, 2020. In addition, registered capital and capital reserve accounts are also restricted from withdrawal in the PRC, up to the amount of net assets held in each operating subsidiary.

We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, and we may therefore be subject to PRC income tax on our global income.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementing rules, enterprises established under the laws of jurisdictions outside of China with “de facto management bodies” located in China may be considered PRC tax resident enterprises for tax purposes and may be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on their global income. “De facto management body” refers to a managing body that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting and assets of an enterprise. The State Administration of Taxation issued the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore-Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies, or Circular 82, on April 22, 2009, which was most recently amended on December 29, 2017. Circular 82 provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated enterprise is located in China. Although Circular 82 only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises, not those controlled by foreign enterprises or individuals, the determining criteria set forth in Circular 82 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 offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises. If we were to be considered a PRC resident enterprise, we would be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on our global income. In such case, our profitability and cash flow may be materially reduced as a result of our global income being taxed under the Enterprise Income Tax Law. We believe that none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. 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.”

Dividends paid to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares by our foreign investors may be subject to PRC tax.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation regulations issued by the State Council, a 10% PRC withholding tax is applicable to dividends paid to investors that are non-resident enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or which have such establishment or place of business but the dividends are not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. Any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares by such investors is also subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 10%, if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid on our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs, and any gain realized from the transfer of our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs, would be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and would as a result be subject to PRC taxation. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to individual investors who are non-PRC residents and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares by such investors may be subject to PRC tax (which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source) at a rate of 20%. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, if we or any of our subsidiaries established outside China are considered a PRC resident enterprise, it is unclear whether in practice holders of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares would be able to obtain the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas. If dividends paid to our non-PRC investors, or gains from the transfer of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares by such investors, are deemed as income derived from sources within the PRC and thus are subject to PRC tax, the value of your investment in the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares may decline significantly.

 

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We and our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a Chinese establishment of a non-Chinese company, or immovable properties located in China owned by non-Chinese companies.

On February 3, 2015, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Bulletin 7. Pursuant to this Bulletin 7, an “indirect transfer” of assets, including non-publicly traded equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. According to Bulletin 7, “PRC taxable assets” include assets attributed to an establishment in China, immovable properties located in China, and equity investments in PRC resident enterprises, in respect of which gains from their transfer by a direct holder, being a non-PRC resident enterprise, would be subject to PRC enterprise income taxes. When determining whether there is a “reasonable commercial purpose” of the transaction arrangement, features to be taken into consideration include, without limitation: whether the main value of the equity interest of the relevant offshore enterprise derives from PRC taxable assets; whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise mainly consists of direct or indirect investment in China or if its income mainly derives from China; whether the offshore enterprise and its subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have real commercial nature which is evidenced by their actual function and risk exposure; the duration of existence of the business model and organizational structure; the replicability of the transaction by direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; and the tax situation of such indirect transfer and applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements. In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment, the resulting gain is to be included with the enterprise income tax filing of the PRC establishment or place of business being transferred, and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Where the underlying transfer relates to the immovable properties located in China or to equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not related to a PRC establishment or place of business of a non-resident enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax of 10% would apply, subject to available preferential tax treatment under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements, and the party who is obligated to make the transfer payments has the withholding obligation. Bulletin 7 does not apply to transactions of sale of shares by investors through a public stock exchange where such shares were acquired from a transaction through a public stock exchange. On October 17, 2017, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Circular 37, which became effective on December 1, 2017 and was most recently amended on June 15, 2018. SAT Circular 37, among other things, simplified procedures of withholding and payment of income tax levied on non-resident enterprises.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries or 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 Bulletin 7 and SAT Circular 37. For transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under Bulletin 7 and SAT Circular 37. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Bulletin 7 and SAT Circular 37 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these publications, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these publications, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to restrictions on currency exchange.

All of our revenue is denominated in Renminbi. The Renminbi is currently convertible under the “current account,” which includes dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign direct investment and loans, including loans we may secure from our

 

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PRC subsidiaries. Currently, our PRC subsidiaries may purchase foreign currency for settlement of “current account transactions,” including payment of dividends to us, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant PRC governmental authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign currencies in the future for current account transactions. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account remain subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, the SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities. Since a significant amount of our future revenue and cash flow will be denominated in Renminbi, any existing and future restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize cash generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside of the PRC or pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs, and may limit our ability to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing for our onshore subsidiaries.

PRC regulation of loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries.

In utilizing the proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement, we, as an offshore holding company, are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC laws, through loans or capital contributions. However, loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE and capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries are subject to the requirement of making necessary registration with competent governmental authorities in China.

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 Circular 19, effective on June 1, 2015. According to Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within the PRC, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in the PRC in actual practice. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. Circular 19 and Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from this offering and the concurrent private placement, to our PRC subsidiaries, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in the PRC.

On October 23, 2019, SAFE promulgated the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting the Facilitation of Cross-border Trade and Investment, or SAFE Circular 28, which permits non-investment foreign-invested enterprises to use their capital funds to make equity investments in China, with genuine investment projects and in compliance with effective foreign investment restrictions and other applicable laws. However, as the SAFE Circular 28 was newly issued, there are still substantial uncertainties as to its interpretation and implementations in practice.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary

 

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government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. As a result, uncertainties exist as to our ability to provide prompt financial support to our PRC subsidiaries when needed. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use foreign currency, including the proceeds we received from this offering and the concurrent private placement, and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in foreign currency exchange losses and could materially reduce the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions and the foreign exchange policy adopted by the PRC government, and Renminbi internationalization. For example, On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Following the removal of the U.S. dollar peg, the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. More recently, on November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Renminbi has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. In 2017, the value of the Renminbi appreciated further by approximately 6.3% against the U.S. dollar; and in 2018, the Renminbi depreciated by approximately 5.7% against the U.S. dollar. In 2019, the value of the Renminbi further depreciated by approximately 1.3% against the U.S. dollar. In 2020, the value of the Renminbi appreciated by approximately 6.3% against the U.S. dollar. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that the 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 the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

All of our revenue and substantially all of our costs are denominated in Renminbi. We are a holding company and we rely on dividends paid by our operating subsidiaries in China for our cash needs. Any significant revaluation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial position reported in Renminbi when translated into U.S. dollars, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, the ADSs in U.S. dollars. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this offering and the concurrent private placement 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. 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.

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection. In addition, the adoption of any rules, legislations or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause uncertainty, and we could be delisted if we were unable to meet any PCAOB inspection requirement in time.

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included in our prospectus filed with the SEC, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the U.S. and a firm registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the U.S. to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the U.S. and professional

 

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standards. 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. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant authorities, no organization or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to overseas parties. Because our auditors are located in the People’s 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. 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. 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 consolidated financial statements.

On May 24, 2013, PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations in the United States and China. PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges. 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. The joint statement reflects the U.S. regulators’ heightened interest in this issue. In a statement issued on December 9, 2019, the SEC reiterated concerns over the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of the audit firm work papers with respect to U.S.-listed companies that have operations in China, and emphasized the importance of audit quality in emerging markets, such as China. On April 21, 2020, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a new joint statement, reminding the investors that in investing in companies that are based in or have substantial operations in many emerging markets, including China, there is substantially greater risk that disclosures will be incomplete or misleading, and there is also a greater risk of fraud. In the event of investor harm, there is substantially less ability to bring and enforce SEC, DOJ and other U.S. regulatory actions, in comparison to U.S. domestic companies, and the joint statement reinforced past SEC and PCAOB statements on matters including the difficulty to inspect audit work papers in China and its potential harm to investors. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and PCAOB will take to address the concerns.

In December 2020, the United States enacted the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, which includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit reports are prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate because of restrictions imposed by non-U.S. authorities in the auditor’s local jurisdiction, or covered issuers. The HFCA Act also requires public companies on this SEC list to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government and make certain additional disclosures on foreign ownership and control of such issuers in their SEC filings. Furthermore, the HFCA Act amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to require the SEC to prohibit securities of any U.S. listed companies from being traded on any of the U.S. national securities exchanges, such as NYSE and Nasdaq Stock Market, or in the U.S. “over-the-counter” markets, if the auditor of the U.S. listed companies’ financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspections for three consecutive “non-inspection” years after the law becomes effective. On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced the adoption of interim final amendments to implement the submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. In the announcement, the SEC clarifies that before any issuer will have to comply with the interim final amendments, the SEC must implement a process for identifying covered issuers. The announcement also states that the SEC staff is actively assessing how best to implement the other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the identification process and the trading prohibition requirements. Enactment of the HFCA Act and other efforts to increase the 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. We cannot assure you that we will not be identified by the SEC as an issuer

 

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whose audit report is prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate. We cannot assure you that, once we have a “non-inspection” year, we will be able to take remedial measures in a timely manner.

As a result of the foregoing legislative and regulatory developments in the United States, and we cannot assure you that we will always be able to maintain the listing of our ADSs on a national stock exchange in the U.S., such as the NYSE or the Nasdaq Stock Market, or that you will always be allowed to trade our shares or ADSs.

Additional remedial measures could be imposed on certain PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, in administrative proceedings instituted by the SEC, as a result of which our financial statements may be determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, if at all.

In December 2012, the SEC brought administrative proceedings against the PRC-based “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that they had violated U.S. securities laws by failing to provide audit work papers and other documents related to certain other PRC-based companies under investigation by the SEC. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring and suspending these accounting firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. The decision was neither final nor legally effective until reviewed and approved by the SEC, and on February 12, 2014, the PRC-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision. In February 2015, each of the four PRC-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. The settlement required the firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to such firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. If the firms did not follow these procedures or if there is a failure in the process between the SEC and the CSRC, the SEC could impose penalties such as suspensions, or it could restart the administrative proceedings. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four PRC-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 PRC-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 challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions.

In the event that the PRC-based “big four” accounting firms become subject to additional legal challenges by the SEC or PCAOB, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the U.S. 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 the ADSs may be adversely affected.

If our independent registered public accounting firm were 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 consolidated financial statements, our consolidated 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 delay or abandonment of this offering, delisting of the ADSs from the NYSE or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of the ADSs in the U.S.

The ability of U.S. authorities to bring actions for violations of U.S. securities law and regulations against us, our directors, executive officers or the expert named in this prospectus may be limited. Therefore, you may not be afforded the same protection as provided to investors in U.S. domestic companies.

The SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice, or the DOJ, and other U.S. authorities often have substantial difficulties in bringing and enforcing actions against non-U.S. companies such as us, and non-U.S. persons, such

 

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as our directors and executive officers in China. Due to jurisdictional limitations, matters of comity and various other factors, the SEC, the DOJ and other U.S. authorities may be limited in their ability to pursue bad actors, including in instances of fraud, in emerging markets such as China. We conduct our operations mainly in China and our assets are mainly located in China. In addition, a majority of our directors and executive officers reside within China. There are significant legal and other obstacles for U.S. authorities to obtain information needed for investigations or litigation against us or our directors, executive officers or other gatekeepers in case we or any of these individuals engage in fraud or other wrongdoing. In addition, local authorities in China may be constrained in their ability to assist U.S. authorities and overseas investors in connection with legal proceedings. As a result, if we, our directors, executive officers or other gatekeepers commit any securities law violation, fraud or other financial misconduct, the U.S. authorities may not be able to conduct effective investigations or bring and enforce actions against us, our directors, executive officers or other gatekeepers. Therefore, you may not be able to enjoy the same protection provided by various U.S. authorities as it is provided to investors in U.S. domestic companies.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in China, based on United States or other foreign laws, against us, our directors, executive officers or the expert named in this prospectus. Therefore, you may not be able to enjoy the protection of such laws in an effective manner.

