ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

You should read the following selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with Item 5, “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and our historical consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The financial information included in this Annual Report may not be indicative of our future financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Set forth below are (i) selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, which have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in Item 18, “Financial Statements” of this Annual Report, and (ii) selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 and for the year ended December 31, 2015, which have been derived from audited consolidated financial statements not included in this Annual Report.

B. CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

Not applicable.

C. REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Not applicable.

D. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risk factors, as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report, before making an investment in our ordinary shares. Any of the risk factors described below could significantly and negatively affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, these risks represent important factors that can cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Operations

Trends in oil and natural gas prices affect the level of exploration, development, and production activity of our customers and the demand for our services and products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition .

Demand for our services and products is sensitive to the level of exploration, development, and production activity of, and the corresponding capital spending by, oil and natural gas companies. The level of exploration, development, and production activity is directly affected by trends in oil and natural gas prices, which historically have been volatile and are likely to continue to be volatile. Prices for oil and natural gas are subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, market uncertainty, and a variety of other economic factors that are beyond our control. Although crude oil prices increased during 2017 and through the third quarter of 2018 and remained relatively less volatile than the preceding 18 months, the prolonged reduction in oil and natural gas prices, depressed levels of exploration, development, and production activity over the past several years and incremental further reductions could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations and consolidated financial condition. Even the perception of longer-term lower oil and natural gas prices by oil and natural gas companies can result in the reduction or deferral of major expenditures given the long-term nature of many large-scale development projects.

Factors affecting the prices of oil and natural gas include:

Impairment in the carrying value of goodwill could result in the incurrence of impairment charges.

As of December 31, 2018, we had goodwill of $570.5 million. We review the carrying value of our goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently if certain indicators are present. In the event we determine that the value of goodwill has become impaired, an accounting charge for the amount of the impairment during the period in which the determination is made may be recognized. While we have not recorded any impairment charge for goodwill for the periods presented in this Annual Report, future changes in our business and operations or external market conditions, among other factors, could require us to record an impairment charge for goodwill, which could lead to decreased assets and reduced net income. If a significant write down were required, the charge could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in multiple countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Therefore, our operations will be subject to political and economic instability and risk of government actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition .

We will be exposed to risks inherent in doing business in each of the countries in which we operate. Our operations will be subject to various risks unique to each country that could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition. With respect to any particular country, these risks may include but are not limited to:

For example, due to the unsettled political conditions in many oil-producing countries, our operations, revenue, and profits will be subject to the adverse consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest, strikes, currency controls, and governmental actions. These and other risks described above could result in the loss of our personnel or assets, cause us to evacuate our personnel from certain countries, cause us to increase spending on security worldwide, cause us to cease operating in certain countries, disrupt financial and commercial markets, including the supply of and pricing for oil and natural gas, disrupt the supply of equipment required to operate in a country, result in labor shortages and generate greater political and economic instability in some of the geographic areas in which they operate. Any possible reprisals as a consequence of military or other action, such as acts of terrorism in the United States or elsewhere, could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition.

Physical dangers are inherent in our operations and may expose us to significant potential losses. Personnel and property may be harmed during the process of drilling for oil and natural gas.

Drilling for and producing hydrocarbons, and the associated products and services that we provide, include inherent dangers that may lead to property damage or damage to geological formations, suspension of our impact upon operations, personal injury or loss of life, or the discharge of hazardous materials into the environment. Many of these events are outside our control. Typically, we provide products and services at a well site where our personnel and equipment are located together with personnel and equipment of our customer and third parties, such as other service providers. At many sites, we depend on other companies and personnel to conduct drilling operations in accordance with appropriate safety standards. From time to time, personnel are injured or equipment or property is damaged or destroyed as a result of accidents, failed equipment, faulty products or services, failure of safety measures, uncontained formation pressures or other dangers inherent in drilling for oil and natural gas. Any of these events can be the result of human error. With increasing frequency, our products and services are deployed on more challenging prospects both onshore and offshore, where the occurrence of the types of events mentioned above can have an even more catastrophic impact on people, equipment and the environment. These risks could expose us to substantial liability for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, loss of oil and natural gas production, pollution and other environmental damages and could expose us to a variety of claims, losses and remedial obligations.

We may not be fully indemnified against financial losses in all circumstances where damage to or loss of property, personal injury, death or environmental harm occur.

As is customary in our industry, our contracts typically require that our customers indemnify us for claims arising from the injury or death of their employees (and those of their other contractors), the loss or damage of their equipment (and that of their other contractors), damage to the well or reservoir and pollution originating from the customer’s equipment or from the reservoir (including uncontained oil flow from a reservoir) and claims arising from catastrophic events, such as a well blowout, fire, explosion and from pollution below the surface. Conversely, we typically indemnify our customers for claims arising from the injury or death of our employees, the loss or damage of our equipment (other than equipment lost in the hole) or pollution originating from our equipment above the surface of the earth or water.

Our indemnification arrangements may not protect us in every case. For example, from time to time we may enter into contracts with less favorable indemnities or perform work without a contract that protects us. Our indemnity arrangements may also be held to be overly broad in some courts and/or contrary to public policy in some jurisdictions, and to that extent unenforceable. Additionally, some jurisdictions which permit indemnification nonetheless limit its scope by statute. We may be subject to claims brought by third parties or government agencies with respect to which we are not indemnified. Furthermore, the parties from which we seek indemnity may not be solvent, may become bankrupt, may lack resources or insurance to honor their indemnities or may not otherwise be able to satisfy their indemnity obligations to us. The lack of enforceable indemnification could expose us to significant potential losses.

