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CBL International Ltd. – IPO: ‘F-1/A’ on 11/15/22

On:  Tuesday, 11/15/22, at 10:21am ET   ·   Accession #:  1493152-22-32404   ·   File #:  333-267077

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  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

11/15/22  CBL International Ltd.            F-1/A                  1:4.7M                                   M2 Compliance LLC/FA

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: F-1/A       Pre-Effective Amendment to Registration Statement   HTML   2.92M 
                by a Foreign Issuer                                              

As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on November 15, 2022.

Registration No. 333-267077

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM F-1

(Amendment No. 6)

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CBL International Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Suite 19-9-6, Level 9, UOA Centre

No. 19 Jalan Pinang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Tel: 60-3-2703-2966
(Address and Telephone Number of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Cogency Global Inc.

122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor

New York, NY 10168

Tel: (212) 947-7200

(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

Copies to:

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, Dated        

3,750,000 Ordinary Shares

CBL International Limited

This is the initial public offering in the United States of ordinary shares of CBL International Limited, a Cayman Islands company. We are offering 3,750,000 ordinary shares, US$0.0001 par value per share on a firm commitment basis. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. We expect that the initial public offering price will be between $4.0 and US$4.8 per ordinary share. We will apply to have our ordinary shares listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or Nasdaq) under the symbol “BANL”. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in listing our ordinary shares on Nasdaq; however, we will not complete this offering unless we are so listed.

We have historically conducted our business through Banle International Group Limited (“Banle BVI”), a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, and its subsidiaries (namely, Banle China, Banle Energy HK, Banle Malaysia, Banle Marketing, Majestic Energy, Majestic Energy (Singapore), Reliance HK), but in August 2022, we completed the Reorganization described in “Our History and Corporate Structure – The Reorganization” pursuant to which Banle BVI became a wholly owned subsidiary of CBL International Limited (“CBL International”), a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability. Except where the context otherwise requires or where otherwise indicated, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company,” “our Group” and “our business” refer, prior to the Reorganization discussed below, to Banle BVI and, after the Reorganization, to CBL International, in each case together with its consolidated subsidiaries as a consolidated entity. Where the discussions in the context relate to business operations and/or financial performance, then the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company,” “our Group” and “our business” refer, both prior to and after the Reorganization, to the business operations and/or financial performance of the Operating Subsidiaries. All specific references in this prospectus to “CBL International” and “Banle BVI” refer to CBL International Limited and Banle International Group Limited respectively, each a holding company with no operation of its own.

We are both an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws and, as such, may elect to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this and future filings. See “Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company” and “Prospectus Summary — Foreign Private Issuer Status.”

Investing in our ordinary shares is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk. We (CBL International Limited) are not a Chinese operating company but a holding company incorporated in Cayman Islands. As a holding company with no material operations of our own, we conduct our operations through our wholly-owned operating entities established in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Our ordinary shares offered in this prospectus are shares of our Cayman Islands holding company. For risks facing the company and the offering as a result of this structure, see “Risk Factors”, including “— If the Chinese government chooses to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless,” “— In the event that we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, any limitation on the ability of our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business,” “— PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.”

Our operations are based in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Part of our operations are conducted by our Hong Kong operating subsidiary, namely Banle Energy International Limited (“Banle Energy HK”) and nearly all of our revenue were generated from China and Hong Kong (based on the location at which the marine fuel is delivered to the customer). For FY2020, FY2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022, revenue generated from services provided in ports in China and Hong Kong accounted for a total of 88.8%, 95.9% and 92%, respectively, of our total revenue; whilst revenue generated from services provided in ports in Malaysia and Singapore accounted for a total of 10.7%, 2.9% and 7%, respectively, of our total revenue. Although we deliver our services mainly in China and Hong Kong, nearly all our customers are international container liner operators from outside of China and Hong Kong: of our five largest customers from whom we generated 92.9%, 83.6% and 77% respectively of our total revenue for FY2020, FY2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022, three customers are Taiwanese companies, one is a German company and one is a Singaporean company. We also have a subsidiary that is established in China, namely Majestic Energy (Shenzhen) Co. Limited (“Majestic Energy”), which is currently dormant and does not have operations, and we do not intend to conduct any operation through Majestic Energy in the future. Although we have equity ownership of Banle Energy HK and Majestic Energy (which is dormant) and currently do not have or intend to have any operating subsidiary that is established in China, or any contractual arrangement to establish a variable interest entity structure with any entity in China, we may still be subject to unique risks due to uncertainty about any future actions of the Chinese government or authorities in Hong Kong in relation to business operations in China or Hong Kong, or regulatory oversight of overseas listing of companies with operations in China or Hong Kong.

We do not maintain any office in mainland China and our directors and officers are mainly based in Malaysia and Hong Kong. A majority of our directors and officers (including our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Mr. Teck Lim Chia, our directors Mr. Ramasamy Logeswaran and Dato’ Sri Kam Choy Ho, and three of our independent director nominees Ms. Karen Yee Lynn Cheah Mr. Koon Liang Ong and Mr. Khai Fei Wong) are permanent residents of Malaysia; Mr. Ulf Lothar Naujeck, our independent director nominee, is a permanent resident of Germany; and Mr. Sing Chung Raymond Chiu, our Chief Financial Officer, is a permanent resident of Hong Kong. However, a major part of our operations are based in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China. Although Hong Kong has its own governmental and legal system that is independent from China, it is uncertain whether in the future the Hong Kong government will implement regulations and policies of the Chinese government or adopt regulations and policies of its own that are substantially the same as those of the Chinese government. Moreover, given that changes in policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the Chinese government may be quick with little advance notice, it is also uncertain in the future whether our operations in Hong Kong will be subject to the oversight of the Chinese authorities.