We conduct our operations mainly in China, and our assets are mainly located in China. In addition, a majority of our directors and executive officers reside within China. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States or elsewhere outside China upon us, our directors and executive officers, including with respect to matters arising under U.S. federal securities laws or applicable state securities laws. Even if you obtain a judgment against us, our directors, executive officers or the expert named in this prospectus in a U.S. court or other court outside China, you may not be able to enforce such judgment against us or them in China. China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or most other western countries. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these jurisdictions may be difficult or impossible. In addition, you may not be able to bring original actions in China based on the U.S. or other foreign laws against us, our directors, executive officers or the expert named in this prospectus. As a result, shareholder claims that are common in the U.S., including class actions based on securities law and fraud claims, are difficult or impossible to pursue as a matter of law and practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the local 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 regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States have not been 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. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant authorities, no organization or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to overseas parties. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law is not yet 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. If an investor is unable to bring a U.S. claim or collect on a U.S. judgment, the investor may have to rely on legal claims and remedies available in China or other overseas jurisdictions where a China-based issuer, such as our company, may maintain assets. The claims and remedies available in these jurisdictions are often significantly different from those available in the United States and difficult to pursue. Therefore, you may not be able to effectively enjoy the protection offered by the U.S. laws and regulations that are intended to protect public investors.

 

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Risks Relating to This Offering

There has been no public market for our shares or the ADSs prior to this offering, and you may not be able to resell the ADSs at or above the price you paid, or at all.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our shares or ADSs. The ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares have been approved for listing on the NYSE. Our Class A ordinary shares will not be listed on any exchange or quoted for trading on any over-the-counter trading system. If an active trading market for the ADSs does not develop after this offering, the market price and liquidity of the ADSs will be materially and adversely affected.

Negotiations with the underwriters will determine the initial public offering price for the ADSs which may bear no relationship to their market price after the initial public offering. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the ADSs will develop or that the market price of the ADSs will not decline below the initial public offering price.

The trading price of the ADSs may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to you.

The trading prices of the ADSs are likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. The stock market in general, and the market for technology companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In particular, stock prices for certain PRC-based companies have fluctuated partly due to the underperformance or deteriorating financial results of other listed companies based in China. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings, including technology companies and transaction service platforms, may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the U.S., 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 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 conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, such as the large decline in share prices in the U.S., China and other jurisdictions in late 2008, early 2009, the second half of 2011, 2015 and the first quarter of 2020. In particular, concerns about the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak have triggered significant price fluctuations in the U.S. stock market. All these fluctuations and incidents may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

In addition to the above factors, the price and trading volume of the ADSs may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following:

 

   

regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;

 

   

announcements of studies and reports relating to the quality of our service offerings or those of our competitors;

 

   

changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other providers of similar services;

 

   

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;

 

   

changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;

 

   

announcements by us or our competitors of new service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raisings or capital commitments;

 

   

additions to or departures of our senior management;

 

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fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar;

 

   

release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our issued shares or ADSs; and

 

   

sales or perceived potential sales of additional Class A ordinary shares or ADSs.

As our initial public offering price is substantially higher than our net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay more for your ADSs than the amount paid by our existing shareholders for their ordinary shares on a per ADS basis. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately US$15.00 per ADS (assuming no exercise of outstanding options to acquire ordinary shares and no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs), representing the difference between our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS of US$4.00, as of December 31, 2020, after giving effect to this offering and the concurrent private placement, and the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS. In addition, you will experience further dilution to the extent that our Class A ordinary shares are issued upon the vesting of the options granted under our share incentive plans. Class A ordinary shares issuable under our share incentive plans may be issued at a purchase price on a per ADS basis that is less than the public offering price per ADS in this offering. See “Dilution” for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in the ADSs will be diluted upon completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement.

Because we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you may not receive any return on your investment unless you sell your Class A ordinary shares or ADSs for a price greater than that which you paid for them.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering 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. See “Dividend Policy.” 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. 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, among other things, 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 our ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased our ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.

Substantial future sales or perceived potential sales of the ADSs in the public market could cause the price of the ADSs to decline.

Sales of our ADSs in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline significantly. Upon completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement, we will have 18,648,294,981 Class A ordinary shares and 3,068,619,066 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, including 1,650,000,000 Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs newly issued in connection with this offering and 210,526,314 Class A ordinary shares issued in the concurrent private placement, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. We, our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders and the concurrent private placement purchasers have agreed not to sell any Class A ordinary shares or ADSs for 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions. All ADSs representing our Class A ordinary

 

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shares sold in this offering are expected to be freely transferable by persons other than our “affiliates” without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. All of the other ordinary shares outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement will be available for sale, upon the expiration of the lock-up periods described above, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act. Any or all of these ordinary shares may be released prior to the expiration of the applicable lock-up period at the discretion of the designated representatives. To the extent shares are released before the expiration of the applicable lock-up period and sold into the market, the market price of the ADSs could decline significantly. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale—Lock-up Agreements.”

Certain major holders of our ordinary shares after completion of this offering will have the right to cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of their shares, subject to the applicable lock-up periods in connection with this offering. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in ADSs representing these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration. Sales of ADSs representing these registered shares in the public market could cause the price of the ADSs to decline significantly.

You, as holders of ADSs, may have fewer rights than holders of our Class A ordinary shares and must act through the depositary to exercise those rights.

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights of our shareholders and may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under our post-listing memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to convene a general meeting will be ten days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders’ meeting to permit you to withdraw your Class A ordinary shares to allow you to cast your vote with respect to any specific matter. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting materials to you or carry out your voting instructions in a timely manner. We will make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to you in a timely manner, but there can be no assurance that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your ADSs. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may lack recourse if your ADSs are not voted as you requested. In addition, in your capacity as an ADS holder, you will not be able to call a shareholders’ meeting.

As an ADS holder, your rights to pursue claims against the depositary are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and the deposit agreement may be amended or terminated without your consent.

Under the deposit agreement, any action or proceeding against or involving the depositary, arising out of or based upon the deposit agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby or by virtue of owning the ADSs (including any such action or proceeding that may arise under the Securities Act or Exchange Act) may only be instituted in a state or federal court in New York, New York, and you, as a holder of our ADSs, will have irrevocably waived any objection which you may have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such action or proceeding. Also, we and the depositary may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs after an amendment to the deposit agreement, you will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended, unless such amendment is found to be invalid under any applicable laws, including the federal securities law. See “Description of American Depositary Shares” for more information.

Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your holdings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to you in the U.S. unless we register both the distribution and sale of

 

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the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not make rights available to you unless both the distribution and sale of the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act or exempt from registration under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective and we may not be able to establish a necessary exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings in the future and may experience dilution in your holdings.

You may not receive cash dividends or other distributions if the depositary determines it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.

The depositary will pay cash distribution on the ADSs only to the extent that we decide to distribute dividends on our Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities, and we do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. See “Dividend Policy.” To the extent that there is a distribution, the depositary of the ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary may, at its discretion, decide that it is illegal or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail, or that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute such property to you.

We will incur increased costs and become subject to additional regulations and requirements as a result of becoming a public company, which could lower our profits or make it more difficult to run our business.

Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company and expect to 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 NYSE, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies.

We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, once 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. We also expect that operating as a public company will make 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 will 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 currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in net revenues for our last financial 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 and permission to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. Once we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant

 

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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.

In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against companies following periods of instability in the market price of those companies’ securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. 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.

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

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it 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.

Our post-listing memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could discourage a third party from acquiring us, which could limit our shareholders’ opportunity to sell their shares, including ordinary shares represented by the ADSs, at a premium.

We have adopted the post-listing memorandum and articles of association to be effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering that contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. 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. For example, 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 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 ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, our post-listing memorandum and articles of association contain other provisions that could limit the ability of third parties to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in a transaction resulting in a change of control, including a provision that entitles each Class B ordinary share to 30 votes in respect of all matters subject to a shareholders’ vote.

Our post-listing memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands and the U.S. federal courts will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our post-listing articles of association expected to be effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering provide that, unless otherwise agreed by us, (i) the federal courts of the United States shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear, settle and/or determine any dispute, controversy or claim arising under the provisions of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, which are referred to as the “US Actions;” and (ii) save for

 

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such US Actions, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear, settle and/or determine any dispute, controversy or claim whether arising out of or in connection with our articles of association or otherwise, including without limitation:

 

   

any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company,

 

   

any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to our company or our shareholders,

 

   

any action asserting a claim under any provision of the Companies Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands or our articles of association, or

 

   

any action asserting a claim against our company which if brought in the United States would be a claim arising under the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States).

These exclusive-forum provisions may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other security, such as the ADSs, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our post-listing articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

ADS holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing our ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares provides that, to the extent permitted by law, holders of our ADSs waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claims under U.S. federal securities laws. However, you will not be deemed, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, to have waived our or the depositary’s compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In fact, you cannot waive our or the depositary’s compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. If we or the depositary oppose a jury trial demand based on the above-mentioned jury trial waiver, the court will determine whether the waiver is enforceable in the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with applicable case law. The deposit agreement governing our ADSs provides that, (i) the deposit agreement and the ADSs will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, and (ii) as an owner of ADSs, you irrevocably agree that any legal action arising out of the deposit agreement and the ADSs involving us or the depositary may only be instituted in a state or federal court in the city of New York. While to our knowledge, the enforceability of a jury trial waiver under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by a federal court. We believe that a jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable under the laws of the State of New York by a federal or state court in the City of New York. In determining whether to enforce a jury trial waiver provision, New York courts will consider whether the visibility of the jury trial waiver provision within the agreement is sufficiently prominent such that a party has knowingly waived any right to trial by jury. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. In addition, New York courts will not enforce a jury trial waiver provision in order to bar a viable setoff or counterclaim sounding in fraud or one which is based upon a creditor’s negligence in failing to liquidate collateral upon a guarantor’s demand, or in the case of an intentional tort claim, none of which we believe are applicable in the case of the deposit agreement or the ADSs. If you or any other holder or beneficial owner of ADSs brings a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement

 

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or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and / or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us and / or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action, depending on, among other things, the nature of the claims, the judge or justice hearing such claims and the venue of the hearing.

Moreover, as the jury trial waiver relates to claims arising out of or relating to the ADSs or the deposit agreement, we believe that, as a matter of construction of the clause, the waiver would likely to continue to apply to ADS holders who withdraw the Class A ordinary shares from the ADS facility with respect to claims arising before the cancelation of the ADSs and the withdrawal of the Class A ordinary shares, and the waiver would most likely not apply to ADS holders who subsequently withdraw the Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs from the ADS facility with respect to claims arising after the withdrawal. However, to our knowledge, there has been no case law on the applicability of the jury trial waiver to ADS holders who withdraw the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs from the ADS facility.

The depositary for the ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders’ meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.

Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not vote, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders’ meetings unless:

 

   

we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;

 

   

we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting;

 

   

a matter to be voted on at the meeting would materially and adversely affect the rights of shareholders; or

 

   

the voting at the meeting is to be made on a show of hands.

The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if you do not vote at shareholders’ meetings, you cannot prevent our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

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 limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act, Cap. 22 (Act 3 of 1961, as consolidated and revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands.

The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by 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 may be narrower in scope or less developed than they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the U.S. In particular,

 

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the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws than the U.S. 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.

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 will have discretion under the post-listing memorandum and articles of association expected to be effective immediately prior to completion of this offering, 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 resolution 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 U.S. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act, Cap. 22 (Act 3 of 1961, as consolidated and revised) of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

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 U.S. that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: (i) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, quarterly certifications by the principal executive and financial officers or current reports on Form 8-K; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (iii) 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 (iv) 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 the NYSE. 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. For example, U.S. domestic issuers are required to file annual reports within 60 to 90 days from the end of each fiscal year. 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.