Further, our assets generally are not insured against loss from political violence such as war, terrorism or civil commotion. If any of our assets are damaged or destroyed as a result of an uninsured cause, we could recognize a loss of those assets.

We operate in multiple countries and earn revenue in different currencies and as such may be exposed to risks arising from fluctuating exchange rates and currency control restrictions, which may limit our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the capital needs of our operations in other countries or to repatriate assets from some countries.

A portion of our consolidated revenue and consolidated operating expenses is in foreign currencies. As a result, we will be subject to significant risks, including:

Changes in or new interpretations of tax laws and currency/repatriation controls could impact the determination of our income tax liabilities for a tax year.

We have operations in 14 countries. Consequently, we are subject to the jurisdiction of a significant number of taxing authorities. The income earned in these various jurisdictions is taxed on differing bases, including net income actually earned, net income deemed earned, and revenue-based tax withholding. The final determination of our income tax liabilities involves the interpretation of local tax laws, tax treaties, and related authorities in each jurisdiction, as well as the significant use of estimates and assumptions regarding the scope of future operations and results achieved and the timing and nature of income earned and expenditures incurred. Changes in the operating environment, including changes in or new interpretations of tax law and currency/repatriation controls, could impact the determination of our income tax liabilities for the year. Moreover, some local tax benefits that may be available to companies formed in the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) countries, which may have been available to our subsidiaries, may not be afforded to them as a result of the Business Combination.

In June 2016, the GCC countries agreed to impose a value added tax (“VAT”) across member states. In February 2017, Saudi Arabia ratified the GCC VAT framework and committed to introduce VAT effective January 1, 2018. VAT will be introduced at a standard rate of 5% across the GCC. However, some of the goods and services may be exempted from the charge of VAT or taxed at a rate of zero percent. Detailed bookkeeping requirements have also yet to be made available, but the FAQs confirm the anticipated need for businesses to factor into their processes the timeliness and completeness of their financial and business records. This includes collecting invoices and accounting for the goods or services bought and sold, as well as the VAT paid and charged going forward.

A material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting has been identified. If the material weakness persists or if we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal control, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent fraud, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, ordinary shares, results of operations and/or financial condition.

Effective internal control is necessary for us to provide reliable and accurate financial statements and to effectively prevent fraud. As described in Item 15, “Controls and Procedures,” we have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2018 due to a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting associated with accounting for income taxes and the preparation of cash flows in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We are evaluating measures designed to remediate the material weakness. However, we cannot be certain that these measures will be successful or that we will be able to prevent future material weaknesses or significant deficiencies.

Lack of consolidation in a taxpaying jurisdiction prevents offsetting some losses against taxable profits.

NESR is a British Virgin Islands corporation. NESR is not taxed by the British Virgin Islands on income generated outside of the British Virgin Islands. Therefore, for tax purposes, annual losses in one of our subsidiaries cannot be offset against profits in another subsidiary to reduce consolidated tax liabilities. Moreover, annual losses by entities controlled by our subsidiaries may not be offset against taxable profits in another jurisdiction.

The owners of NESR ordinary shares are subject to tax risks due to the possibility of changes in tax rules and regulations in foreign countries.

The British Virgin Islands does not impose income taxes on British Virgin Islands companies for dividends received or subsidiary operating profits generated outside of the British Virgin Islands. The law could change to impose such taxes. In addition, our subsidiaries operate in many countries that have different tax rates and systems which may change including jurisdictions that do not impose tax on corporations. U.S. shareholders must report on their tax returns all investments in foreign stocks, including ordinary shares.

Our business is dependent on capital spending by our customers, and reductions in capital spending could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition.

Our business is directly affected by changes in capital expenditures by our customers and reductions in our customers’ capital spending could reduce demand for our services and products and have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition. Most of our contracts can be cancelled or renegotiated by our customers at any time. Some of the items that may impact our customer’s capital spending include:

As a result of the decreases in commodity prices, many of our customers reduced capital spending in 2017 and 2018 and may continue to reduce their capital spending budgets in 2019. The short-term tenor of most of our contracts and the extreme financial stress experienced by our customers have combined to generate demands by many of our customers for reductions in the prices of our products and services. With respect to national oil company customers, we are also subject to risk of policy, regime, currency and budgetary changes, all of which may affect our customers’ capital expenditures. Commodity prices are expected to remain range bound, with limited prospects for rising prices and continued risk of further reductions, which may result in further capital budget reductions in the future.

Our assets require capital for maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment and we may require significant capital expenditures for new equipment.

Our revenue is generated principally from providing services and related equipment as well as renting tools and equipment. Our tools and equipment require capital investment in maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment to maintain our competitiveness. To the extent we are unable to fund such projects, we may have less equipment available for service or our equipment may not be attractive to potential or current customers. Additionally, increased demand, competition or advances in technology within our industry may require us to update or replace existing equipment. Such demands on our capital or reductions in demand for our equipment and the increase in cost to maintain labor necessary for such maintenance and improvement, in each case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity position, financial condition, prospects and results of operations.

If our Subsidiaries are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants in their debt agreements, they could default under the terms of such agreements, which could result in an acceleration of repayment.

If our Subsidiaries are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants in their debt agreements, they could default under the terms of these agreements. Our Subsidiaries’ ability to comply with these restrictions and covenants, including meeting financial ratios and tests, may be affected by events beyond their control. As a result, we cannot assure that our Subsidiaries will be able to comply with these restrictions and covenants or meet such financial ratios and tests.