Recent statements by the Chinese government have indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investments in China based issuers. Any future action by the Chinese government expanding the categories of industries and companies whose foreign securities offerings are subject to government review could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and made a number of public statements on the regulation of business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using a variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. We do not believe that we are directly subject to these regulatory actions or statements, as we do not have a variable interest entity structure and our business does not involve the collection of user data, involve any cybersecurity issues, or involve any other type of restricted industry. Because these statements and regulatory actions are new, however, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies in China will respond to them, or what existing or new laws or regulations will be modified or promulgated, if any, whether these laws and regulations will apply to our operations in Hong Kong or the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operations in Hong Kong or our ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. exchange.

The structure of cash flows within our organization, and a summary of the applicable regulations, are as follows:

1. Our equity structure is an indirect holding structure, that is, the overseas entity to be listed in the U.S., CBL International, indirectly controls, through Banle BVI our wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, namely Banle International Marketing Limited (“Banle Marketing”), Banle Energy HK, Majestic Energy (Singapore) Pte Ltd (“Majestic Energy (Singapore)”) and Banle International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (“Banle Malaysia”) (collectively, the “Operating Subsidiaries”). We did not have and do not intend to have any cash transfer to or from our dormant PRC subsidiary, Majestic Energy, other than cash transfer in small amount to pay for administrative expenses. During the six months ended June 30, 2022, there was a one-off cash transfer in the amount of $625 from Banle Energy HK to Majestic Energy for settling administrative expenses.

2. Within our holding structure, the cross-border transfer of funds within our corporate group is legal and compliant with the laws and regulations of the respective jurisdictions where our Operating Subsidiaries are established, namely Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. After foreign investors’ funds enter CBL International at the close of this offering, the funds can be directly transferred to Banle BVI, and then transferred to our Operating Subsidiaries.

If CBL International intends to distribute dividends, the Operating Subsidiaries will transfer the dividends to Banle BVI in accordance with the laws and regulations of Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, and then Banle BVI will transfer the dividends to CBL International, and the dividends will be distributed from CBL International to all shareholders respectively in proportion to the shares they hold, regardless of whether the shareholders are U.S. investors or investors in other countries or regions.

3. In the reporting periods presented in this prospectus and up to the date of this prospectus, save for (i) dividend distribution of $600,000 and $800,000 by Banle Energy HK to CBL (Asia) Limited (“CBL (Asia)”), the then sole shareholder of Banle Energy HK, in July 2018 and February 2019, respectively; and (ii) cash transfers among entities of the Group that are made in the ordinary course of business as set forth below, no cash and other asset transfers have occurred among Banle BVI and its subsidiaries or from Banle BVI and its subsidiaries to investors; and no dividends or distributions from any of the subsidiaries has been made to Banle BVI or to investors, or from Banle BVI to any of the subsidiaries or to investors.

The following are the aggregate intra-group cash transfers for FY2020 and FY2021 and for the six months ended June 30, 2022:

See “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. For the foreseeable future, we intend to use our earnings to further expand our business and as general working capital. As a result, in the foreseeable future, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends.

4. Our PRC subsidiary, Majestic Energy, is dormant and does not have operations or assets. Since it has no earnings and profits, it has not distributed and will not distribute any dividends. In general, PRC companies’ ability to distribute dividends is based upon its distributable earnings. Current PRC regulations permit Majestic Energy to pay dividends to its respective shareholders only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, Majestic Energy is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. This reserve is not distributable as cash dividends, except in liquidation.

The Company does not have specific cash management policies that dictate how funds are transferred throughout the organization. See “Prospectus Summary – Our Corporate Structure – Transfer of cash within the organization.”

The Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax at a rate of 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless reduced under treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and the governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC resident enterprises are tax resident. Pursuant to the tax agreement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the withholding tax rate in respect to the payment of dividends by a PRC enterprise to a Hong Kong enterprise may be reduced to 5% from a standard rate of 10%. However, if the relevant tax authorities determine that our transactions or arrangements are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future. Accordingly, in the very unlikely scenario that Majestic Energy distributes dividends, there is no assurance that the reduced 5% withholding rate will apply to dividends received by our Hong Kong subsidiary from Majestic Energy. This withholding tax will reduce the amount of dividends we may receive from Majestic Energy.

As of the date of this prospectus, there were no cash flows between CBL International or Banle BVI and our subsidiaries. However, to the extent cash or assets in our business is in the PRC or Hong Kong or in our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC or Hong Kong due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets. See “Risk Factors – Risks Relating to Doing Business in China – In the event that we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, any limitation on the ability of our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business” on page 32 and “– To the extent cash or assets in our business is in the PRC or Hong Kong or in our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC or Hong Kong due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets” on page 33.

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”) states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or other securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S.. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if enacted, would amend the HFCAA and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three. Pursuant to the HFCAA, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (1) the People’s Republic of China because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China; and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. Our registered public accounting firm, Wei, Wei & Co., LLP, is not headquartered in China or Hong Kong and was not identified in this report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the PCAOB is not able to fully conduct inspections of our auditor’s work papers in China or Hong Kong, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection which could result in the limitation or restriction to our access to the U.S. capital markets and trading of our securities may be prohibited under the HFCAA. See “Risk Factor – Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor. In that case, Nasdaq would delist our securities. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections may deprive our investors with the benefits of such inspections.”