We are an emerging growth company 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 various 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 Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we are an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

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

 

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with such new or revised accounting standards. We will take advantage of the extended transition period. As a result of this election, our financial statements may not be comparable to other public companies that comply with the public company effective dates for these new or revised accounting standards.

If we are a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, United States holders of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares could be subject to adverse United States federal income tax consequences.

A non-United States corporation will be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income for such year is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (generally determined 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. 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. Based on the past and projected composition of our income and assets, and the valuation of our assets, including goodwill (which we have determined based on the expected price of our ADSs in this offering), we do not expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or in the foreseeable future, although there can be no assurance in this regard.

It is possible that we may be a PFIC for the current or any future taxable year due to changes in our asset or income composition. The composition of our assets and income may be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering and the concurrent private placement. Because we have valued our goodwill based on the expected price of our ADSs in this offering, a decrease in the price of our ADSs may also result in our becoming a PFIC. In addition, there is no assurance that a portion of the value of our goodwill will not be attributable to our credit solutions business, in which case the value of our goodwill that is treated as an active asset will be lower than the total value of our goodwill.

In addition, there is uncertainty as to the treatment of our corporate structure and ownership of our consolidated VIEs for United States federal income tax purposes. For United States federal income tax purposes, we consider ourselves to own the equity of our consolidated VIEs. If it is determined, contrary to our view, that we do not own the equity of our consolidated VIEs for United States federal income tax purposes (for instance, because the relevant PRC authorities do not respect these arrangements), we may be treated as a PFIC.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a United States person holds ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, certain adverse United States federal income tax consequences could apply to such United States person. See “Taxation—Certain United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company.

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 NYSE corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the NYSE corporate governance listing standards.

We are a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and the ADSs have been approved for listing on the NYSE. The NYSE market 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 NYSE corporate governance listing standards.

Among other things, we are not required to: (i) have a majority of the board be independent; (ii) have a compensation committee or a nominating and corporate governance committee consisting entirely of independent directors; (iii) have a minimum of three members on the audit committee; (iv) obtain shareholders’ approval for issuance of securities in certain situations; or (v) have regularly scheduled executive sessions with only independent directors each year.

We intend to rely on all of the exemptions described above. As a result, you may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about us and our industry. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Industry” and “Business.” These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements included in this prospectus relate to, among others:

 

   

our goal and strategies;

 

   

our expansion plans;

 

   

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

 

   

expected changes in our revenues, costs or expenses;

 

   

industry landscape of, and trends in, China’s road transportation market;

 

   

competition in our industry;

 

   

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

 

   

our expectations regarding our relationships with shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants;

 

   

our ability to protect our systems and infrastructures from cyber-attacks;

 

   

our expectation regarding the use of proceeds from this offering and the concurrent private placement;

 

   

PRC laws, regulations, and policies relating to the road transportation market; and

 

   

general economic and business conditions.

This prospectus also contains market data relating to the road transportation market in China, including market position, market size, and growth rates of the markets in which we participate, that are based on industry publications and reports. This prospectus contains statistical data and estimates published by China Insights Consultancy, including a report which we commissioned China Insights Consultancy to prepare and for which we paid a fee. This information involves a number of assumptions, estimates and limitations. These industry publications, surveys and forecasts generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. Nothing in such data should be construed as advice. We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the data contained in these industry publications and reports. The road transportation market in China may not grow at the rates projected by market data, or at all. The failure of these markets to grow at the projected rates may have a material adverse effect on our business and the market price of the ADSs. If any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data turns out to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate is necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we have referred to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering and the concurrent private placement of approximately US$1,707.7 million, or approximately US$1,934.6 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We plan to use the net proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement as follows:

 

   

approximately 40% for investment in infrastructure development and technology innovation;

 

   

approximately 40% for expansion of service offerings; and

 

   

the balance for general corporate purposes, including working capital needs and potential acquisitions and investments (although we are not currently negotiating any such acquisitions or investments).

The foregoing represents our intentions as of the date of this prospectus with respect of the use and allocation of the net proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement based upon our present plans and business conditions, but our management will have significant flexibility and discretion in applying the net proceeds of the offering and the concurrent private placement. The occurrence of unforeseen events or changed business conditions may result in application of the proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement in a manner other than as described in this prospectus.

To the extent that the net proceeds we receive from this offering and the concurrent private placement are not immediately applied for the above purposes, we intend to invest our net proceeds in short-term, interest bearing, debt instruments or bank deposits.

In utilizing the proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement, we, as an offshore holding company, are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions and to our consolidated VIEs only through loans. Subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements, we may extend inter-company loans to our PRC subsidiaries or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries to fund their capital expenditures or working capital. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. For further information, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries.”

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

Since inception, we have not declared or paid any dividends on our shares. We do not have any present plan to declare or pay any dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

Any other future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors. 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 may be based on a number of factors, including 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.

If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends which are payable in respect of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such Class A ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to the ADS holders in proportion to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, net of the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares.” Cash dividends on our Class A ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. In order for us to distribute any dividends to our shareholders, we may rely on dividends distributed by our PRC subsidiaries for our cash requirements. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. For example, certain payments from our PRC subsidiaries to us may be subject to PRC withholding income tax. In addition, regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends of a PRC company only out of accumulated distributable after-tax profits as determined in accordance with its articles of association and the accounting standards and regulations in China. Each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards every year to a statutory common reserve fund until the aggregate amount of such reserve fund reaches 50% of the registered capital of such subsidiary. Such statutory reserves are not distributable as loans, advances or cash dividends. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—We rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries to fund offshore cash and financing requirements. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC operating subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.”

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of December 31, 2020 presented on:

 

   

an actual basis;

 

   

a pro forma basis to reflect (i) the repurchase of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares from DWJ Partners Limited in January 2021, (ii) the repurchase of 167,267,715 Class A ordinary shares and 170,121,961 preferred shares from certain shareholders in May 2021 and June 2021, (iii) the exercise of options granted under our 2018 Plan resulting in the issuance of 255,355,716 Class A ordinary shares in June 2021; (iv) the exercise by Sinopec Capital Co., Ltd., or Sinopec, of a warrant resulting in the issuance of 104,463,233 Series A-16 preferred shares in June 2021; (v) the reclassification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics Information Co., Ltd, or Full Load Logistics, and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vi) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and (vii) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and

 

   

a pro forma as adjusted basis to give effect to (i) the repurchase of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares from DWJ Partners Limited in January 2021; (ii) the repurchase of 167,267,715 Class A ordinary shares and 170,121,961 preferred shares from certain shareholders in May 2021 and June 2021, (iii) the exercise of options granted under our 2018 Plan resulting in the issuance of 255,355,716 Class A ordinary shares in June 2021; (iv) the exercise by Sinopec of a warrant resulting in the issuance of 104,463,233 Series A-16 preferred shares in June 2021; (v) the reclassification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vi) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vii) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (viii) the issuance and sale of the Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs offered hereby at the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs; and (ix) the issuance and sale of 210,526,314 Class A ordinary shares in the concurrent private placement, based on the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS.

 

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The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted information below is illustrative only and our capitalization following the closing of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the initial public offering price of the ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. You should read this table in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

    As of December 31, 2020  
    Actual     Pro Forma
(unaudited)
    Pro Forma as
Adjusted
(unaudited)
 
    RMB     US$     RMB     US$     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Mezzanine equity:

           

Convertible redeemable preferred shares

    32,846,087       5,033,886       —         —         —         —    

Subscription receivables

    (1,310,140     (200,791     —         —         —         —    

Total mezzanine equity

    31,535,947       4,833,095          

Shareholders’ deficit:

           

Class A ordinary shares (US$0.00001 par value, 33,562,015,467 shares authorized, 3,517,944,736 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis, 16,787,768,667 shares issued and outstanding on an proforma basis and 18,648,294,981 shares issued and outstanding on an pro forma as adjusted basis)

    233       35       1,099       167       1,221       186  

Class B ordinary shares (US$0.00001 par value, 963,610,653 shares authorized, 963,610,653 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis, 3,068,619,066 shares issued and outstanding on an pro forma and pro forma as adjusted basis)

    63       10       200       31       200       31  

Additional paid-in capital(1)

    3,809,060       583,764       37,686,679       5,775,740       48,829,364       7,483,431  

Subscription receivables

    —         —         (1,310,140     (200,791     (1,310,140     (200,791

Accumulated other comprehensive income

    1,072,307       164,338       1,072,307       164,338       1,072,307       164,338  

Accumulated deficit

    (13,365,806     (2,048,399     (16,202,398     (2,483,126     (16,202,398     (2,483,126
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Shareholders’ (deficit) equity

    (8,484,143 )      (1,300,252 )      21,247,747       3,256,359       32,390,554       4,964,069  

Non-controlling interests

    422       65       422       65       422       65  

Total Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (deficit) equity

    (8,483,721 )      (1,300,187 )      21,248,169       3,256,424       32,390,976       4,964,134  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

    23,052,226       3,532,908       21,248,169       3,256,424       32,390,976       4,964,134  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

Assumes that the vesting conditions of all ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited will be satisfied immediately prior to the completion of this offering.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering and the concurrent private placement. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per Class A ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently issued ordinary shares and holders of our preferred shares which will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering.

Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2020 was approximately negative US$1,815 million, or negative US$0.40 per ordinary share as of that date, and negative US$8.00 per ADS. Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated assets, less the amount of our intangible assets, goodwill, total consolidated liabilities and mezzanine equity. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share from the initial public offering price per Class A ordinary share, after giving effect to (i) the repurchase of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares from DWJ Partners Limited in January 2021, (ii) the repurchase of 167,267,715 Class A ordinary shares and 170,121,961 preferred shares from certain shareholders in May 2021 and June 2021, (iii) the exercise of options granted under our 2018 Plan resulting in the issuance of 255,355,716 Class A ordinary shares in June 2021; (iv) the exercise by Sinopec of a warrant resulting in the issuance of 104,463,233 Series A-16 preferred shares in June 2021; (v) the reclassification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vi) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and (vii) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (viii) the issuance and sale by us of shares represented by ADSs in this offering at the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS, after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs; (ix) the issuance and sale of 210,526,314 Class A ordinary shares in the concurrent private placement, based on the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS. As Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to the same rights, except for voting and conversion rights, the dilution is presented based on all issued and outstanding ordinary shares, including Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares.

Without taking into account any other changes in net tangible book value after December 31, 2020, other than to give effect to (i) the repurchase of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares from DWJ Partners Limited in January 2021, (ii) the repurchase of 167,267,715 Class A ordinary shares and 170,121,961 preferred shares from certain shareholders in May 2021 and June 2021, (iii) the exercise of options granted under our 2018 Plan resulting in the issuance of 255,355,716 Class A ordinary shares in June 2021; (iv) the exercise by Sinopec of a warrant resulting in the issuance of 104,463,233 Series A-16 preferred shares in June 2021; (v) the reclassification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vi) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vii) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (viii) the issuance and sale by us of 1,650,000,000 Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs in this offering at the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS, after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs; (ix) the issuance and sale of 210,526,314 Class A ordinary shares in the concurrent private placement, based on the initial public offering price of US$19.00 per ADS, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2020 would have been US$4,450 million, or US$0.20 per issued ordinary share and US$4.00 per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in

 

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net tangible book value of US$0.06 per ordinary share and US$1.20 per ADS to the existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$0.75 per ordinary share and US$15.00 per ADS to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering.