If our Subsidiaries are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium (if any), and interest on their indebtedness, or if they otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants in the instruments governing their indebtedness they could default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness. In the event of such a default, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, the lenders under our Subsidiaries’ debt agreements could terminate their commitments to lend, cease making further loans, seize collateral and institute foreclosure proceedings against their assets, and our Subsidiaries could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If any of these events occur, the assets of our Subsidiaries might not be sufficient to repay in full all of their outstanding indebtedness and we may be unable to find alternative financing. Even if we could obtain alternative financing, it might not be on terms that are favorable or acceptable to us or our Subsidiaries. Additionally, we may not be able to amend their debt agreements or obtain needed waivers on satisfactory terms.

To service our indebtedness, we may require a significant amount of cash, and our ability to generate cash will depend on many factors beyond our control.

Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our Subsidiaries’ indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures depends in part on our ability to generate cash in the future. Our growth and capital expenditure plan require substantial capital, and any inability to obtain such capital could lead to a decline in our ability to sustain our current business, access new service markets or grow our business. Our Subsidiaries’ debt is required to be repaid through an installment structure that may unduly strain our ability to meet our growth objectives. Our ability to service such indebtedness is, to a certain extent, subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot provide assurance that we will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, that we will realize operating improvements on schedule, or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service and repay our Subsidiaries’ indebtedness or to fund their other liquidity needs. If we are unable to satisfy our Subsidiaries’ debt obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as:

For a period after the consummation of the Business Combination, collection of receivables from work performed may not be sufficient to fund working capital needs. We have arranged financing in anticipation of our projected cash requirements, but events beyond our control could cause cash collection to be less than projected and cause us not to meet our Subsidiaries’ debt obligations.

We cannot provide assurance that any additional refinancing or debt restructuring would be possible, that any assets could be sold or that, if sold, the timing of the sales and the amount of proceeds realized from those sales would be favorable to us or that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy the debt obligations, or to obtain alternative financing, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Material weaknesses have been previously identified in our Subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting.

In connection with the preparation of our Subsidiaries’ consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, management of NPS and GES separately identified material weaknesses in internal controls over their financial reporting. Specifically, both had deficiencies in the financial statement close process with a cited lack of U.S. GAAP reporting expertise.

Neither of our Subsidiaries were required to perform an evaluation of internal control over financial reporting as of and for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017, and 2018 in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and emerging growth company exceptions applicable to NESR. Had such an evaluation been performed, additional control deficiencies may have been identified by NPS and GES management, and those control deficiencies could have also represented one or more material weaknesses.

We took several measures to remediate the underlying causes of the material weaknesses during 2018. If we are unsuccessful in remediating any such material weaknesses, we could be unable to report financial results accurately. Any failure to timely provide required financial information could materially and adversely impact us, including the loss of investor confidence or delisting and cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline.

Additionally, prior to the Business Combination, our Subsidiaries did not maintain accounting policies and practices commensurate with that of public companies in the United States and did not have a complement of personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal controls over financial report required of public companies in the United States in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Any failure to implement required policies, practices and improved controls over our financial processes and reporting, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of such policies, practices or improved controls, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations in a timely manner.

Our borrowings under our various loan agreements and other financing arrangements expose us to interest rate risk and such arrangements also include restrictive covenants that may impact their ability to make distributions to us.

Our earnings are exposed to interest rate risk associated with approximately $300 million in borrowings under our various loan agreements and other financing arrangements as of December 31, 2018. Each of these arrangements requires the payment of floating interest rates based upon short-term interest rate indices. If interest rates increase, so will our interest costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the terms of these financing arrangements, including the restrictive covenants therein, may restrict our ability to make distributions to us, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.

The geographic concentration of our customers exposes us to the risks of the regional economy and other regional adverse conditions. The credit risks of our concentrated customer base in the energy industry could result in losses. In addition, we depend on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues. Therefore, the loss of these customers could result in a decline in our revenues and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our primary customers are in the Middle East and North Africa and all are in the energy industry. Among our customers are national oil companies (“NOCs”). Given the importance of national oil companies, which dominate the petroleum industry in our countries of operation, our business is more susceptible to regional economic, budgetary and political conditions than other, more geographically diversified competitors. Any changes in market conditions, unforeseen circumstances, or other events affecting the area in which our assets are located could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating result, and financial condition.

As of December 31, 2018, we had 18 contracts with two major customers in the region which generated approximately 59% of our revenue. Furthermore, during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, a substantial portion of both legacy organization revenues came from those two major customers. Given the terms of our customer contracts, there remains a risk of termination of one or more of such contracts and/or a lack of engagement in the same manner, or to the same level, as has been the case historically. The loss of all or even a portion of the business from a major customer, the failure to extend or replace the contracts with the major customer, or the extension or replacement of such contracts on less favorable terms, as a result of competition or otherwise, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We have more than 24 contracts with five major customers in the region which generate more than 75% of our revenue. The loss of all or even a portion of the business from these key customers, the failure to extend or replace the contracts with these key customers, or the extension or replacement of such contracts on less favorable terms, as a result of competition or otherwise, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flow.