Moreover, our principal executive offices are located in Malaysia and Hong Kong, and a majority of our executive officers and directors may be located in or have significant ties to Malaysia and/or Hong Kong. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on our Company, executive officers and directors, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our Company, executive officers and directors.

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 17 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered before making a decision to purchase our ordinary shares.

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.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ordinary shares against payment on or about              , 2022.

Pacific Century Securities, LLC

Prospectus dated              , 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares.

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 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 ordinary shares and the distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus outside of the United States.

Until (the 25^th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in the ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares. 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 ordinary shares could decline, and you may lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

We are a marine fuel logistics company and we rely on the permits and licenses of our suppliers for the actual delivery of marine fuel to our customers. Under our business model, we are not involved in the handling of marine fuel or other chemicals. Therefore, we do not consider ourselves subject to risks relating to environmental protection and hazard control. For further details of our operation flows, see “Business – Our Operations Flows.”

Our business scale largely depends on the trade credit provided by our suppliers. Any reduction or termination of trade credit from our suppliers would adversely affect our business.

As an established marine fuel logistics company providing one-stop solution for vessel refueling, which is referred to as bunkering facilitator in the bunkering industry in the Asia Pacific, we are generally required by our suppliers to settle the full payment of our orders with payment terms up to 30 days.

We constantly receive inquiries from customers for quotations and orders. However, due to limited trade credit offered by our suppliers and our Group’s financial resources, we can only accept orders which are commercially viable to us. In order to maximize our capability for accepting orders, we may (i) obtain trade credit from new suppliers; (ii) increase the trade credit from existing suppliers; and/or (iii) increase financial resources available to us. Generally, our suppliers will impose stringent internal control policies to select approved customers, including but not limited to, assessing background information, financial information, quantity of marine fuel to be purchased and obtaining credit report. Therefore, we have to make applications to the suppliers to be their approved customers prior to the commencement of our business relationships. There is no assurance that our applications submitted to the suppliers would be approved.

In general, the trade credit would be reviewed and assessed by our suppliers from time to time. There is no assurance that our suppliers would maintain the trade credit and/or credit terms offered to us. In the event that our suppliers decide to reduce or terminate the trade credit and/or credit terms offered to us, our cash flow would be adversely affected and we may have insufficient working capital to run our day-to-day operations.

We are dependent on our five largest customers during FY2020 and FY2021 and loss of any of them would adversely affect our business, results of operations and profitability.

For FY2020 and FY2021, the revenue from our five largest customers accounted for approximately 92.9% and 83.6%, respectively, of our total revenue; and the revenue attributable to our largest customer accounted for approximately 45.8% and 42.3% of our total revenue, respectively. Accordingly, we are heavily dependent on the relationships with our five largest customers.

There is no assurance that our five largest customers will continue to use our vessel refueling services or that our Group can successfully maintain our relationships with them in the future. In the event that our Group is unable to retain these customers or to successfully seek replacement customers or a major customer’s business declines and substantially reduces its demand of our services, our business, results of operations and profitability would be adversely affected.

We are susceptible to the fluctuations in marine fuel price. Any significant increase in marine fuel price may adversely affect our working capital requirements and financial condition.

Marine fuel prices may fluctuate due to factors out of our control. These factors include, among others, global economic conditions, changes in global crude oil prices, expected and actual supply of and demand for marine fuel, political conditions, changes in laws and regulations related to environmental matters (including those mandating or incentivizing alternative energy sources or otherwise addressing global climate change), changes in pricing or production controls by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), technological advances affecting energy consumption and supply, energy conservation efforts, price and availability of alternative fuels, and weather.

The fluctuations in marine fuel price, which is out of our control, may affect our working capital requirements. Since our operation scale is limited by our working capital, for a given period of time, if the marine fuel prices increase substantially as a result of policies or controls imposed by the relevant regulatory authorities, we could purchase less marine fuel from our suppliers with the same level of financial resources and same trade credit offered by our suppliers. We are therefore vulnerable to such unfavorable changes in government policies or controls on marine fuel prices. In the event that there is a significant increase in the price of marine fuel, we might require additional working capital in order to fulfil our customers’ need. To ensure a positive gross profit for each transaction, we price our services on a “cost plus fixed fee” basis, i.e. we are able to obtain a premium, being the difference between the selling price per metric ton of marine fuel sold to our customers and the corresponding purchase cost from our suppliers. Therefore, generally speaking, the more quantity of marine fuel we procure for our customers, the more profit we generate. If the marine fuel price increases significantly and we cannot obtain sufficient financial resources and improve our cash flow in time to ensure we can procure similar amount of marine fuel from our suppliers, we may not be able to deliver as much marine fuel to customers as we could when the marine fuel price is at a relatively low level and our profitability may be adversely affected, and the requirement for additional working capital may tighten our operating cash flows, which may in turn adversely affect our financial condition. Our gross profit margin decreased from approximately 2.7% for FY2020 to approximately 2.3% for FY2021 mainly because of the significant increase in the average market price per tonne of marine fuel during FY2021, which also resulted in a significant increase in our revenue. Since revenue is the denominator in calculating the gross profit margin, when marine fuel price increases, our gross profit margin inherently decreases notwithstanding our “cost plus fixed fee” pricing policy which only ensures a fixed monetary amount (i.e. the premium) per ton sold. Given the nature of our business, our gross profit margin will be inevitably affected by the fluctuation of marine fuel price, and hence gross profit margin is generally not a key indicator for evaluation of our profitability. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Key performance indicators.” According to the statistics released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, brent crude oil price is anticipated to reach an average of approximately $108 per barrel in the second half of 2022, similar to the price level since the Russian and Ukraine crisis at approximately $117 per barrel, $105 per barrel and $113 per barrel in March, April and May 2022, respectively. According to the F&S Report, assuming there are no other externalities such as financial and political crisis or natural disaster to affect the demand and supply of crude oil or marine fuel globally during 2022, the crude oil price is expected to remain at a similar level as in the first half of 2022 in the remaining months of 2022 with a fluctuation range of approximately 10% to 15%. To mitigate the effects of working capital limitation and future unexpected increase in marine fuel price, it is our strategy to strengthen the financial resources available to us by utilizing bank facilities and to obtain better trade credit from our suppliers, and we do not anticipate any material impact to our future results of operations in light of the current expected oil price trend.