The following table illustrates such dilution:

 

     Per
Ordinary
Share
     Per ADS  

Actual net tangible book value as of December 31, 2020

   US$ (0.40)      US$ (8.00

Pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to (i) the repurchase of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares from DWJ Partners Limited in January 2021, (ii) the repurchase of 167,267,715 Class A ordinary shares and 170,121,961 preferred shares from certain shareholders in May 2021 and June 2021, (iii) the exercise of options granted under our 2018 Plan resulting in the issuance of 255,355,716 Class A ordinary shares in June 2021; (iv) the exercise by Sinopec of a warrant resulting in the issuance of 104,463,233 Series A-16 preferred shares in June 2021; (v) the reclassification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vi) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and (vii) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares;

   US$ 0.14      US$ 2.80  

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to (i) the repurchase of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares from DWJ Partners Limited in January 2021, (ii) the repurchase of 167,267,715 Class A ordinary shares and 170,121,961 preferred shares from certain shareholders in May 2021 and June 2021, (iii) the exercise of options granted under our 2018 Plan resulting in the issuance of 255,355,716 Class A ordinary shares in June 2021; (iv) the exercise by Sinopec of a warrant resulting in the issuance of 104,463,233 Series A-16 preferred shares in June 2021; (v) the reclassification of 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by Full Load Logistics and 1,302,286,591 Class A ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited into 2,102,286,591 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vi) the automatic conversion of 2,721,822 Series A-15 preferred shares held by Full Load Logistics into 2,721,822 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one-basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (vii) the automatic conversion of the remaining outstanding preferred shares into 14,965,476,285 Class A ordinary shares; (viii) this offering and (ix) the concurrent private placement

   US$ 0.20      US$ 4.00  

Initial public offering price

   US$ 0.95      US$ 19.00  

Dilution in net tangible book value to new investors in the offering and the concurrent private placement

   US$ 0.75      US$ 15.00  

 

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The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of December 31, 2020, the differences between existing shareholders, including holders of our preferred shares, and the new investors with respect to the number of ordinary shares (in the form of ADSs or shares) purchased from us, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The total number of ordinary shares does not include Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs issuable upon the exercise of the option to purchase additional ADSs granted to the underwriters.

 

      Ordinary Shares Total      Total
Consideration
    Average
Price per
Ordinary
Share
Equivalent
     Average
Price per
ADS
Equivalent
 
      Number        Percent      Amount
(in thousands)
     Percent  

Existing shareholders(1)

     19,856,387,733        91.43   US$ 5,149,698        74.45   US$ 0.26      US$ 5.20  

New investors in this offering

     1,650,000,000        7.60   US$ 1,567,500        22.66   US$ 0.95      US$ 19.00  

Concurrent private placement investors

     210,526,314        0.97   US$ 200,000        2.89   US$ 0.95      US$ 19.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

      

Total

     21,716,914,047        100.00   US$ 6,917,198        100.00     
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

      

 

(1)

Assumes that the vesting conditions of all ordinary shares held by Master Quality Group Limited will be satisfied immediately prior to the completion of this offering.

The pro forma information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering and the concurrent private placement is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of the ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

The discussion and tables above take into consideration the automatic conversions of all of our outstanding preferred shares immediately upon the completion of this offering, the concurrent private placement and the other adjustments described above, and they do not take into consideration of the outstanding options granted under the 2018 Plan. As of the date of this prospectus, there are also (i) 185,365,851 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of 185,365,851 outstanding options under the 2018 Plan; and (ii) 194,542 Class A ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under the 2018 Plan and 466,685,092 Class A ordinary shares initially reserved for future issuance under the 2021 Plan. If any of these options are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors.

 

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ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands because of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands company, such as political and economic stability, an effective judicial system, a favorable tax system, the absence of foreign exchange control or currency restrictions and the availability of professional and support services. However, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides protections for investors to a lesser extent. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.

Substantially all of our operations are conducted in the PRC, and substantially all of our assets are located in the PRC. In addition, most of our directors and officers are residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in United States courts judgments obtained in United States courts based on the civil liability provisions of the United States federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors.

We have appointed Cogency Global Inc. as our agent to receive service of process with respect to any action brought against us in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the federal securities laws of the United States or of any state in the United States or any action brought against us in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York under the securities laws of the State of New York.

Conyers Dill & Pearman, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, and CM Law Firm, our counsel as to PRC law, have advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would, respectively, (1) recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States and (2) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or the PRC against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

Conyers Dill & Pearman has informed us that the uncertainty with regard to Cayman Islands law relates to whether a judgment obtained from the United States courts under the civil liability provisions of the securities laws will be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands as penal or punitive in nature. If such a determination is made, the courts of the Cayman Islands will not recognize or enforce the judgment against a Cayman Islands company. Because the courts of the Cayman Islands have yet to rule on whether such judgments are penal or punitive in nature, it is uncertain whether they would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. Conyers Dill & Pearman has further advised us that a final and conclusive judgment in the federal or state courts of the United States under which a sum of money is payable, other than a sum payable in respect of taxes, fines, penalties or similar charges, may be subject to enforcement proceedings as a debt in the courts of the Cayman Islands under the common law doctrine of obligation.

In addition, Conyers Dill & Pearman has advised us that there is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the Cayman Islands will generally recognize as a valid judgment, a final and conclusive judgment in personam obtained in the federal or state courts in the United States against us under which a sum of money is payable (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty) or, in certain circumstances, an in personam judgment for non-monetary relief and would give a judgment based thereon provided that (i) such courts had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to such judgment; (ii) such courts did not contravene the rules of natural justice of the Cayman Islands; (iii) such judgment was not obtained by fraud; (iv) the enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands; (v) no

 

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new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of the Cayman Islands; and (vi) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

CM Law Firm has advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedure Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedure Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. CM Law Firm has advised us further that under PRC law, a foreign judgment, which does not otherwise violate basic legal principles, state sovereignty, safety or social public interest, may be recognized and enforced by a PRC court, based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is rendered or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. As there exists no treaty or other form of written arrangement between China and the United States governing the recognition and enforcement of judgments as of the date of this prospectus, including those predicated upon the liability provisions of the United States federal securities laws, there is uncertainty whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce judgments rendered by United States courts.

 

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OUR HISTORY AND CORPORATE STRUCTURE

The operations of Yunmanman commenced in 2013. Prior to December 2017, the Yunmanman platform was operated by the subsidiaries and variable interest entities of Full Truck Logistics Information Co. Ltd, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The operations of Huochebang commenced in 2011. Prior to December 2017, the Huochebang platform was operated by the subsidiaries and variable interest entities of Truck Alliance Inc., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

In December 2017, Full Truck Logistics Information Co. Ltd and Truck Alliance Inc. merged into Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Due to PRC laws and regulations that impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign equity ownership of entities providing value-added telecommunications services and certain financial services, we conduct a substantial part of our operations in China through contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei Information Consulting Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Xiwei, Beijing Yunmanman Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Yunmanman, and Guizhou FTA Logistics Technology Co., Ltd., or Guizhou FTA, which are our consolidated VIEs. Our consolidated VIEs and their subsidiaries hold certain licenses required to operate our business in China. We gained control over Shanghai Xiwei and Beijing Yunmanman through Jiangsu Manyun by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei, Beijing Yunmanman and their respective shareholders. In addition, we gained control over Guizhou FTA through FTA Information by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Guizhou FTA and its shareholders. For more details and risks related to our variable interest entity structure, please see “—Contractual Arrangements with the VIEs and their Shareholders” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.”

 

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Our Corporate Structure

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure with our principal subsidiaries as of the date of this prospectus. Certain entities that are immaterial to our results of operations, business and financial condition are omitted. Equity interests depicted in this diagram are held as to 100%.

 

LOGO

 

 

(1)

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang and Ms. Guizhen Ma hold 65% and 35% equity interest, respectively, in Beijing Yunmanman. Mr. Peter Hui Zhang is our founder, chairman of our board of directors and chief executive officer. Ms. Guizhen Ma is a director and a member of our management. Beijing Yunmanman is not currently engaged in any material business operation.

(2)

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang and Ms. Guizhen Ma hold 60% and 40% equity interest, respectively, in Shanghai Xiwei. Shanghai Xiwei and its subsidiaries are primarily involved in operating our Yunmanman apps and providing freight matching services and value-added services.

(3)

Includes one insignificant subsidiary that is wholly-owned by Shanghai Xiwei and two other insignificant subsidiaries, each with 51% equity interest held by Shanghai Xiwei.

(4)

Includes five insignificant subsidiaries that are wholly-owned by Manyun Software and one other insignificant subsidiary with 70% equity interest held by Manyun Software.

(5)

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang and Ms. Guizhen Ma hold 70% and 30% equity interest, respectively, in Guizhou FTA. Guizhou FTA and its subsidiaries are primarily involved in operating our Huochebang apps and providing freight matching services and value-added services. Previously, Guiyang Huochebang was a consolidated VIE of FTA Information. Guizhou FTA was a newly established entity. In March 2021, as directed by FTA Information, Guizhou FTA acquired 100% of equity interest in Guiyang Huochebang for a nominal price from the shareholders of Guiyang Huochebang pursuant to the contractual arrangements between FTA Information and the shareholders of Guiyang Huochebang, and FTA Information gained control over Guizhou FTA through contractual arrangements. Guiyang Huochebang continues to hold the licenses required to operate its business following such transactions.

(6)

Includes 21 insignificant subsidiaries that are wholly-owned by Guiyang Huochebang.

 

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Contractual Arrangements with the VIEs and Their Shareholders

Current PRC laws and regulations that impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign equity ownership of entities providing value-added telecommunications services and certain financial services. We are a company registered in the Cayman Islands. See “Regulation—Regulations Related to Foreign Investment.” Jiangsu Manyun and FTA Information are considered as foreign-invested enterprises. We effectively control our consolidated VIEs through these contractual arrangements, as described in more detail below, which collectively enables us to:

 

   

exercise effective control over our consolidated VIEs and their subsidiaries;

 

   

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

 

   

have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in all or part of the assets when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

As a result of these contractual arrangements, we are the primary beneficiary of our consolidated VIEs and their subsidiaries. We have consolidated their financial results in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

In the opinion of CM Law Firm, our PRC legal counsel:

 

   

the ownership structures of Jiangsu Manyun, FTA Information and our consolidated VIEs in China do not and will not violate any applicable PRC law, regulation, or rule currently in effect; and

 

   

the contractual arrangements among Jiangsu Manyun, FTA Information, our consolidated VIEs and their shareholders governed by PRC laws are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC laws, rules, and regulations currently in effect, and will not violate any applicable PRC law, regulation, or rule currently in effect.

However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations related to the contractual arrangements. We have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that if the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in the aforesaid business we engage in, we could be subject to severe penalties including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.”

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. For additional information, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—We rely on contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIEs and their shareholders to conduct a substantial part of our operations in China, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control and otherwise have a material adverse effect as to our business.”

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among (i) Jiangsu Manyun, Shanghai Xiwei and its shareholders, (ii) Jiangsu Manyun, Beijing Yunmanman and its shareholders, and (iii) FTA Information, Guizhou FTA and its shareholders.

Contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei and its shareholders

The original set of contractual arrangements with Shanghai Xiwei and its shareholders was entered into in September 2014. In connection with the transfer of equity interest in Shanghai Xiwei by one of its shareholders, we entered into a new set of equity interest pledge agreement, power of attorney, exclusive option agreement and spouse consent letters with the current shareholders of Shanghai Xiwei and their respective spouse, as applicable, in February 2021.