We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers and counterparties, and a general increase in the delay or nonpayment and nonperformance by our customers could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

We are subject to risks of loss resulting from non-payment or non-performance by our customers and other counterparties. Customers may also delay payments by imposing complex administrative processes, by disputing or rejecting invoices, or through other means. Any increase in the non-payment and non-performance by our customers could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Additionally, equity values for many of our customers continue to be low. The combination of a reduction of cash flow resulting from lower commodity prices, a reduction in borrowing bases under reserve-based credit facilities, and the lack of availability of debt or equity financing may result in a significant reduction in the liquidity of our customers and their ability to make payment or perform on their obligations to us. Furthermore, some of our customers may be leveraged and subject to their own operating and regulatory risks, which increases the risk that they may default on their obligations to us.

Actions of and disputes with any of our joint venture partners could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations of our joint ventures and, in turn, our business and consolidated results of operations.

We may conduct some operations through joint ventures, where control may be shared with unaffiliated third parties. As with any joint venture arrangement, differences in views among the joint venture participants may result in delayed decisions or in failures to agree on major issues. We also cannot control the actions of our joint venture partners, including any non-performance, default, or bankruptcy of our joint venture partners. These factors could have a material adverse effect on the business and results of operations of our joint ventures and, in turn, our business and consolidated results of operations.

If we are unable to keep pace with technology developments in the industry, this could adversely affect our ability to maintain or grow market share.

The oilfield service industry is subject to the introduction of new drilling and completion techniques and services using new technologies, some of which may be subject to patent or other intellectual property protections. We intend to introduce and integrate new technologies and procedures used by North American and European based oilfield service companies; however, we cannot be certain that we will be able to develop and implement new technologies or services on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. The oilfield service industry is highly competitive and dominated by a few large players that have resources to invest in new technologies. Our ability to continually provide competitive technology and services can impact our ability to maintain or increase prices for our services, maintain market share, and negotiate acceptable contract terms with our customers. If we are unable to continue to acquire or develop competitive technology or deliver it to our clients in a timely and cost-competitive manner in the various markets we serve, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Limitations on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, including our trade secrets, could cause a loss in revenue and any competitive advantage.

Some of our products or services, and the processes they use to produce or provide products and services, constitute trade secrets and confidential know how. We may lose employees who have important trade secrets and who may not be prohibited in the relevant countries from using such trade secrets to compete. Our business may be adversely affected if any acquired patents are unenforceable, the claims allowed under their patents are not sufficient to protect our technology, our patent applications are denied, or our trade secrets are not adequately protected. In addition, our competitors may be able to independently develop technology that is similar to the technology used by us without infringing on our patents or gaining access to our trade secrets, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We may be subject to litigation if another party claims that we have infringed upon such third party’s intellectual property rights.

The tools, techniques, methodologies, programs and components that we use to provide our services may infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. Infringement claims generally result in significant legal and other costs and may distract our management from running our core business. Royalty payments under licenses from third parties, if available, and developing non-infringing technologies would increase our costs. If a license were required and not available, we might not be able to continue providing a particular service or product, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Environmental compliance costs and liabilities could reduce our earnings and cash available for operations.

We are subject to increasingly stringent laws and regulations relating to the importation and use of hazardous materials, radioactive materials, chemicals and explosives, and to environmental protection and health and safety, including laws and regulations governing air emissions, hydraulic fracturing, water and other discharges and waste management. We expect to incur capital and operating costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations. The technical requirements of these laws and regulations are becoming increasingly complex, stringent and expensive to implement. These laws may provide for “strict liability” for remediation costs, damages to natural resources or threats to public health and safety. Strict liability can render a party liable for damages without regard to negligence or fault on the part of the party. Some environmental laws provide for joint and several strict liabilities for remediation of spills and releases of hazardous substances.

Our operations use and generate hazardous substances and wastes. Accordingly, we could become subject to material liabilities relating to the investigation and cleanup of potentially contaminated properties, and to claims alleging personal injury or property damage as the result of exposures to, or releases of, hazardous substances. In addition, stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations, new laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new or increased requirements could require us to incur costs, become the basis for new or increased liabilities, become subject to certain government-imposed penalties or have certain licenses revoked that could reduce our earnings and their cash available for operations or otherwise result in interruptions or delays in our operations that could have an adverse effect on our financial position.

We could be subject to substantial liability claims, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The technical complexities of our operations expose us to a wide range of significant health, safety and environmental risks. Our products and service offerings involve production-related activities, radioactive materials, chemicals, explosives, and other equipment and services that are deployed in challenging exploration, development, and production environments. An accident involving these services or equipment, or a failure of a product, could cause personal injury, loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, equipment or the environment, or suspension of operations. Our insurance may not protect us against liability for certain kinds of events, including events involving pollution, or against losses resulting from business interruption. Moreover, we may not be able to maintain insurance for certain risks or at levels of risk coverage or policy limits that we deem adequate. Any damages caused by our services or products that are not covered by insurance or are in excess of policy limits or subject to substantial deductibles, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Demand for our products and services could be reduced by existing and future legislation or regulations.

Environmental advocacy groups and regulatory agencies in the United States and other countries have been focusing considerable attention on the emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gasses and their potential role in climate change. Existing or future legislation and regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, as well as government initiatives to conserve energy or promote the use of alternative energy sources, may significantly curtail demand and production of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas in areas of the world where our customers operate and thus adversely affect future demand for our services. Additionally, some scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts, and floods and other climatic events. If any such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Some international, national and local governments and agencies have also adopted laws and regulations or are evaluating proposed legislation and regulations that are focused on the extraction of shale gas or oil using hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is a stimulation treatment routinely performed on oil and gas wells in low-permeability reservoirs. Specially engineered fluids with proppants are pumped at high pressure and rate into the reservoir interval to be treated, causing cracks in the target formation. Future hydraulic fracturing-related legislation or regulations could limit or ban hydraulic fracturing, or lead to operational delays and increased costs, and therefore reduce demand for our pressure pumping services. If such additional international, national, or local legislation or regulations are enacted, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Some of our customers may require bids for contracts in the form of long-term, fixed pricing contracts that may require us to assume additional risks associated with cost over-runs, operating cost inflation, labor availability and productivity, supplier and contractor pricing and performance, and potential claims for liquidated damages.