We are exposed to the risk that our competitors may undercut marine fuel prices, which would adversely affect our Group’s business and financial results.

If our competitors undercut marine fuel prices to increase their market share and we fail to effectively compete with them, customers may choose to procure vessel refueling services from such competitors, causing a shortfall in our revenue that would adversely affect our business and financial results due to such intensified competitive environment.

Our Group does not enter into long-term agreements with our customers and, we cannot assume that our customers will continue to use our vessel refueling services, nor can we accurately forecast future orders from our customers.

Our Group does not enter into long-term agreements with our customers and they place orders with us based on term contracts or spot contracts. Our customers are not obliged to continue to use our vessel refueling services at a level similar to that in the past or at all. The volume of their orders might vary significantly and it is difficult for us to forecast future orders accurately. Our customers’ level of demand may fluctuate due to factors out of our control, such as changes in their business strategies, purchasing preferences and product trends. If any of our major customers terminates its business relationship with us, and we fail to secure new customers or new orders from other existing customers in a timely manner, our business operations, financial performance and profitability would be adversely affected.

We are dependent on our five largest suppliers for the supply of marine fuel during FY2020 and FY2021 and loss of any of them would adversely affect our business, results of operations and profitability.

For FY2020 and FY2021, the amount of purchases from our five largest suppliers accounted for approximately 77.1% and 84.7%, respectively, of our total cost of revenue; and the purchases from our largest supplier accounted for approximately 36.1% and 34.0% of total cost of revenue, respectively. Accordingly, we are heavily dependent on the relationships with our five largest suppliers.

There is no assurance that there will be no deterioration in our relationships with our five largest suppliers, which would have an impact on our ability to secure future purchases of marine fuel. Any shortage of or delay in the supply of marine fuel by our five largest suppliers would affect our ability to fulfil our customers’ demand. As such, our customers may choose to procure vessel refueling services from alternative service providers, causing a shortfall in our revenue that would adversely affect our business and financial results.

We may be exposed to the credit risks of our customers while we remain subject to satisfying payment obligations to our suppliers, which would adversely affect our financial condition.

Our financial position and profitability are dependent to a large extent on the credit worthiness of our customers and their ability to settle the outstanding amount owed to our Group in accordance with the credit periods we have granted to them. During FY2020, FY2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022, the payment terms of our customers who are international container liner operators range from nil to 45 days. Meanwhile, the payment terms to our suppliers range from nil to 30 days. 

As at December 31, 2020 and 2021 and June 30, 2022, our Group’s accounts receivables amounted to approximately $16.7 million, $18.0 million and $23.2 million, respectively. Historically, our accounts receivable would be collected with 30-90 days. By the end of July 2022, all accounts receivable balances as at June 30, 2022 had been collected.

Should we experience any delays or difficulties in collecting payments from our customers, while remaining obligated to satisfy our ongoing payment obligations to our suppliers, we may be required to consider alternative sources of financing and/or defer on our own payment obligations. This may have a negative impact on the cash flow of our Group and we may have insufficient working capital to run our day-to-day operations.

Certain requests from our customers to refuel at designated ports exceeds the limits of our trade credit, which may affect our working capital, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We provide marine fuel logistic services through our supply network of 36 ports in the Asia Pacific, including three ports in South Korea, 20 ports in the PRC, one port in Taiwan, one port in Hong Kong, five ports in Malaysia, one port in Singapore, three ports in the Philippines, and two ports in Thailand. Our trade credit is granted by different suppliers in different ports. In the event that our customers request us to provide vessel refueling services at designated ports, at which the local suppliers can only provide limited trade credit, we may need to settle the cost of purchases to those suppliers with payment in advance. This will adversely affect our working capital, business, financial condition and results of operations.