 

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Agreements that provide us with effective control over Shanghai Xiwei and its subsidiaries

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement. Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreement, each shareholder of Shanghai Xiwei has pledged all of such shareholder’s equity interest in Shanghai Xiwei as a security interest, as applicable, to respectively guarantee Shanghai Xiwei and its shareholders’ performance of their obligations under the relevant contractual arrangement, which include the exclusive service agreement, exclusive option agreement and power of attorney. If Shanghai Xiwei or any of its shareholders breaches their contractual obligations under these agreements, Jiangsu Manyun, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests. In the event of such breaches, Jiangsu Manyun to the extent permitted by PRC laws may exercise the right to enforce the pledge through purchase, auction or sale of the equity interest. Each of the shareholders of Shanghai Xiwei agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreement, such shareholder shall not transfer the equity interest, place or permit the existence of any security interest or other encumbrance on the equity interest or any portion thereof, without the prior written consent of Jiangsu Manyun. The equity interest pledge agreement remains effective until all obligations under the relevant contractual agreements have been fully performed and all secured indebtedness have been fully paid, whichever is later. As of the date of this prospectus, the equity interest pledges by the shareholders of Shanghai Xiwei pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreement have been registered with the relevant local counterpart of the State Administration for Market Regulation, or the SAMR.

Spousal Consent Letters. Pursuant to the respective spousal consent letters, each of the spouses of the applicable individual shareholders of Shanghai Xiwei acknowledges and confirms the execution of the relevant exclusive service agreement, equity pledge agreement, power of attorney, and exclusive option agreement and irrevocably agrees that they have rights or obligations under these agreements. In addition, each of them agrees not to assert any rights over the equity interest in Shanghai Xiwei held by her respective spouses or over the management of Shanghai Xiwei. In addition, in the event that any of them is required to enter into any agreements related to the equity interest in Shanghai Xiwei held by their respective spouses or the performance of the above mentioned VIE agreements for any reason, such spouses agree to authorize their respective spouses to enter into such agreements.

Power of Attorney. Pursuant to the power of attorney, each shareholder of Shanghai Xiwei has irrevocably authorized Jiangsu Manyun to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by such shareholder in Shanghai Xiwei during the term of the power of attorney: to act on behalf of such shareholder as its exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning its shareholding in Shanghai Xiwei according to the applicable PRC laws and Shanghai Xiwei’s articles of association, including without limitation to: (i) exercising all the shareholder’s voting rights, including but not limited designating and appointing the directors of Shanghai Xiwei; (ii) asset transfer, capital reduction and capital increase of Shanghai Xiwei; and (iii) other decisions that would have a material effect on Shanghai Xiwei’s assets and operations.

Agreement that allows us to receive economic benefits from Shanghai Xiwei and its subsidiaries

Exclusive Service Agreement. Under the exclusive service agreement, Shanghai Xiwei appoints Jiangsu Manyun as its exclusive services provider to provide Shanghai Xiwei with services related to Shanghai Xiwei’s business during the term of the exclusive service agreement. In consideration of the services provided by Jiangsu Manyun, Shanghai Xiwei shall pay Jiangsu Manyun annual service fees, which should be mutually agreed by both parties, but in any event not less than an amount equal to 90% of Shanghai Xiwei’s profit before taxation for the previous year. Such annual service fees can be adjusted based on Jiangsu Manyun’s services and Shanghai Xiwei’s operations to the extent agreed by Jiangsu Mangyu in writing. The exclusive service agreement remains effective from September 10, 2014 unless terminated in writing by Jiangsu Manyun.

Agreement that provides us with the option to purchase the equity interest in Shanghai Xiwei

Exclusive Option Agreement. Pursuant to the exclusive option agreement, Shanghai Xiwei and each of Shanghai Xiwei’s shareholders have irrevocably granted Jiangsu Manyun an irrevocable and exclusive right to

 

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purchase, or designate one or more entities or persons to purchase, the equity interests in Shanghai Xiwei then held by its shareholders at once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Jiangsu Manyun’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by PRC law. The purchase price for the equity interests in Shanghai Xiwei shall equal to the minimum price permitted by PRC law. This agreement will remain effective until all equity interests of Shanghai Xiwei held by its shareholders have been transferred or assigned to Jiangsu Manyun or its designated entities or persons.

Contractual arrangements with Beijing Yunmanman and its shareholders

The original set of contractual arrangements with Beijing Yunmanman and its shareholders was entered into in September 2014. In connection with the transfer of equity interest in Beijing Yunmanman by one of its shareholders, we entered into a new set of contractual arrangements with Beijing Yunmanman, its current shareholders and their respective spouse, as applicable, in March 2021.

Agreements that provide us with effective control over Beijing Yunmanman and its subsidiaries

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, each shareholder of Beijing Yunmanman has pledged all of such shareholder’s equity interest in Beijing Yunmanman as a security interest, as applicable, to respectively guarantee Beijing Yunmanman and its shareholders’ performance of their obligations under the relevant contractual arrangement, which include the exclusive service agreement, exclusive option agreement and power of attorney. If Beijing Yunmanman or any of its shareholders breaches their contractual obligations under these agreements, Jiangsu Manyun, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests. In the event of such breaches, Jiangsu Manyun to the extent permitted by PRC laws may exercise the right to enforce the pledge through purchase, auction or sale of the equity interest. Each of the shareholders of Beijing Yunmanman agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreements, such shareholder shall not transfer the equity interest, place or permit the existence of any security interest or other encumbrance on the equity interest or any portion thereof, without the prior written consent of Jiangsu Manyun. The equity interest pledge agreements remain effective until all obligations under the relevant contractual agreements have been fully performed and all secured indebtedness have been fully paid, whichever is later. As of the date of this prospectus, the equity interest pledges by the shareholders of Beijing Yunmanman pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements have been registered with the relevant local counterpart of the SAMR.

Spousal Consent Letters. Pursuant to the respective spousal consent letters, each of the spouses of the applicable individual shareholders of Beijing Yunmanman acknowledges and confirms the execution of the relevant exclusive service agreement, equity pledge agreement, power of attorney, and exclusive option agreement and irrevocably agrees that they have rights or obligations under these agreements. In addition, each of them agrees not to assert any rights over the equity interest in Beijing Yunmanman held by her respective spouses or over the management of Beijing Yunmanman. In addition, in the event that any of them is required to enter into any agreements related to the equity interest in Beijing Yunmanman held by their respective spouses or the performance of the above mentioned VIE agreements for any reason, such spouses agree to authorize their respective spouses to enter into such agreements.

Power of Attorney. Pursuant to the power of attorney, each shareholder of Beijing Yunmanman has irrevocably authorized Jiangsu Manyun to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by such shareholder in Beijing Yunmanman during the term of the power of attorney: to act on behalf of such shareholder as its exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning its shareholding in Beijing Yunmanman according to the applicable PRC laws and Beijing Yunmanman’s articles of association, including without limitation to: (i) exercising all the shareholder’s voting rights, including but not limited designating and appointing the directors of Beijing Yunmanman; (ii) asset transfer, capital reduction and capital increase of Beijing Yunmanman; and (iii) other decisions that would have a material effect on Beijing Yunmanman’s assets and operations.

 

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Agreement that allows us to receive economic benefits from Beijing Yunmanman and its subsidiaries

Exclusive Service Agreement. Under the exclusive service agreement, Beijing Yunmanman appoints Jiangsu Manyun as its exclusive services provider to provide Beijing Yunmanman with services related to Beijing Yunmanman’s business during the term of the exclusive service agreement. In consideration of the services provided by Jiangsu Manyun, Beijing Yunmanman shall pay Jiangsu Manyun annual service fees, which should be mutually agreed by both parties, but in any event not less than an amount equal to 90% of Beijing Yunmanman’s profit before taxation for the previous year. Such annual service fees can be adjusted based on Jiangsu Manyun’s services and Beijing Yunmanman’s operations to the extent agreed by Jiangsu Mangyun in writing. The exclusive service agreement remains effective from March 22, 2021 unless terminated in writing by Jiangsu Manyun.

Agreement that provides us with the option to purchase the equity interest in Beijing Yunmanman

Exclusive Option Agreement. Pursuant to the exclusive option agreement, Beijing Yunmanman and each of Beijing Yunmanman’s shareholders have irrevocably granted Jiangsu Manyun an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more entities or persons to purchase, the equity interests in Beijing Yunmanman then held by its shareholders at once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Jiangsu Manyun’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by PRC law. The purchase price for the equity interests in Beijing Yunmanman shall equal to the minimum price permitted by PRC law. This agreement will remain effective until all equity interests of Beijing Yunmanman held by its shareholders have been transferred or assigned to Jiangsu Manyun or its designated entities or persons.

Contractual Arrangements with Guizhou FTA and its shareholders

Agreements that provide us with effective control over Guizhou FTA and its subsidiaries

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, each shareholder of Guizhou FTA has pledged all of such shareholder’s equity interest in Guizhou FTA as a security interest, as applicable, to respectively guarantee Guizhou FTA and its shareholders’ performance of their obligations under the relevant contractual arrangement, which include the exclusive service agreement, exclusive option agreement and power of attorney. If Guizhou FTA or any of its shareholders breaches their contractual obligations under these agreements, FTA Information, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests. In the event of such breaches, FTA Information to the extent permitted by PRC laws may exercise the right to enforce the pledges through purchase, auction or sale of the equity interest. Each of the shareholders of Guizhou FTA agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreements, such shareholder shall not transfer the equity interest, place or permit the existence of any security interest or other encumbrance on the equity interest or any portion thereof, without the prior written consent of FTA Information. The equity interest pledge agreements remain effective until all obligations under the relevant contractual agreements have been fully performed and all secured indebtedness have been fully paid, whichever is later. As of the date of this prospectus, the equity interest pledges by the shareholders of Guizhou FTA pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements have been registered with the relevant local counterpart of the SAMR.

Spousal Consent Letters. Pursuant to the respective spousal consent letters, each of the spouses of the applicable individual shareholders of Guizhou FTA acknowledges and confirms the execution of the relevant exclusive service agreement, equity pledge agreement, power of attorney, and exclusive option agreement and irrevocably agrees that they have rights or obligations under these agreements. In addition, each of them agrees not to assert any rights over the equity interest in Guizhou FTA held by her respective spouses or over the management of Guizhou FTA. In addition, in the event that any of them is required to enter into any agreements related to the equity interest in Guizhou FTA held by their respective spouses or the performance of the above mentioned VIE agreements for any reason, such spouses agree to authorize their respective spouses to enter into such agreements.

 

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Power of Attorney. Pursuant to the power of attorney, each shareholder of Guizhou FTA has irrevocably authorized FTA Information to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by such shareholder in Guizhou FTA during the term of the power of attorney: to act on behalf of such shareholder as its exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning its shareholding in Guizhou FTA according to the applicable PRC laws and Guizhou FTA’s articles of association, including without limitation to: (i) exercising all the shareholder’s voting rights, including but not limited designating and appointing the directors of Guizhou FTA; (ii) asset transfer, capital reduction and capital increase of Guizhou FTA; and (iii) other decisions that would have a material effect on Guizhou FTA’s assets and operations.

Agreement that allows us to receive economic benefits from Guizhou FTA and its subsidiaries

Exclusive Service Agreement. Under the exclusive service agreement, Guizhou FTA appoints FTA Information as its exclusive services provider to provide Guizhou FTA with services related to Guizhou FTA’s business during the term of the exclusive service agreement. In consideration of the services provided by FTA Information, Guizhou FTA shall pay FTA Information annual service fees, which should be mutually agreed by both parties, but in any event not less than an amount equal to 90% of Guizhou FTA’s profit before taxation for the previous year. Such annual service fees can be adjusted based on FTA Information’s services and Guizhou FTA’s operations to the extent agreed by FTA Information in writing. The exclusive service agreement remains effective from March 12, 2021 unless terminated in writing by FTA Information.