Some of our customers, primarily NOCs, may require bids for contracts in the form of long-term, fixed pricing contracts that may require us to provide integrated project management services outside our normal discrete businesses to act as project managers as well as service providers, and may require us to assume additional risks associated with cost over-runs. These customers may provide us with inaccurate information in relation to their reserves, which is a subjective process that involves location and volume estimation that may result in cost over-runs, delays, and project losses. In addition, NOCs often operate in countries with unsettled political conditions, war, civil unrest, or other types of community issues that may also result in cost over-runs, delays, and project losses.

Providing services on an integrated basis or long-term may also require us to assume additional risks associated with operating cost inflation, labor availability and productivity, supplier pricing and performance, and potential claims for liquidated damages. We might rely on third-party subcontractors and equipment providers to assist them with the completion of these types of contracts. To the extent that we cannot engage subcontractors or acquire equipment or materials in a timely manner and on reasonable terms or on terms consistent with the customer contract, our ability to complete a project in accordance with stated deadlines or at a profit may be impaired. If the amount we are required to pay for these goods and services exceeds the amount we have estimated in bidding for fixed-price work, we could experience losses in the performance of these contracts. These delays and additional costs may be substantial, and we may be required to compensate our customers for these delays. This may reduce the profit to be realized or result in a loss on a project and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The loss or unavailability of any of our executive officers or other key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We depend on the efforts of our executive officers and other key employees to manage our operations. The loss or unavailability of any of our executive officers or other key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business. Although we expect all of our key personnel to remain with us, it is possible that we will lose some key personnel, the loss of which could negatively impact our business operations and profitability. In addition, the delivery of our services and products requires personnel with specialized skills and experience. Our ability to be productive and profitable will depend upon our ability to employ and retain such skilled workers.

Our growth potential and ability to operate could be materially and adversely affected if we cannot employ and retain technical personnel at a competitive cost.

Many of the products and services we provide and sell are complex and highly engineered and often must perform in harsh conditions. Our success depends upon our ability to employ and retain technical personnel with the ability to design, utilize, and enhance these services and products. A significant increase in the wages paid by competing employers could result in increased competition for the skilled labor force we require, increases in the wage rates that we must pay, or both. If either of these events were to occur, our cost structures could increase, our margins could decrease, and our growth potential, if any, could be impaired.

Our failure to comply with complex U.S. and foreign laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

We are subject to complex U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and various other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. At this time, the U.K. Bribery Act has not been adopted to apply to British Virgin Islands companies, but does apply to any employees of us or our Subsidiaries that are U.K. citizens and any future subsidiaries formed in the U.K. We may also be subject to trade control regulations and trade sanctions laws that restrict the movement of certain goods to, and certain operations in, various countries or with certain persons. Thus, our ability to transfer people and products among certain countries will be subject to maintaining required licenses and complying with these laws and regulations. The internal controls, policies and procedures, and employee training and compliance programs we expect to implement to deter prohibited practices may not be effective in preventing employees, contractors or agents from violating or circumventing such internal policies or violating applicable laws and regulations. Any determination that we have violated or are responsible for violations of anti-bribery, trade control, trade sanctions or anti-corruption laws could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and may result in fines and penalties, administrative remedies or restrictions on business conduct, and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and our business.

Recent regulatory enforcement and accountability mechanisms have steadily changed the financial landscape for companies organized in the British Virgin Islands. One major regulatory change comes from the implementation of a key anti-money laundering treaty with the United States, known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). FATCA implementation began on June 30, 2014, and it requires foreign entities to identify and report specific information to the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) about U.S. taxpayers holding foreign accounts and assets.

Another key regulatory change began on September 1, 2017, with the British Virgin Islands’ full integration of the “Common Reporting Standard” (“CRS”) into its banking system. The CRS is specifically designed to fight against tax evasion and money laundering. Under the CRS system, banks in the CRS jurisdiction are required to determine where the individual is a “tax resident,” and if the individual is banking outside their country of residence, the banks may report information about the accounts to the national tax authority in the country where the account is held, who then may share that information with the individual’s country of residency.

We and U.S. persons working for us are subject to sanctions regimes adopted by the United States and other jurisdictions.

We and U.S. persons working for us are subject to laws, reporting requirements or sanctions imposed by the United States or by other jurisdictions where we do business that may restrict or even prohibit us, U.S. persons, or certain of our affiliates from doing business in certain countries, or with designated companies in the oil and natural gas sector. Such restrictions may provide a competitive advantage to competitors formed in or operating from countries that may not impose comparable restrictions. The Middle East, Asia, and Africa are locations in which from time to time the United States, the United Nations or the European Union has imposed economic sanctions to restrict or impede contracting in identified sanctioned countries. The U.S. Commerce Department or State Department regulates the types of technologies that can be sold or used in some countries. We cannot predict what sanctions might be imposed against any country in which our Subsidiaries might operate or might receive contracts for performing services. Trade restrictions and sanctions could adversely impact our potential income, or our ability to pursue new undeveloped business objectives.