The failure of delivery of marine fuel timely to our customers, which would adversely affect our Group’s reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We arrange third parties to handle the physical distribution of marine fuel to vessels. The failure of third parties to physically deliver the marine fuel in accordance with the contractual terms would arise from various causes, including but not limited to, interruption of their business, such as, bunker barge engine failure with no alternative bunker barges available. We might need to arrange another supplier to handle the physical delivery of marine fuel, which may cause delay in meeting our customer’s requirements. In the event that no other supplier is available to handle the physical delivery, our relationship with our customers may be adversely affected and we may be subject to claims and other liabilities, which, in turn, would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We believe that the reputation we have built over the years serves a significant role in attracting customers and securing our customers’ orders. Whether or not we can maintain or promote our reputation depends largely on our ability to provide vessel refueling services to our customers in a timely manner. If we fail to meet their needs or are unable to deliver marine fuel requested by them at the designated port in a timely manner, our customers may no longer perceive our services to be of a high quality and our reputation would be adversely affected. This will, in turn, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may fail to aggregate sufficient demand from our customers to negotiate a favorable price of marine fuel from our suppliers and this would adversely affect our Group’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

We aggregate the demand of marine fuel from our customers in different ports over a period of time and in turn, we negotiate with our suppliers for bulk purchases. In the event that we do not aggregate sufficient demand from our customers, we may not be able to have the bargaining power to negotiate a favorable pricing of marine fuel from our suppliers which, in turn, we are not able to offer competitive price to our customers. Our inability to provide competitive prices to our customers would have a detrimental effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Material disruptions in the availability or supply of marine fuel would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends on our ability to successfully source and arrange physical delivery of marine fuel for refueling our customers’ vessels. There are a number of factors out of our control that would materially disrupt the availability or supply of marine fuel or our ability to arrange physical delivery in a timely manner. In certain ports, we use one or a limited number of suppliers for the provision of vessel refueling services. If our suppliers do not have sufficient supply of marine fuel at designated ports to meet our customers’ needs and we cannot find any alternative suppliers, we may lose our customers, which may adversely affect the profitability of our business.

If the marine fuel we purchase from our suppliers fails to meet the contractual quality specifications we have agreed to supply to our customers, it would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We source marine fuel from various suppliers. Although we take measures to ensure the quality of the marine fuel that we supply, if the marine fuel that we arrange for refueling our customers’ vessels fails to meet the specifications we have agreed to with our customers, we would incur significant liabilities should a customer initiate a claim or a lawsuit against us. We may not always have effective remedies available to us against our suppliers if they supply marine fuel that fails to meet contractual specifications, and any attempt to enforce our rights would be costly and time consuming. It would also harm our relationships with our customers, jeopardize our reputation and expose our Group to potential claims. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

We are exposed to inventory risk and this would adversely affect our Group’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Generally, we do not maintain any inventory as we arrange our suppliers to deliver marine fuel to our customers’ vessels directly on our behalf. During FY2020, FY2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022, our Group did not maintain any inventory. However, we could bear inventory risk if the ownership of marine fuel is passed to us before it is transferred to our customers.

Even though we have entered into contracts with our suppliers, such contracts are not related to any of our contracts with our customers, and as such there is no guarantee that any marine fuel purchased under such contracts with our suppliers will be sold to our designated customers. If we are unable to consume sufficient marine fuel from our suppliers to meet the base quantity under contracts with our suppliers, our suppliers have the right to file a claim against us, which, in turn, will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, in the event that the marine fuel supplied to our customers is not up to the standard specified by our customers, our customers will seek compensation from us, which, in turn, will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on key management personnel.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the expertise, experience, continuity, network and committed services of our senior management personnel, most of whom have in depth understanding of our industry and operations and would be difficult to replace.

Our key management, including Mr. Chia and Mr. Logeswaran, are essential to our success due to their experience and connection in the bunkering industry, market development skills and expertise in managing our operations. Details of their expertise and experience are set out in the section headed “Management” in this prospectus. In addition, the relationships and reputation that our management team have established and maintained with our customers and suppliers contribute to our ability to maintain good business relationships with them.

As a result, the departure of any of our key management members would be disruptive to our business development and would have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition. We cannot guarantee that the services of such personnel will continue to be available to us or that we will be able to promptly recruit qualified and competent replacements.

Significant change in container liner schedules would have an adverse effect on our business.

According to the F&S Report, 13 out of the top 20 container ports by throughput volume in the world are located in the Asia Pacific, which is one of the key regions of marine fuel consumption with a market share of approximately 46.8% of global marine fuel consumption volume in 2021 driven by its significant share in the global trade and frequent business activities.

Most of our revenue is from international container liner operators whose vessels are sailing on regular routes and schedules. In the event that the regular routes, such as the Intra-Asia route, Euro-Asia route and Trans-Pacific route are shortened or suspended permanently or temporarily or liner service schedules are less frequent which are beyond our control, the demand for marine fuel may significantly decrease and our business may be adversely affected. In the event that the regular routes are replaced by other ports which fall outside our supply network of 36 ports in the Asia Pacific, including three ports in South Korea, 20 ports in the PRC, one port in Taiwan, one port in Hong Kong, five ports in Malaysia, one port in Singapore, three ports in the Philippines, and two ports in Thailand, the demand for marine fuel for refueling may significantly decrease and our business would be adversely affected.

Any failure to maintain the license to carry on our international commodity trading business in the Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia may adversely affect our business, operations and profitability.

As of May 10, 2022, we held one license issued by Labuan Financial Services Authority to carry on our international commodity trading business under the Global Incentives for Trading Program for the supply of marine fuel. If we fail to comply with the requirements or meet certain criteria as stated in the conditional approval letter, Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010, Labuan Business Activity Tax Act 1990 and any of the relevant rules and regulations, where applicable, such license may be suspended or revoked. In such cases, our Malaysian subsidiary, Banle Marketing, may not be entitled to have tax incentives to lower its operational costs, and our business, operations and profitability may be adversely affected.