Agreement that provides us with the option to purchase the equity interest in Guizhou FTA

Exclusive Option Agreement. Pursuant to the exclusive option agreement, Guizhou FTA and each of Guizhou FTA’s shareholders have irrevocably granted FTA Information an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more entities or persons to purchase, the equity interests in Guizhou FTA then held by its shareholders at once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at FTA Information’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by PRC law. The purchase price for the equity interests in Guizhou FTA shall equal to the minimum price permitted by PRC law. This agreement will remain effective until all equity interests of Guizhou FTA held by its shareholders have been transferred or assigned to FTA Information or its designated entities or persons.

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss data and selected consolidated statement of cash flows data for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 and selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period. The following selected consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated are qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” both of which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The following table presents our selected consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data for the periods indicated.

 

     For the Years Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands, except share and per share data)  

Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss:

      

Net revenues (including value-added taxes, “VAT”, of RMB1,359,320 and RMB1,434,015 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively)

     2,473,061       2,580,820       395,528  

Operating expenses:

      

Cost of revenues (including VAT net of refund of VAT, of RMB953,200 and RMB893,909 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively)(1)

     (1,389,864     (1,316,017     (201,688

Sales and marketing expenses(1)

     (403,117     (454,343     (69,631

General and administrative expenses(1)

     (1,189,423     (3,938,565     (603,611

Research and development expenses(1)

     (396,692     (413,369     (63,352

Provision for loans receivables

     (127,790     (94,160     (14,431
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     (3,506,886     (6,216,454     (952,713

Other operating income

     13,223       21,031       3,223  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (1,020,602     (3,614,603     (553,962

Other (expense) income:

      

Interest income

     229,310       209,832       32,158  

Interest expenses

     (39,996     (8,367     (1,282

Foreign exchange loss

     (4,410     (21,276     (3,261

Investment income

     —         3,321       509  

Unrealized gains from fair value changes of trading securities and derivative assets

     —         18,140       2,780  

Other expenses, net

     (8,585     (5,559     (852

Impairment loss

     (710,331     (22,030     (3,376

Share of loss in equity method investees

     (1,729     (11,054     (1,694
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other (loss) income

  

 

 

 

 

 

(535,741

 

 

) 

    163,007       24,982  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss before income tax

     (1,556,343     (3,451,596     (528,980 ) 

Income tax benefit (expense)

     14,676       (19,336     (2,963

Net loss from continuing operations

     (1,541,667     (3,470,932 )      (531,943 ) 

Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax

     18,010       452       69  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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     For the Years Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands, except share and per share data)  

Net loss

     (1,523,657     (3,470,480 )      (531,874 ) 

Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

     (7     (8     (1

Net loss attributable to Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

     (1,523,650     (3,470,472 )      (531,873 ) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Deemed dividend

     —         (120,086     (18,404
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

     (1,523,650     (3,590,558 )      (550,277 ) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss earning per ordinary share:

      

Continuing operations

     (0.47     (1.05     (0.16

Discontinued operations

     0.01       0.00       0.00  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted—ordinary shares

     (0.46     (1.05     (0.16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average shares used in calculating net loss per ordinary share:

      

Basic

     3,299,723,079       3,423,687,654       3,423,687,654  

Diluted

     3,299,723,079       3,423,687,654       3,423,687,654  

Net loss

     (1,523,657     (3,470,480 )      (531,874 ) 

Other comprehensive income (loss)

      

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of nil

     89,399       (498,157     (76,346
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

     (1,434,258     (3,968,637 )      (608,220 ) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less: comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests

     (7     (8     (1

Comprehensive loss attributable to Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

     (1,434,251     (3,968,629)       (608,219)  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Deemed dividend

     —         (120,086     (18,404

Comprehensive loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

     (1,434,251     (4,088,715 )      (626,623 ) 
      

 

(1)

Share-based compensation expenses were allocated as follows:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2020  
     RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

General and administrative expenses

     455,634        3,341,145        512,053  

Sales and marketing expenses

     —          94,640        14,504  

Research and development expenses

     —          42,680        6,541  

Cost of revenues

     —          7,842        1,202  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     455,634        3,486,307        534,300  

 

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The following table presents our selected consolidated balance sheets data as of the dates indicated.

 

    As of December 31,  
    2019     2020  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

    3,983,721       10,060,391       1,541,822  

Total current assets

    12,501,355       20,683,351       3,169,861  

Total non-current assets

    4,457,048       4,450,005       681,994  

Total assets

    16,958,403       25,133,356       3,851,855  

Total current liabilities

    2,281,372       1,962,347       300,743  

Total non-current liabilities

    123,333       118,783       18,204  

Total liabilities

    2,404,705       2,081,130       318,947  

Mezzanine equity (convertible redeemable preferred shares)

    21,644,964       31,535,947       4,833,095  

Total shareholders’ deficit

    (7,091,696     (8,484,143     (1,300,252
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ deficit

    16,958,403       25,133,356       3,851,855  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following table presents our selected consolidated cash flow data for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020  
    RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Selected Consolidated Cash Flow Data:

     

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

    (923,965     574,742       88,084  

Net cash used in investing activities

    (3,391,199     (2,690,895     (412,399

Net cash provided by financing activities

    1,693,225       8,324,448       1,275,777  

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

    19,884       (127,770     (19,581

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

    (2,602,055     6,080,525       931,881  

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

    6,681,698       4,079,643       625,233  

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

    4,079,643       10,160,168       1,557,114  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

    4,079,643       10,160,168       1,557,114  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating our business, we consider and use non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) and non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss), each a non-GAAP financial measure, as supplemental measures to review and assess our operating performance. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We define non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) as loss from operations excluding (i) share-based compensation expense, (ii) compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares from certain employees in excess of fair value and (iii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions. We define non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss) as net loss excluding (i) share-based compensation expense, (ii) compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares from certain employees in excess of fair value, (iii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, (iv) impairment loss related to a one-time write-off of loans to Guangzhou Zhihong Logistics Co., Ltd. in 2019, (v) tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments and (vi) net income from discontinued operations, net of tax.

With respect to amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, the relevant intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase accounting and contribute to revenue generation of our company.

 

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Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized.

We present non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and formulate business plans. Our non-GAAP financial measures enable our management to assess our operating results without considering the impact of share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, which are non-cash charges, compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares in excess of fair value, which is a non-recurring charge, impairment loss related to a one-time write-off, which is a non-cash and non-recurring charge and net income from discontinued operations, net of tax, which is non-recurring. We also believe that the use of non-GAAP measures facilitate investors’ assessment of our operating performance.

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool. Our non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect all items of expense that affect our operations. Share-based compensation expense has been and may continue to be incurred in our business and is not reflected in the presentation of our non-GAAP financial measures.

We reconcile the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measures. Non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) and non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss) should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to operating income/(loss) and net income/(loss) or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Our non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

The following table reconciles our non-GAAP adjusted operating income/(loss) in the periods presented to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which is loss from operations.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Loss from operations

     (1,020,602     (3,614,603     (553,962

Add:

      

Share-based compensation expense

     455,634       3,486,307       534,300  

Compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares in excess of fair value

     251,891       234,113       35,879  

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

     41,333       42,200       6,467  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP adjusted operating (loss) income

     (271,744     148,017       22,684  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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The following table reconciles our non-GAAP adjusted net income/(loss) in the periods presented to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which is net loss.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019     2020  
     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net loss

     (1,523,657     (3,470,480     (531,874

Add:

      

Share-based compensation expense

     455,634       3,486,307       534,300  

Compensation expense resulting from repurchase of ordinary shares in excess of fair value

     251,891       234,113       35,879  

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

     41,333       42,200       6,467  

Impairment loss related to a one-time write-off

     710,331       —         —    

Tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments(1)

     (10,333     (10,550     (1,617

Less:

      

Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax

     18,010       452       69  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP adjusted net (loss) income

     (92,811     281,138       43,086  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

Comprise tax effects relating to amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section entitled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Industry Data.”

Overview

Full Truck Alliance, or FTA, is the world’s largest digital freight platform by gross transaction value, or GTV, in 2020, according to the CIC Report. We have transformed China’s road transportation industry by pioneering a digital, standardized and smart logistics infrastructure across the value chain.

Our platform connects shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. We have built a vibrant ecosystem of millions of shippers and truckers. In March 2021, approximately 1.4 million shippers posted shipping orders on our platform. In 2020, we facilitated 71.7 million fulfilled orders with GTV of RMB173.8 billion (US$26.6 billion), and over 2.8 million truckers fulfilled shipping orders on our platform. Approximately 20% of all China’s heavy-duty and medium-duty truckers fulfilled shipping orders on our platform in 2020, according to the CIC Report. In the first quarter of 2021, we facilitated 22.1 million fulfilled orders with GTV of RMB51.5 billion (US$7.9 billion), representing 170.2% and 108.0% year-over-year growth, respectively.

FTA was formed in 2017 through the merger of Yunmanman and Huochebang, which were founded in 2013 and 2011, respectively. We have 10 years of operational track record, and in the process have accumulated unparalleled insights, know-how, technology and data, which we believe have provided us with a sustainable competitive advantage for our future growth.

Our total net revenues were RMB2,473.1 million and RMB2,580.8 million (US$395.5 million) in the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively. We recorded net loss of RMB1,523.7 million and RMB3,470.5 million (US$531.9 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We recorded non-GAAP adjusted net loss of RMB92.8 million in 2019 and non-GAAP adjusted net income of RMB281.1 million (US$43.1 million) in 2020.

 

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The diagram below sets forth our key development milestones:

 

LOGO

Our Monetization Model

To fulfill our mission to make logistics better, we have built a digital, standardized and smart platform that seamlessly connects shippers and truckers. Scalability and transaction volume are core to our platform strategy. We aim to create the broadest and deepest logistics network across distance ranges, cargo weights and types and vehicle types to maximize our network effects and provide a better user experience.

We have grown rapidly in recent years in terms of number of users and transaction volume on our platform. The number of fulfilled orders and GTV facilitated through our platform for the three months ended December 31, 2020 have shown a year-over-year growth of 113.8% and 71.1%, respectively. In addition, the number of fulfilled orders and GTV facilitated through our platform for the first quarter of 2021 have shown a year-over-year growth of 170.2% and 108.0%, respectively.

The table below sets forth average shipper MAUs, fulfilled orders and GTV for the periods indicated. For further information, see “Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data—Key Operating Metrics.”

 

    For the Three Months Ended  
    March 31,
2019
    June 30,
2019
    September 30,
2019
    December 31,
2019
    March 31,
2020
    June 30,
2020
    September 30,
2020
    December 31,
2020
    March 31,
2021(2)
 

Average shipper MAUs (in millions)

    0.41       0.56       0.72       0.88       0.73       1.09       1.22       1.31       1.22  

Fulfilled orders (in millions)

    N/A (1)      N/A (1)      10.0       11.5       8.2       19.2       19.8       24.6       22.1  

GTV (RMB in billions)

    N/A (1)      N/A (1)      27.7       33.3       24.7       46.9       45.2       56.9       51.5  

 

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(1)

GTV and number of fulfilled orders were not systematically collected from truckers and shippers prior to the third quarter of 2019 as we did not request truckers or shippers to provide such information. Therefore, GTV and fulfilled orders in the first and second quarter of 2019 are unavailable to us.

(2)

Due to the Chinese New Year holiday season, we experienced a decrease in transaction activities on our platform in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the fourth quarter of 2020.

In addition to the continued growth of our platform, we have introduced various forms of monetization that support the sustainable development of our platform and provide validation for our business model. We generate revenue primarily from (i) freight matching services, which include freight listings, freight brokerage and transaction commission, as well as (ii) various value-added services. Our revenues from freight listings, freight brokerage and transaction commission are primarily driven by the level of transaction activities on our platform, which is measured by average shipper MAUs, fulfilled orders and GTV. Set forth below is a description of our monetization approach towards transaction activities on our platform.