The United States government has implemented mechanisms to collect information on companies registered on the U.S. stock exchange related to business activities that might be sanctionable under the various U.S. sanctions programs if the foreign companies or its subsidiaries are U.S. companies. Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 requires annual or quarterly “219 Report” to the SEC by any company registered on a U.S. stock exchange to disclose as if the listed company were a U.S. entity, certain business activities relating to any country subject to U.S. sanctions, which in most cases includes the energy sector, even if the activity is not prohibited by U.S. sanctions by the foreign company. Such reporting of any future activities that might be engaged in by our Subsidiaries, even though not prohibited by the sanctions, could initiate an investigation by the U.S. government and require us to engage counsel to monitor or respond to such investigations. Generally, 219 Report disclosures include activities that constitute an investment in the energy sector of $5 million each, or in the aggregate of over $20 million in a 12-month period. A 219 Report also requires reporting of any transaction with a person or entity identified to the SDN List. The risk of an investigation or inadvertent action that relates to sanctioned activity could increase costs and have an adverse impact on financial conditions and results of operations.

Our operations in Middle Eastern countries will require us to incur additional costs in order to comply with U.S., U.K. and EU sanctions-related regulations.

The United States government, the UK government and the EU have established lists of corporations, and people in the case of the United States, with which engaging in business by a U.S. person is prohibited without a license and disclosure is required in a 219 Report. These lists in the United States are referred to as the List of Specially Designated Nationals (“SDN List”). There are no discernible qualifications or objective standards for determining when a person might be identified to an SDN List, other than the opinion of the Office of Foreign Assets Control that there is some cause or connection to believe that such foreign person may have been doing business with or for a sanctioned country or person already on the SDN List. There is no advance notice or due process for the listed person. If any person were to be identified to an SDN List, no U.S. persons can be involved in contracting or providing services to or with such listed person without a license. If a Target Company affiliate were to be performing a contract with a person that becomes named to the SDN List, the contract may have to be terminated and/or disclosed, which could result in additional costs or losses.

Although we cannot be assured that no person or company in the Middle East with which one of our Subsidiaries has done business will not be identified on an SDN List in the future, we have confirmed that none of our Subsidiaries, their key employees, key vendors, or any company with which they are currently conducting business are listed on the SDN List or similar lists in the EU and UK. If any customer, employee or vendor were to be listed on an SDN List in the future, we will need to incur costs to seek legal advice to determine whether any further business could be conducted with such person or whether all business relationships with such person must cease.

We are subject to litigation risks that may not be covered by insurance.

In the ordinary course of business, we become the subject of various claims, lawsuits, and administrative proceedings seeking damages or other remedies concerning their commercial operations, employees, and other matters. We maintain insurance to cover certain potential losses and are subject to various self-insurance retentions and deductibles under our insurance policies. It is possible, however, that a judgment could be rendered against us in cases in which we could be uninsured and beyond the amounts that we currently have reserved or anticipate incurring for such matters. If we were to be sued under any of the agreements related to the Business Combination or if we were made a party to lawsuits to which our Subsidiaries are currently a party, we could be exposed to one or more judgments that are in excess of what our management may believe that it should pay and would not likely be covered by insurance.

We may be unable to maintain our GCC ownership status or obtain or renew permits necessary for their operations, which could inhibit their ability to do business.

In order to perform our operations, we are required to obtain and maintain a number of government permits, licenses and approvals with terms and conditions containing a significant number of prescriptive limits and performance standards in order to operate. While this is a common scenario for foreign investors operating in the region, we will need to ensure that relevant foreign ownership restrictions and/or applicable licenses, permits, and approvals for the operation of foreign owned entities in the jurisdictions of the GCC are complied with. The GCC has made efforts to increase local content and in country value requirements. All the permits, licenses, approval limits, and standards require a significant amount of monitoring, record keeping, and reporting in order to demonstrate compliance with the underlying permit, license, approval limit or standard. Noncompliance or incomplete documentation of our compliance status may result in the imposition of fines, penalties and injunctive relief. A decision by a government agency to deny or delay the issuance of a new or existing material permit or other approval, or to revoke or substantially modify an existing permit or other approval, could adversely affect our ability to initiate or continue operations at the affected location or facility. Furthermore, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, and many of our competitors are larger and have greater resources.

Several of our primary competitors are diversified multinational companies with substantially larger operating staffs and greater capital resources. These larger competitors’ greater resources could allow them to better withstand industry downturns and to compete more effectively on the basis of technology, geographic scope and retained skilled personnel.

Cybersecurity risks and threats could adversely affect our business.

We rely heavily on information systems to conduct our business. There can be no assurance that the systems we have designed to prevent or limit the effects of cyber incidents or attacks will be sufficient to prevent or detect such incidents or attacks, or to avoid a material impact on our systems when such incidents or attacks do occur. If our systems for protecting against cybersecurity risks are circumvented or breached, this could result in the loss of our intellectual property or other proprietary information, including customer data, and disruption of our business operations.

A cyber incident or attack, could result in the disclosure of confidential or proprietary customer information, theft or loss of intellectual property, damage to our reputation with our customers and the market, failure to meet customer requirements or customer dissatisfaction, theft or exposure to litigation and enforcement actions including under data privacy laws and regulations, damage to equipment (which could cause environmental or safety issues) and other financial costs and losses. In addition, as cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, we may be required to devote additional resources to continue to enhance our protective measures or to investigate or remediate any cybersecurity vulnerabilities. We do not presently maintain insurance coverage to protect against cybersecurity risks. If we procure such coverage in the future, we cannot ensure that it will be sufficient to cover any particular losses we may experience as a result of such cyberattacks.