Our historical financial conditions and results of operations may not be indicative of our future growth and results of operation.

For FY2020 and FY2021, our revenue amounted to approximately $234.3 million and $326.5 million, respectively, while our gross profit amounted to approximately $6.2 million and $7.6 million, respectively, with gross profit margin of approximately 2.7% and 2.3%, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2022, our revenue amounted to approximately $159.4 million and $235.7 million, respectively, while our gross profit amounted to approximately $3.1 million and $4.0 million, respectively, with gross profit margin of approximately 1.9% and 1.7%, respectively. Such historical financial information is an analysis of our past performance only and does not have any positive implication or may not necessarily reflect our financial performance in the future. There is no assurance that our profit margins in the future will remain at a level comparable to those recorded during FY2020, FY2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Furthermore, our future profitability may be affected by our ability to control costs and operating expenses going forward, as well as other evolving regulatory and economic factors which may be beyond our control. We may not be able to expand our vessel refueling services as planned or at all, which would in turn would adversely affect our ability to continue to improve our business prospects and profitability. Therefore, investors should not solely rely on our historical performance to predict our future financial position and results of operations.

We may experience net operating cash outflows.

We recorded net cash outflows from operating activities of approximately $2.5 million for FY2021. Such net cash outflows was mainly attributable to the increase in trade and other receivables of approximately $5.2 million, and partially offset by the increase in trade and other payables of approximately $0.6 million. We may experience periods of net cash outflow from operating activities in the future. If we are unable to obtain sufficient financial resources to finance our business operations or expansion, our liquidity and financial condition may be adversely affected. There is no assurance that we will have sufficient financial resources from other sources at favorable terms to fund our operations or expansion.

We may not be able to implement our business development strategies or expansion plans successfully.

The successful implementation of our Group’s business strategies is subject to various uncertainties and contingencies, such as the growth of the market, availability of funds, competition and government policies. Factors such as the relationships with our customers and suppliers, the global economic conditions, the availability of sufficient working capital and cash flows, the threat of competitors and substitutes, new market entrants, an economic downturn or changes in market conditions or performance, may delay or impede the implementation of our Group’s business strategies. Any delay or failure to successfully implement our Group’s business strategies may result in the loss in sales and failure to meet profit projections, any of which may adversely affect our Group’s business, operating results and financial condition.

Negative publicity or damage to our Group’s business reputation may have a potential adverse impact on our business.

Our Group values and relies on our reputation to maintain and grow our business operations. Our Group’s reputation is one of the crucial factors for maintaining business relationships with our suppliers and customers. Negative publicity associated with our Group’s operations would result in the loss of business. Our Group conducts business with a number of counterparties, including customers and suppliers. If any of such counterparties is not satisfied with our Group, and/or raises any complaints or allegations relating to our Group, our Group’s reputation and supplier and customer’s perception of our Group may be damaged, which may in turn adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We may be involved in disputes and/or legal proceedings arising from our operations from time to time and may face significant legal liabilities as a result.

We may be involved in disputes with and subject to claims from, among others, our employees, customers, suppliers and other parties from time to time in respect of various matters, including delay in delivery, complaints about the quality of marine fuel and personal injury which may lead to claims for damages against us.

There is no assurance that we may be able to resolve every instance of a dispute by way of negotiation and/or mediation with the relevant parties. If we fail to do so, it may lead to legal and other proceedings against us, and consequently we may have to incur significant expenses for defending ourselves or initiate proceedings against other parties to protect our interest. Furthermore, if we fail to obtain favorable outcomes in such proceedings, we may be liable to pay significant amounts of damages which may adversely affect our operations and financial results.

Our insurance may not provide adequate coverage for all potential loss and claims relating to our business operations and/or assets, and any uninsured losses incurred, may be substantial and therefore adversely affect our operations and financial results.

We maintain insurance coverage against, among other things, (i) liability for third party bodily injury occurred in our office premises; (ii) employees’ compensation insurance for our employees; and (iii) traveling. For more details, please refer to the section headed “Business — Insurance” in this prospectus. However, our insurance coverage may not adequately protect us against all potential claims, damages and liabilities that we may incur in the course of our business operations, which may result in an adverse effect on our business. If we are held responsible for any damages, liabilities or losses and our insurance is insufficient or unavailable to cover the claims, there would be an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

In addition, there is no guarantee that insurance coverage will always be available to us at economically favorable premiums (or at all) or that, in the event of a claim, the level of insurance currently maintained by us or in the future is or will be adequate or cover the entire claim/liability. We may be subject to liabilities which have not been insured adequately at all. Any uninsured risks may result in substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

With respect to losses which are covered by our insurance policies, it may be a difficult and lengthy process to recover such losses from insurers. In addition, we may be unable to recover the amount from the insurer. Even we are able to recover certain losses from our insurers, our premiums might increase and it might be hard for us to renew our insurance policies. Therefore, if we are held liable for uninsured losses or amounts and claims for insured losses exceeding our insurance coverage, our operations and financial results may be adversely affected.

Failure to adapt to market trends in the bunkering industry would adversely affect our business.

According to the F&S Report, alternative fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (the “LNG”), are sulfur free and can be used alone or either in combination with conventional fuel oil to achieve decarbonization of shipping transportation and the enhancement of environmental protection.