We started monetizing freight matching services by charging membership fees from frequent shippers for the right to post more shipping orders than non-paying shippers. In the same year, we launched freight brokerage service, or Manyunbao. We enter into shipping contracts with shippers and entrust truckers on our platform to fulfill those shipping orders. After the fulfillment of shipping orders, our platform transfers shippers’ shipping fees to truckers and deduct our platform service fees from shippers’ accounts. We earn platform service fee in connection with our freight brokerage service, which is the difference between the service fee collected from shippers and the shipping fee paid to truckers. We are obligated to pay the full amount of VAT on the service fee collected from shippers, and we receive partial tax refunds in the form of government subsidies from local financial bureaus. We take into consideration the VAT obligation we assume under our contracts with shippers and truckers, the estimated amount of government subsidies that we expect to receive from local financial bureaus, as well as other relevant factors when setting the rate of our platform service fee. For further information, see “—Components of Results of Operations—Revenues—Freight matching services—Freight brokerage.”

Building on the technology and operational knowhow developed from our freight listing and brokerage services, we subsequently launched online transaction service to further digitalize shipping transactions and enable shippers and truckers to transact through our platform. A key feature of online transaction service is that truckers are required to pay deposits to our platform to secure shipping orders, which has helped to improve service quality and increase transaction fulfillment rates. We also offer shippers the option to track the transactions at each step in real-time. In August 2020, we started monetizing online transaction service by collecting commissions from truckers on selected types of shipping orders originating from an initial batch of three cities, namely Hangzhou, Huzhou and Shaoxing. The amount of commission is charged based on shipping fee. In March 2021, we collected commissions on shipping orders with GTV of RMB793.8 million, representing 96.8% of the total GTV originating from these three cities on our platform. Commission charges were RMB5.4 million in March 2021. We started collecting commissions on shipping orders originating from certain other cities in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. In March 2021, we collected commissions in a total of 60 cities on shipping orders with GTV of RMB8.6 billion, representing 89.6% of the total GTV originating from these 60 cities and 36.3% of the total nationwide GTV facilitated through our platform in the same month. Our total commission charges from these 60 cities were RMB46.6 million in March 2021.

The following table sets forth the progression of collecting commissions on shipping orders from our initial batch of three cities, namely Hangzhou, Huzhou and Shaoxing, collectively:

 

     August 2020      March 2021  

Commissioned GTV (RMB in millions)(1)

     22.0        793.8  

Commissioned GTV as percentage of total GTV (%)

     3.1        96.8  

Commission charges (RMB in millions)

     0.2        5.4  

 

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(1)

Refers to GTV of transactions from which we collect commissions in the specified month.

Since we started to monetize online transaction service, daily average order volume and trucker retention in these three cities have remained stable, demonstrating strong customer acceptance for such service.

We also generate revenue from various value-added services that cater to various essential needs of shippers and truckers, including credit solutions, insurance brokerage, electronic toll collection, or ETC services, energy services and truck sale services.

We believe we are at an early stage of monetization, because we launched the commission model for our online transaction service in August 2020. As our platform continues to evolve, we believe we will be able to achieve revenue growth as we bring incremental value to industry participants.

Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

Our business and results of operations are affected by various factors, including the following key factors:

Economic and industry trends in China

We have established the leading digital freight platform globally, creating significant value for shippers, truckers and other industry participants. Our results of operations are affected by the overall growth and prosperity of the road transportation industry in China, which in turn is affected by several factors, such as China’s overall economic growth, the standardization and digitalization of China road transportation industry, the change in freight rate, supply and demand in China’s road transportation industry and the regulatory environment for China’s road transportation industry. Changes in any of these general industry conditions and our ability to adapt to such changes could affect our business and results of operation.

Our ability to attract and retain shippers and truckers on our platform

According to the CIC Report, we operate the world’s largest digital freight platform by GTV, and we facilitated shipments with GTV of RMB173.8 billion (US$26.6 billion) and GTV of RMB51.5 billion (US$7.9 billion) in 2020 and in the first quarter of 2021, respectively. With nearly ten years of operational experience, we have accumulated deep industry knowhow and data insights, which have enabled us to continuously expand our service offerings and enhance user experience on our platform. Our platform had approximately 1.4 million shipper MAUs in March 2021, and over 2.8 million truckers fulfilled shipping orders on our platform in 2020. With the powerful networks of our platform, we are well positioned to attract even more shippers and truckers. The continued growth of shippers and truckers on our platform relies on, among other things, our abilities to accelerate the speed of freight matching, provide high-quality solutions and protect the interests of both shippers and truckers.

As a result of the superior user experience offered by our platform, we have achieved a strong record of shipper retention. 63% of active shippers from the fourth quarter of 2018 remained active during the fourth quarter of 2020.

Our ability to increase engagement and transaction activities of users on our platform

With a large and growing user base, we aim to increase the engagement and our wallet share of users to further drive the growth of our market share, which depends on our ability to enhance user experience and provide comprehensive service offerings. We plan to improve the efficiency of our freight matching services through further digitalization and standardization of transaction processes, as well as enhancement of our core technologies. We will also continue to focus on protecting the interests of shippers and truckers. We believe our

 

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efforts will allow us to enhance user retention and increase customer life time value on our platform. For example, we have launched several features to further streamline the transaction process between shippers and truckers. Our “tap and go” feature allows a shipper to post shipping order with a fixed price, which replaces price negotiation between shippers and truckers.

We also plan to broaden our service offerings to deliver one-stop platform experience to users. In particular, we plan to establish dedicated teams to design and develop specialized user experiences and operations for LTL and intra-city services and better serve the unique user needs from these verticals.

We have witnessed rising level of shipper engagement on our platform. In the three months ended December 31, 2020, the number of quarterly fulfilled orders per average shipper MAU increased by 43.7% year-over-year to 18.8.

Our ability to monetize our services

Our profitability will depend to a large extent on our ability to monetize our online transaction service of matching shippers with truckers. Historically, our revenue from our digital freight platform primarily consisted of membership fees from shippers and service fees from shippers using our freight brokerage service, and we only started charging commissions from truckers in August 2020 for selected types of shipments that originated from an initial batch of three cities. We believe the new revenue model is supported by our compelling value propositions to both shippers and truckers, and we have introduced this revenue model to additional cities and experienced initial success in these cities. We believe there are significant opportunities to introduce the new revenue model to more cities and raise commission rate, but our ability to capture such opportunities remains untested. Our efforts to monetize our online transaction service will significantly affect our results of operations. In addition, we plan to enhance our monetization capability by broadening our offerings and providing new value-added services and innovative initiatives catering to various essential needs of shippers and truckers on our platform, which may bring us incremental revenue opportunities.

Our ability to leverage our scale of business to manage operating costs and expenses

Our results of operations depend on our ability to manage our costs and expenses. We believe our marketplace model has significant operating leverage and enables us to realize structural cost savings. Our increasing scale of business and synergies across our business lines may lead to lower marginal operating costs and expenses. For example, the costs associated with the operation of our platform and our operating expenses do not increase at the same pace as our GTV, as we do not require a proportional increase in the size of our workforce to support such growth. Our continued investment in technology and infrastructure also contributes to the increase of operational efficiency, enabling the same number of employees to deliver higher productivity over time. Our customer acquisition efforts benefit from our strong brand recognition and word-of-mouth referrals, and we witnessed the increase in average shipper MAUs from 0.7 million in the third quarter of 2019 to 1.2 million in the third quarter of 2020 despite the impact from COVID-19, as well as the decrease in the absolute amount of our advertising and marketing expenses from RMB77.3 million in 2019 to RMB57.3 million (US$8.8 million) in 2020. On the other hand, as we seek to expand our market share in the LTL and intra-city segments, we may offer more user incentives and incur increased marketing expenses. Our profitability will depend on the cost efficiency of our marketing efforts in relation to some of all of these new initiatives.

We pay a significant amount of VAT to government authorities in connection with our freight brokerage service. We also receive partial tax refunds from government authorities for such service. VAT, related tax surcharges and other tax costs, net of tax refund from government authorities, represents a major portion of our cost of revenues. As such, our profitability will depend on our ability to maintain the current rate of tax refunds from government authorities.

 

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Impact of COVID-19

During January 2020, a strain of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, was reported to have surfaced in China. In an effort to halt the outbreak, the PRC government placed significant restrictions on travel within China and closed certain businesses, and governments outside of China have halted or sharply curtailed the movement of people, goods and services to and from China. Moreover, the COVID-19 outbreak has become a global pandemic and affected regions outside of China, such as Europe and North America. While we have resumed normal business operations, we experienced certain disruptions in our operations as a result of the government-imposed suspensions due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China. A substantial number of our offices were closed for certain periods in February and March of 2020. In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak materially and adversely affected shippers’ operations, resulting in major declines in shipper demand and transaction activities on our platform. We also experienced significant declines in trucker supply due to quarantines and travel restrictions imposed on truckers, as well as certain temporary highway closures in China.

China’s economy in general, and China’s road transportation industry in particular, showed signs of recovery during the second quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, as offline logistics parks had to stay closed due to COVID-19, digitalization of road transportation industry has accelerated, with shipping postings increasingly moving online, which resulted in an increase in transaction activities on our platform. The GTV on our platform was RMB46.9 billion (US$7.2 billion) in the second quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 89.6% from the first quarter in 2020. While we continue to assess the impact from the COVID-19 outbreak, we are unable to accurately predict the full impact of COVID-19 on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows due to numerous uncertainties, including the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, additional actions that may be taken by governmental authorities, the further impact on the business of shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants, as well as other factors identified in “Risk Factors.”

Components of Results of Operations

Revenues

Our revenues consist of revenues from freight matching services and value-added services. The following table sets forth a breakdown of our revenues, each expressed in the absolute amount and as a percentage of our total revenues, for the periods indicated:

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020  
    RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except percentages)  

Revenues(1)

   

Freight matching services

    1,769,756       71.6       1,947,016       298,393       75.5  

Freight brokerage

    1,292,496       52.3       1,365,207       209,227       52.9  

Freight listings

    477,260       19.3       538,665       82,554       20.9  

Transaction commission

    —         —         43,144       6,612       1.7  

Value-added services

    703,305       28.4       633,804       97,135       24.5  

Credit solutions

    484,904       19.6       472,841       72,466       18.3  

Other value-added services

    218,401       8.8       160,963       24,669       6.2  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

    2,473,061       100.0       2,580,820       395,528       100.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

We recognize revenue without deducting the related VAT, as we determine that we are the primary obligor of the VAT in the PRC, and such VAT are included in the cost of revenues. RMB1,359 million and RMB1,434 million (US$220 million) of our revenues were attributable to VAT in 2019 and 2020, respectively, which were primarily related to VAT charged for freight brokerage services. The gross amount of VAT included in the cost of revenues was RMB1,813.9 million and RMB1,832.6 million (US$280.9 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively, which was primarily related to VAT charged for freight brokerage services.

 

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Freight matching services

Our revenue from freight matching services consist of revenues from freight listings, freight brokerage and transaction commission.

Freight listings

We have a freemium model where shippers can post a certain number of shipping orders on our platform free of charge. We charge the shippers membership fees for the right to post additional orders on our platform beyond such limit. Membership fee is prepaid by shippers registered on our platform for activating their rights of posting additional shipping orders on the platform. Revenue from membership fee is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the membership period or based on the number of shipping orders posted depending on the specific terms in membership agreements.

Freight brokerage

To provide freight brokerage service, or Manyunbao, we enter into contracts with shippers on our platform to provide them with shipping service and platform service, and with truckers on our platform to purchase the shipping service. The difference between the amount we collect from shippers and the amount we pay to truckers is our platform service fees, which are recognized as our revenues on a net basis at the point of fulfillment of the shipping orders.