We depend on our suppliers to provide services and equipment in a timely manner and any delays, interruptions or failures by suppliers could expose us to increased costs or inability to meet contractual obligations.

We rely on suppliers of equipment and spare parts as well as suppliers of technical labor to perform certain contractual obligations with our clients. Failure by suppliers to provide goods and services in a timely manner could lead to delays by us in fulfilling contractual obligations, the inability to fulfill such obligations, or additional costs in seeking replacement suppliers.

We have engaged in a number of related party transactions, the termination of which may inhibit business.

We rely at times upon services and products supplied by related parties if no other suitable alternatives are available. For example, a related party vendor provides software services that supports certain of our operations in a country where we have a perpetual license to use an Enterprise Resource Planning system. However, if the software services are discontinued, it could result in a disruption of supporting business processes and require time and resources for sourcing replacement services and products.

We might require additional equity or debt financing to fund operations and/or future acquisitions.

We may need access to additional debt or equity capital to fund operations or to fund potential acquisitions. If additional capital is required, we may not be able to obtain debt and/or equity financing on terms favorable to us, or at all. The failure to obtain additional funding could result in a curtailment of our operations and future development, which in turn could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

If we do not effectively or efficiently integrate the operations of businesses or companies we acquire, including the integration of the operations of our Subsidiaries, our future growth will be limited.

We may not achieve expected returns and other benefits as a result of various factors, including integration and collaboration challenges. The success of any acquisition is subject to various risks, including:

The assessment by our management of these risks is inexact and may not reveal or resolve all existing and potential risks. Realization of any of these risks could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Capital Structure

The market price of our ordinary shares and warrants may decline.

Fluctuations in the price of our ordinary shares and warrants could contribute to the loss of all or part of your investment. Trading in our ordinary shares and warrants has been limited. Even if an active market for our securities develops and continues, the trading price of our ordinary shares and warrants could be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on your investment and our ordinary shares and warrants may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our ordinary shares and warrants may not recover and may experience a further decline.

Factors affecting the trading price of our ordinary shares and warrants may include:

Many of the factors listed above are beyond our control. In addition, broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our ordinary shares and warrants irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general, including the Nasdaq, has experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of our ordinary shares and warrants, which currently trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for retail stocks or the stocks of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to us could depress the price of our securities regardless of our business, prospects, financial conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our ordinary shares and warrants also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.

If we cannot meet the Nasdaq Capital Market listing requirements with respect to our ordinary shares and warrants, the Nasdaq may delist the ordinary shares and warrants.

Our ordinary shares and warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Maintaining listing of our securities requires compliance with various listing requirements. If we are unable to meet the Nasdaq Capital Market listing requirements, including maintaining the “round lot” holder requirements for our ordinary shares and warrants, the Nasdaq may delist our ordinary shares and warrants, and we could face significant material adverse consequences, including, among others, a limited availability of market quotations for our ordinary shares and warrants and a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for those securities.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our securities adversely, the price and trading volume of our ordinary shares and warrants could decline.

The trading market for our ordinary shares and warrants relies in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We do not control these analysts. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade or provide negative outlook on our stock or our industry, or the stock of any of our competitors, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our ordinary shares and warrants could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our business or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

We are a holding company. Our sole material asset is our equity interest in our subsidiaries and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions from them to pay taxes and cover our corporate and other overhead expenses.

We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our equity interest in our Subsidiaries. We have no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent the Subsidiaries have available cash, we intend to cause them to make non-pro rata payments to us to reimburse us for our corporate and other overhead expenses. To the extent that we need funds and the Subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions or payments under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of any financing arrangements due to restrictive covenants or otherwise, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, our liquidity and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Future sales of our ordinary shares could reduce our stock price, and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.

We may sell additional securities in subsequent public or private offerings. On December 31, 2018, 85,562,769 ordinary shares were outstanding and 35,540,380 warrants were outstanding. Our outstanding ordinary shares do not include ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, which may be resold in the public market.

Downward pressure on the market price of our ordinary shares that likely will result from sales of our ordinary shares issued in connection with the exercise of the warrants could encourage short sales of our ordinary shares by market participants. Generally, short selling means selling a security, contract or commodity not owned by the seller. The seller is committed to eventually purchase the financial instrument previously sold. Short sales are used to capitalize on an expected decline in the security’s price. Such sales of ordinary shares could have a tendency to depress the price of the stock, which could increase the potential for short sales.

We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our ordinary shares or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our ordinary shares will have on the market price of our ordinary shares. Sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ordinary shares.

Because we currently have no plans to pay cash dividends on our ordinary shares, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your ordinary shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We currently do not expect to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares. Any future determination to pay cash dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares will be at the discretion of the board of directors and will be dependent on our earnings, financial condition, operation results, capital requirements, and contractual, regulatory and other restrictions, including restrictions contained in the agreements governing any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries may incur, on the payment of dividends by us or by our subsidiaries to us, and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.

As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our ordinary shares unless you sell the ordinary shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

There is no guarantee that the public warrants will ever be in the money, and they may expire worthless.

The exercise price for our warrants is $5.75 per one-half of an ordinary share. Warrants must be exercised for whole ordinary shares. There is no guarantee that the warrants will ever be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the warrants may expire worthless.

Other Risks Associated with Our Business

We are not subject to the supervision of the Financial Services Commission of the British Virgin Islands and so our shareholders are not protected by any regulatory inspections in the British Virgin Islands.