In addition, governments could enact legislation or regulations that attempt to control or limit greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. Such laws or regulations could impose costs tied to carbon emissions, operational requirements or restrictions, or additional charges to fund energy efficiency activities. They could also provide a cost advantage to alternative fuels, impose costs or restrictions on end users of marine fuel, or result in other costs or requirements, such as costs associated with the adoption of new infrastructure and technology to respond to new mandates. The options to comply with tightened environmental protection laws may include switching to alternative fuels such as LNG.

If alternative fuels such as LNG become the major marine fuel in the future, there is no assurance that we would be able to adapt to such trend and our business and financial results would be adversely affected.

Change in regulation resulting our suppliers and customers being required to obtain various permits and/or licenses would adversely affect our business.

We provide marine fuel logistic services through 36 ports in the Asia Pacific, including three ports in South Korea, 20 ports in the PRC, one port in Taiwan, one port in Hong Kong, five ports in Malaysia, one port in Singapore, three ports in the Philippines, and two ports in Thailand, and we would be adversely affected by changes in regulations in the countries and regions where our suppliers and customers are registered. If the relevant governmental departments or organizations release new laws and regulations for the industries in their countries or regions where our suppliers and customers operate, various permits and/or licenses need to be granted and maintained upon their compliance with, amongst others, the applicable criteria set by the relevant governmental departments or organizations. Such criteria may include continued compliance with certain financial, technical and management requirements and the standards of compliance required thereto may change from time to time and we may be required to suspend our operations and may not be able to deliver vessel refueling services due to the inability of our suppliers and customers to obtain and maintain the relevant permits and/or licenses. There are circumstances which are out of our control may affect our suppliers and customers’ ability to obtain and/or maintain such permits and/or licenses or lead to a suspension or demotion of such permits, licenses and/or qualifications.

Furthermore, the validity of these permits and/or licenses may last for a limited period of time and may be subject to periodic reviews and renewal by the relevant governmental departments or organizations. The failure for our suppliers and customers to obtain and maintain the relevant permits and/or licenses will, in turn, indirectly adversely affect our business.

Information technology failures and data security breaches would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely upon our information technology and communications systems to support key business functions and the efficient operation of these systems is critical to our business. Our information technology systems, including our back-up systems and external cloud services, could be damaged or interrupted by power outages, computer or telecommunications failures, viruses, security breaches, natural disasters, and/or errors by our employees, service providers or vendors.

A significant disruption in the functioning of these systems could damage our reputation, impair our ability to conduct our business, impact our credit and risk exposure decisions, cause us to lose customers, subject us to litigation and/or require us to incur significant expense to address and remediate or otherwise resolve these issues, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, and failure to compete efficiently would adversely affect our operations and financial results.

According to the F&S Report, the bunkering industry in the Asia Pacific is highly competitive and fragmented. Other bunkering facilitators and bunkering arms of oil majors or traders may also engage in provision of vessel refueling services to vessels across the Asia Pacific. We consider our main competitors to be other bunkering facilitators, but we also face competition from local physical distributors that supply marine fuel directly to ship operators.

In addition, according to the F&S Report, the recent economic downturn as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak since 2020 has affected the profit of traders and therefore expedite the consolidation amongst bunker suppliers by way of mergers and acquisitions, especially when the downstream shipping industry is undergoing the consolidation. However, competitions within the bunkering industry remain intensive. This, in turn, would result in a loss of market share which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Global economic development and the level of international trade are critical factors affecting the demand for marine fuel, and a decline in international trade would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Global demand for marine fuel is primarily driven by the level of activity in the marine transportation industry, in particular the number of vessels active at sea and the size of order books for new vessels. Economic downturns in one or more countries or regions, particularly in Asia, the European Union, the United States and other countries and regions with consumer-oriented economies, have in the past, and could in the future, reduce international trade volumes, which directly affects the demand for shipping services, and, in turn, the demand for marine fuel. Any reduction in demand for marine fuel would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in the Jurisdictions We Operate

Economic, political and other risks associated with operations in countries in which we operate may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operations.

Since we provide a one-stop solution for vessel refueling in the Asia Pacific, our business is subject to risks associated with conducting business in countries in which we operate. Our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected by a variety of factors, including:

Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor. In that case, Nasdaq would delist our securities. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections may deprive our investors with the benefits of such inspections.

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”), was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or other securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S..

Our current auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. However, if it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, Nasdaq would delist our securities, including our ordinary shares being offered in this offering, and the SEC shall prohibit them from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. For example, if we conduct business in a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the relevant authorities, the work of our new auditor as it relates to those operations may not be inspected by the PCAOB. If our securities are delisted and prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. due to the PCAOB not being able to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, it would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.

In May 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by the PCAOB in the PRC or by the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States. The PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges.

On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCAA. We will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies us as having a “non-inspection” year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. In June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act which, if passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two.

On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.

On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.

On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (i) China, and (ii) Hong Kong. Our auditor, Wei, Wei & Co., LLP, headquartered in New York, is an independent registered public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess Wei, Wei & Co., LLP’s compliance with applicable professional standards. The PCAOB currently has access to inspecting the working papers of our auditor. Our auditor is not headquartered in China or Hong Kong and was not identified in this report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination.

The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. For example, on August 6, 2020, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, issued the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies to the then President of the United States. This report recommended the SEC implement five recommendations to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfill its statutory mandate regarding their auditors. Some of the concepts of these recommendations were implemented with the enactment of the HFCAA. However, some of the recommendations were more stringent than the HFCAA. For example, if a company’s auditor was not subject to PCAOB inspection, the report recommended that the transition period before a company would be delisted would end on January 1, 2022.