In connection with our freight brokerage service, we assume legal obligation to pay VAT that are assessed on the entire selling price of the shipping service and platform service pursuant to our contracts with shippers. Our net revenue from freight brokerage services is recognized without deducting VAT as we determine that we are the primary obligor of the VAT in the PRC, and such VAT are included in the cost of revenues. The gross amount of VAT related to freight brokerage services included in the cost of revenues was RMB1,747.7 million and RMB1,763.4 million (US$270.2 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The gross amount of VAT related to freight brokerage services that we were obliged to pay exceeded our net revenues from such services in 2019 and 2020. Nevertheless, we were able to generate gross profit from our freight brokerage service in 2019 and 2020 because we received partial VAT refunds in the form of government subsidies from local financial bureaus as an incentive for developing the local economy and business. We take into consideration the VAT obligation we assume under our contracts with shippers, the estimated amount of government subsidies that we expect to receive from local financial bureaus, as well as other relevant factors when setting the rate of our platform service fee. The amount of VAT refund was RMB860.7 million and RMB938.7 million (US$143.9 million) in 2019 and 2020, respectively, which was included in our cost of revenues to offset our VAT obligation.

 

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The table below illustrates how we record revenues and cost of revenues for our freight brokerage services, using a hypothetical freight brokerage transaction with a total transaction price of RMB1,068 contracted with the shipper. The numbers in the table are included solely for purposes of better illustrating the nature of the accounting treatment and do not necessarily bear any relationship to the actual numbers in any transaction or set of transactions.

 

Revenue Recognized in Income Statement

   Amount (RMB)    

Explanatory note

Shipping fee and platform service fee received from the shipper, including VAT of RMB89 assuming VAT rate of 9%

  

 

1,068

 

 

VAT is included in the transaction price with the shipper.

Less: shipping fee paid to the trucker

     (1,000   The shipping fee is agreed between the shipper and the trucker.

Net revenue recognized

     68     The difference between the amount we collect from the shippers and the amount we pay to the truckers is our platform service fee.

 

Cost of Revenues Recognized in Income Statement

   Amount (RMB)    

Explanatory note

VAT payable to tax authorities and recorded in cost of revenue

     89    

Less: Government subsidies based on VAT

  

 

(45

 

We receive VAT refunds from local government authorities, and the rate of refund may vary across jurisdictions and over time.

Net VAT recognized in cost of revenues

     44    

 

(1)

While there are other less significant tax costs associated with an actual freight brokerage transaction, only VAT and related refunds are included in the calculation above.

Transaction commission

From August 2020, we started charging commissions from truckers when they take shipping orders originating from certain cities. The commission fee charged for a shipping order is computed based on the shipping fee of such shipping order. The commission is recognized as revenue when the trucker takes the shipping order as this is the point in time we complete our matching service. For additional information, please see “—Our Monetization Model.”

Value-added services

We offer credit solutions to shippers and truckers and other value-added services to insurance companies, highway authorities, gas station operators, automakers and dealers to help them meet various essential needs of shippers and truckers.

Credit solutions

Our credit solutions consist of (i) on-balance sheet loans, which are funded by our small loan company and the trusts established by us and (ii) off-balance sheet loans, which are funded by our institutional funding partners. We generate (i) interest revenue from on-balance sheet loans that are funded by us through the trusts established by us or our small loan company and (ii) revenue from loan facilitation, post-origination and guarantee services from off-balance sheet loans. Currently, a major portion of our cash loans to truckers and working capital loans to shippers are on-balance sheet loans, and a small portion of cash loans to truckers and working capital loans to shippers are off-balance sheet loans.

 

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We guarantee off-balance sheet loans facilitated by us. As of December 31, 2020, the amount of guarantee liabilities in relation to our loan guarantee arrangements was immaterial.

Other value-added services

We generate revenue from other value-added services by charging (i) commissions from insurance companies for facilitating the sale of insurance policies to shippers and truckers, (ii) service fees from highway authorities for promoting ETC cards to truckers and service fees from truckers for account top-up, (iii) service fees from gas station operators for generating sales leads and (iv) service fees from automakers and dealers for sales leads generated or collected on our platform.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues consists of (i) VAT, related tax surcharges and other tax costs, net of the tax refund from government authorities, (ii) payroll and related expenses for employees involved in operating our platform, (iii) technology service fee, (iv) commission fee paid to third-party payment platform, (v) funding costs related to credit solution services and (vi) others. The following table sets forth a breakdown of our cost of revenues, expressed as an absolute amount and as a percentage of our total revenues, for the periods indicated:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2020  
     RMB     %      RMB     US$     %  
     (in thousands, except percentages)  

Cost of revenues

           

VAT, related tax surcharges and other tax costs, net of tax refund from government authorities(1)

     1,140,318       46.1        1,099,661       168,530       42.6  

Payroll and related expenses for employees

     52,844       2.1        62,349       9,555       2.4  

Technology service fee

     36,416       1.5        37,461       5,741       1.5  

Commission fee paid to third-party payment platform

     71,118       2.9        59,127       9,062       2.3  

Funding costs related to credit solution services

     27,746       1.1        37,232       5,706       1.4  

Others

     61,422       2.5        20,187       3,094       0.8  

Total

     1,389,864       56.2        1,316,017       201,688       51.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

In 2019 and 2020, the gross amount of VAT was RMB1,813.9 million and RMB1,832.6 million (US$280.9 million), respectively, of which RMB1,747.7 million and RMB1,763.4 million (US$270.2 million) was related to freight brokerage service; the amount of related tax surcharges and other tax costs was RMB329.3 million and RMB305.9 million (US$46.9 million), respectively, substantially all of which was related to freight brokerage service; the amount of tax refunds (including refunds on VAT and related tax surcharges) from government authorities was RMB1,002.9 million and RMB1,038.8 million (US$159.2 million), respectively, substantially all of which was related to freight brokerage service.

Our cost of revenues is incurred to support all revenue generating activities on our digital freight platform. For example, technology services fee is incurred for operating the entire platform. The customer service center employees serve shippers and truckers involved in various services offered by us. Our strategy is to continue to grow the GTV of our platform, with a focus on expansion and increase of the number of shippers and truckers on our platform and the volume of transaction activities facilitated through our platform. The majority of the cost of revenue therefore is incurred on a company-wide basis to develop our platform, as well as to acquire and maintain shippers and truckers in order to support the growth of both freight matching services and value-added services, the latter of which further enhance user stickiness and engagement on our platform. As such, it is not practicable for us to allocate our cost by revenue component in a reasonable and systematic way.

 

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Sales and marketing expenses

Our sales and marketing expenses mainly consist of (i) payroll and related expenses for employees involved in selling and marketing functions, (ii) advertising expenses and (iii) amortization of trademarks. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in the near future, as we roll out new services.

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses mainly consist of (i) compensation costs for executive management and administrative employees, (ii) daily operating expenses and (iii) allowance for doubtful accounts. We expect that our general and administrative expenses to increase modestly in the near future, as we will incur additional expenses related to the anticipated growth of our business and our operations as a public company after the completion of this offering.

Research and development expenses

Our research and development expenses mainly consist of (i) technology infrastructure expenses, (ii) payroll and related expenses for employees involved in platform development and internal-use system support, and (iii) charges for the usage of the server and computer equipment in relation to the research and development activities. We expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase in absolute amounts, as we continue to build our technological infrastructure and improve our technological capabilities.

Provision for loans receivables

Allowance for loan losses is determined at a level believed to be reasonable to absorb probable losses inherent in the portfolio as of each balance sheet date. The allowance is provided based on an assessment performed on a portfolio basis. We recognize an increase in allowance for loan losses as provision for loans receivables for the relevant period.

Share-based compensation

We adopted a share incentive plan in November 2018, which was amended and restated in April 2020 and December 2020, or the 2018 Plan, to provide additional incentives to directors, officers, employees and consultants.

We recognized share-based compensation expense of RMB455.6 million and RMB3,486.3 million (US$534.3 million) in the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively, representing 18.4% and 135.1% of our revenues in those respective periods. The following table sets forth a breakdown of share-based compensation expense by function for the periods indicated.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2020  
     RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

General and administrative expenses

     455,634        3,341,145        512,053  

Sales and marketing expenses

     —          94,640        14,504  

Research and development expenses

     —          42,680        6,541  

Cost of revenues

     —          7,842        1,202  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     455,634        3,486,307        534,300  

Taxation

Cayman Islands

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands and accordingly, are exempted from Cayman Islands income tax. As such,

 

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we are not subject to tax on either income or capital gain. In addition, no Cayman Islands withholding tax is imposed upon any payments of dividends by our subsidiaries to us.

Hong Kong

Under the current Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance, our Hong Kong subsidiaries are subject to 16.5% Hong Kong profit tax on their taxable income generated from operations in Hong Kong. Additionally, payments of dividends by our Hong Kong subsidiaries to us are not subject to any Hong Kong withholding tax.

PRC

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, which became effective January 1, 2008, applies a uniform enterprise income tax rate of 25% to both FIEs and domestic enterprises. Certified high and new technology enterprises, or HNTEs, are entitled to a favorable statutory tax rate of 15%, subject to renewal every three years. During the three-year period, an HNTE must conduct a self-review each year to ensure it meets the HNTE criteria and is eligible for the 15% preferential tax rate for the given year. If an HNTE fails to meet the criteria for being an HNTE in any year, the enterprise cannot enjoy the 15% preferential tax rate in the given year, and must instead use the uniform enterprise income tax rate of 25%.

Under the EIT Law, dividends generated after January 1, 2008 and payable by an FIE in the PRC to its foreign investors who are non-resident enterprises are subject to a 10% withholding tax, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with the PRC that provides for a different withholding arrangement. In accordance with the accounting guidance, all undistributed earnings are presumed to be transferred to the parent company and are subject to the withholding taxes. All FIEs are subject to the withholding tax from January 1, 2008. The presumption may be overcome if we have sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the undistributed dividends will be re-invested and the remittance of the dividends will be postponed indefinitely. We did not record any dividend withholding tax, as we have no retained earnings for any of the periods presented.

The EIT Law also provides that an enterprise established under the laws of a foreign country or region but whose “de facto management body” is located in the PRC be treated as a “resident enterprise” and consequently be subject to the PRC income tax at the rate of 25% for its global income. The EIT Law defines the location of the “de facto management body” as “the place where the exercising, in substance, of the overall management and control of the production and business operation, personnel, accounting, properties and others of a non-PRC company is located.” Based on a review of surrounding facts and circumstances, we do not believe that it is likely that our operations outside of the PRC will be considered a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, due to limited guidance and implementation history of the EIT Law, there is uncertainty as to the application of the EIT Law. If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside of China were deemed to be a resident enterprise under the EIT Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a uniform enterprise income tax rate of 25%.

According to a policy promulgated by the State Tax Bureau of the PRC and effective from 2008 onwards, enterprises engaged in research and development activities are entitled to claim an additional tax deduction amounting to 50% of its research and development expenses in determining its tax assessable profits for the year. The additional tax deduction amount of the research and development expenses has been increased from 50% to 75%, effective from 2018 to 2020, according to a new tax incentives policy promulgated by the State Tax Bureau of the PRC in September 2018.

Results of Operations

The following tables set forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations, in absolute amount for the periods presented and as a percentage of our revenues. This information should be read together with our

 

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consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The operating results in any period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period.

 

    For the Years Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020    

 

 
    RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except percentages)  

Net revenues (including value-added taxes, “VAT”, of RMB1,359,320 and RMB1,434,015 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively)

    2,473,061       100.0       2,580,820       395,528       100.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

         

Cost of revenues (including VAT net of refund of VAT, of RMB953,200 and RMB893,909 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively)

    (1,389,864     (56.2     (1,316,017     (201,688     (51.0

Sales and marketing expenses

    (403,117     (16.3     (454,343     (69,631     (17.6

General and administrative expenses

    (1,189,423     (48.1     (3,938,565     (603,611     (152.6