We are not an entity subject to any regulatory supervision in the British Virgin Islands by the Financial Services Commission. As a result, shareholders are not protected by any regulatory supervision or inspections by any regulatory agency in the British Virgin Islands and we are not required to observe any restrictions in respect of our conduct save as disclosed in this Annual Report or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

An investment in our securities may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.

An investment in our securities may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For example, the United States federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units sold in our initial public offering is unclear under current law. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

A majority of our directors and officers live outside the United States and all of our assets are located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.

A majority of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Thus, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.

As a foreign private issuer in the United States, we are subject to different U.S. securities laws and rules than a domestic U.S. issuer.

We are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act and, as a result, are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act. Under the Exchange Act we are subject to reporting obligations that, in certain respects, are less detailed and less frequent than those of U.S. domestic reporting companies, which may limit the information publicly available to shareholders. The rules we are exempt from include the proxy rules that impose certain disclosure and procedural requirements for proxy solicitations. In addition, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently, promptly or in as much detail as U.S. companies with securities registered under the Exchange Act. We are not required to comply with Regulation FD, which imposes certain restrictions on the selective disclosure of material information. Moreover, our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules under the Exchange Act with respect to their purchases and sales of our ordinary shares. As a result of such varied reporting obligations, shareholders should not expect to receive the same information at the same time as information provided by U.S. domestic companies.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three-year period exceeds $1.0 billion or revenues exceeds $1.07 billion, or the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We cannot predict if investors will find our ordinary shares less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b) (1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, will not adopt the new or revised standard until the time private companies are required to adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.

We may re-incorporate in another jurisdiction, and the laws of such jurisdiction will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

We may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the British Virgin Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction would likely govern all of our material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States or the British Virgin Islands. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Any such reincorporation and the international nature of our business will likely subject us to foreign regulation.

Investors may face difficulties in protecting their interests, and their ability to protect their rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because we are formed under British Virgin Islands law.

We are a company formed under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.

Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under British Virgin Islands law are governed by the Companies Act and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The common law of the British Virgin Islands is derived from English common law, and while the decisions of the English courts are of persuasive authority, they are not binding on a court in the British Virgin Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law may not be as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the British Virgin Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and some states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, while statutory provisions do exist in British Virgin Islands law for derivative actions to be brought in certain circumstances, shareholders in British Virgin Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. The circumstances in which any such action may be brought, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect to any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a British Virgin Islands company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States. Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available to them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred.

The British Virgin Islands Courts are also unlikely:

There is no statutory recognition in the British Virgin Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the British Virgin Islands will in certain circumstances recognize such a foreign judgment and treat it as a cause of action in itself which may be sued upon as a debt at common law so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary provided that:

In appropriate circumstances, a British Virgin Islands Court may give effect in the British Virgin Islands to other kinds of final foreign judgments such as declaratory orders, orders for performance of contracts and injunctions.

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a U.S. company.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association permit the board of directors by resolution to create additional classes of securities, including shares with rights, preferences, designations and limitations as they determine which may have an anti-takeover effect.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association permits the board of directors by resolution to amend the memorandum and articles of association to designate rights, preferences, designations and limitations attaching to the preferred shares as they determine in their discretion, without shareholder approval with respect to the terms or the issuance. If issued, the rights, preferences, designations and limitations of the preferred shares would be set by the board of directors and could operate to the disadvantage of the outstanding ordinary shares the holders of which would not have any pre-emption rights in respect of such an issue of preferred shares. Such terms could include, among others, preferences as to dividends and distributions on liquidation, or could be used to prevent possible corporate takeovers.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in our ordinary shares.

Based on the current and anticipated value of our assets, including goodwill, and the composition of our income, assets and operations, we do not believe we will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for the taxable year ended on December 31, 2018. However, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and furthermore we cannot assure you that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the IRS, will not take a contrary position. Furthermore, a separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether we are a PFIC for that year. Accordingly, notwithstanding the current expectation that we will not be classified as a PFIC, we cannot assure you that we have not been a PFIC or that we will not be a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. A non-U.S. company will be considered a PFIC for any taxable year if (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income (including interest income), or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. If we were to be ultimately classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder holds our ordinary shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. holder, including (i) the treatment of all or a portion of any gain on disposition of our ordinary shares as ordinary income, (ii) the application of a deferred interest charge on such gain and the receipt of certain dividends and (iii) the obligation to comply with certain reporting requirements.

If a United States person is treated as owning at least 10% of our ordinary shares, such holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

If a U.S. holder is treated as owning (directly, indirectly or constructively) at least 10% of the value or voting power of our ordinary shares, such U.S. holder may be treated as a “United States shareholder” with respect to each “controlled foreign corporation” in our group (if any). If our group includes one or more U.S. subsidiaries, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries could be treated as controlled foreign corporations (regardless of whether we are treated as a controlled foreign corporation). A United States shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation may be required to report annually and include in its U.S. taxable income its pro rata share of “Subpart F income,” “global intangible low-taxed income” and investments in U.S. property by controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether we make any distributions. An individual that is a United States shareholder with respect to a controlled foreign corporation generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a United States shareholder that is a U.S. corporation. Failure to comply with these reporting obligations may subject you to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations from starting with respect to your U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due. Although we expect that because of the dispersion of our shares we will not become a controlled foreign corporation, no assurance can be made. Further, we cannot provide any assurances that we will assist investors in determining whether any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is treated as a controlled foreign corporation or whether such investor is treated as a United States shareholder with respect to any of such controlled foreign corporations. Further, we cannot provide any assurances that we will furnish to any United States shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with the aforementioned reporting and tax payment obligations. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to their investment in our ordinary shares.