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Investments
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Investments, All Other Investments [Abstract]  
Investments

5. Investments

 

Alset International Limited (formally Singapore eDevelopment Limited)

 

As of March 31, 2020, the Company owned 83,174,129 ordinary shares of Alset International Limited (“Alset Intl”, formally Singapore eDevelopment Limited) a company incorporated in Singapore and publicly listed on the Singapore Exchange Limited, at an exercise price of SGD$0.04 (US$0.029) per share and warrants to purchase an additional 44,005,182 ordinary shares at an exercise price of SGD$0.04 (US$0.029) per share. On June 25, 2020, the Company exercised those warrants bringing its total ownership to 127,179,311 shares or approximately 10% of the outstanding shares of Alset Intl at September 30, 2020. As of June 30, 2020 the Company carried its investment in Alset Intl at cost, less impairments under ASU No. 2016-01, “Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities”. During the third quarter 2020, the Company determined that the investments has a readily determinable fair value based on the volume of shares traded on the Singapore Exchange which evidences a ready market for shares, as well as a consistent and observable market price. Accordingly, this investment is now classified as a marketable security and is classified as long-term assets on the consolidated balance sheets as the Company has the intent and ability to hold the investments for a period of at least one year. The Company’s marketable equity securities are measured at fair value with gains and losses recognized in other income (expense). At the time of change the Company recorded an unrealized gain of approximately $2.1 million. The Chairman of the Company, Mr. Heng Fai Ambrose Chan, is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Alset Intl. Mr. Chan is also the majority share of Alset Intl as well as the largest shareholder of the Company. The fair value of the marketable security as of September 30, 2020 was approximately $5,583,000.

  

Sharing Services Global Corp. (“SHRG”)

 

As of June 30, 2020, the Company, had acquired and owned approximately 17% of the issued and outstanding shares of Sharing Services Global Corp. (“SHRG”), a publicly traded company, as marketable equity security investment. In the 3rd quarter of 2020, the Company, through a series of class A common shares acquisitions in July 2020, with such acquisition history detailed below, the Company acquired in aggregate, an ownership interest in SHRG of greater than 20%. At that time, it was determined that the Company had the ability to exercise significant influence over SHRG. Accordingly, on July 22nd, the Company began prospectively utilizing the equity method of accounting for its investment into SHRG in accordance with ASC Topic 323 and will recognize our share of their earnings and losses within our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Due to a lag in financial reporting of SHRG, the Company has not recorded any share of earnings or losses during the period ended September 30, 2020. On a go forward basis, earnings or losses from SHRG will be recorded on a two-month lag. As of July 22, 2020, the Company owned 62,417,593 class A common shares of SHRG with an adjusted basis of $11.3 million. As of September 30, 2020, the Company held 62,457,378 class A common shares equating to a 32.2% ownership interest in SHRG and had recorded unrealized gains on marketable securities of approximately $6.1 million for the nine months then ended. As of July 22, 2020, the carrying value of the Company’s equity method investment exceeded our share of the book value of the investee’s underlying net assets by approximately $9.5 million, which represents primarily intangible assets and goodwill arising from acquisitions. The Company is still in the process of valuing the intangible assets at September 30, 2020 and no amortization has been recorded during the period ended September 30, 2020. The following table represents SHRG operating results for the three months ended July 31, 2020: 

 

Net sales   $ 21,899,160  
Gross profit   $ 16,000,134  
Operating loss   $ (1,146,919 )
Loss before income taxes   $ (1,234,868 )
Income taxes   $ (141,491 )
Net loss   $ (1,093,377 )

 

On July 21st and 22nd, 2020, the Company purchased an aggregate of 11,000,000 shares of Class A common Stock of Sharing Services Global Corp. (SHRG) in two private purchases from third parties at a purchase price of for $0.08 per share or $880,000. At that time the Chief Executive Officer of SHRG, Mr. John “JT” Thatch, served as a director on the Company’s board of directors and the Chairman of the board of directors of the Company, Mr. Fai Heng Chan, served on the board of directors of SHRG.

 

On July 22, 2020, Chan Heng Fai Ambrose, the Chairman of the Company’s board of directors, assigned a Stock Purchase and Share Subscription Agreement by and between Mr. Chan and SHRG, pursuant to which the Company purchased 30,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock and 10,000,000 warrants to purchase Class A Common Stock for $3 million. The warrants have an average exercise price of $0.20, immediately vested and may be exercised at any time commencing on the date of issuance and ending three year from such date. These shares and warrants are also subject to a one-year trading restriction pursuant to the terms of a Lock-Up Agreement entered into between Mr. Chan and the Company and assigned to the Company.

 

The Company had acquired in a series of open-market transactions, between March 2020 and September 2020 an aggregate of 13,957,378 of additional common shares, at an average purchase price of $0.06 per share. The Company, during this same period, had also purchased 18,500,000 shares of SHRG in private purchases at an average purchase price of $0.08 per share.

 

As noted above, DSS, via four (4) of the Company’s existing board members, currently holds four (4) of the five (5) SHRG board of director seats. Mr. JT Thatch, DSS’s Lead Independent Director and as well the CEO of SHRG is on the SHRG Board, along with Mr. Fai Heng Chan, DSS’s Executive Chairman of the board of directors (joined the SHRG Board effective May 4, 2020), Mr. Sassuan “Sam” Lee, DSS Independent Director (joined the SHRG Board effective September 29, 2020) and Mr. Frank D. Heuszel, the CEO of the Company (joined the SHRG Board effective September 29, 2020).

 

BMI Capital International LLC

 

On September 10, 2020, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary DSS Securities, Inc. entered into membership interest purchase agreement with BMI Financial Group, Inc. a Delaware corporation (“BMIF”) and BMI Capital International LLC, a Texas limited liability company (“BMIC”) whereas DSS Securities, Inc. purchased 14.9% membership interests in BMIC for $100,000. DSS Securities also has the option to purchase an additional 10% of the outstanding membership interest. This option expires on September 10, 2022.

 

BMIC is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), and is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”). The Company’s chairman of the board and another independent board member of the Company also have ownership interest in this joint venture.

 

Alset Title Company

 

On or about August 28, 2020, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, DSS Securities, Inc. entered into a corporate venture to form and operate a real estate title agency, under the name and flagging of Alset Title Company, Inc, a Texas corporation (“ATC”). DSS Securities, Inc. shall own 70% of this venture with the other two shareholders being attorneys necessary to the state application and permitting process. ATC have initiated or have pending applications to do business in a number of states, including Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois. For the purpose of organization and the state application process, the Company’s CEO, who is a licensed attorney, has a stated non-compensated 15% ownership interest in the venture. There was no activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.