The SEC has announced that the SEC staff is preparing a consolidated proposal for the rules regarding the implementation of the HFCAA and to address the recommendations in the PWG report. It is unclear when the SEC will complete its rulemaking and when such rules will become effective and what, if any, of the PWG recommendations will be adopted. The SEC has also announced amendments to various annual report forms to accommodate the certification and disclosure requirements of the HFCAA. There could be additional regulatory or legislative requirements or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. The implications of these possible regulations in addition to the requirements of the HFCAA are uncertain, and such uncertainty could cause the market price of our securities to be materially and adversely affected. If, for whatever reason, the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, we could be delisted or prohibited from being traded over the counter as required by the HFCAA. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such delisting and prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.

Inspections of audit firms that the PCAOB has conducted 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. If the PCAOB were unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, investors in our securities would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. In addition, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections or full investigations of auditors would may make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in the audit procedures of our auditor and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

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

We are a Cayman Islands company with our principal executive offices located in Malaysia and Hong Kong. We currently conduct a substantial portion of our operations in Malaysia and Hong Kong and a substantial amount of our assets are located in these two jurisdictions. Moreover, a majority of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to Malaysia and/or Hong Kong. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for shareholders to bring an action against us or against these individuals in Malaysia or Hong Kong in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws of the United States or otherwise.

Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of Malaysia may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. There is no statutory recognition in Malaysia of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of Malaysia will generally recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against us and our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors are to a large extent governed by the common law of Malaysia. The common law of Malaysia is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in Malaysia as well as from English common law, which provides persuasive, but not binding, authority in a court in Malaysia. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Malaysian law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, Malaysia has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States and provides significantly less protection to investors. As a result, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against us, our management, our directors or our major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.

In addition, uncertainty also exists as to whether the courts of Hong Kong would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our officers and/or directors predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof, or be competent to hear original actions brought in Hong Kong against us or such persons predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof.

Changes in economic and political policies of the PRC government might adversely affect our business.

During FY2020 and FY2021, part of our revenue was generated from arranging the delivery of marine fuel in ports located in the PRC. Accordingly, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects are subject to economic, political and legal conditions in the PRC. The economy of the PRC is affected by, among others, government regulation, the level of development, growth rate and the allocation of resources. Any changes in the political, economic and social conditions of the PRC may affect our business.

Introduction of new laws or changes to existing laws by the PRC government in relation to our customers and suppliers may affect our business in the PRC. There is no assurance that the PRC authorities will not issue further directives, regulations, clarifications or implementation rules requiring our suppliers to obtain further approvals to carry out physical delivery of marine fuel in the PRC, or requiring our customers to obtain approvals to purchase marine fuel in the PRC. Such change in laws or policies in the PRC may adversely affect the business of our customers and suppliers and, in turn, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our Group may be subject to tax audit and investigation in Malaysia.

The Malaysia tax regime utilizes a self-assessment system. Companies in Malaysia have legal obligations to make self-assessment on the tax payable and file necessary tax returns annually with their remittance of tax. The Malaysian Inland Revenue Board is empowered by the Malaysian Income Tax Act 1967 to carry out audit and investigation on persons chargeable to determine, inter alia, whether their tax returns are accurate and complete. The Malaysian Income Tax Act 1967 also empowers the Malaysian Inland Revenue Board to impose additional tax and/or penalties on persons chargeable if the Malaysian Inland Revenue Board determines that the persons chargeable are in fact subject to more tax payables than are reported in the self-assessed tax returns.

Our Group calculates the amount of taxes and makes payment thereof in accordance with the applicable tax laws. Our Group may be subject to additional taxes or penalties if the Malaysian Inland Revenue Board has a different view from us with respect to our self-assessed tax in our filed tax returns. In the event that the Malaysian Inland Revenue Board imposes additional tax or penalties on our Group, our profit may decrease and consequently our financial results may be adversely affected.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

Our operations are based in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Part of our operations are conducted by our Hong Kong operating subsidiary, namely Banle Energy HK and nearly all of our revenue were generated from China and Hong Kong (based on the location at which the marine fuel is delivered to the customer). For FY2020 and FY2021, revenue generated from services provided in ports in China and Hong Kong accounted for a total of 88.8% and 95.9%, respectively, of our total revenue; whilst revenue generated from services provided in ports in Malaysia and Singapore accounted for a total of 10.7% and 2.9%, respectively, of our total revenue. Although we deliver our services mainly in China and Hong Kong, nearly all our customers are international container liner operators from outside of China and Hong Kong: of our five largest customers from whom we generated 92.9% and 83.6%, respectively, of our total revenue for FY2020 and FY2021, three customers are Taiwanese companies, one is a German company and one is a Singaporean company. We also have a subsidiary that is established in China, namely Majestic Energy, which is currently dormant and does not have operations, and we do not intend to conduct any operation through Majestic Energy in the future. Although we have equity ownership of Banle Energy HK and Majestic Energy (which is dormant) and currently do not have or intend to have any operating subsidiary that is established in China, or any contractual arrangement to establish a variable interest entity structure with any entity in China, we may still be subject to unique risks due to uncertainty about any future actions of the Chinese government or authorities in Hong Kong in relation to business operations in China or Hong Kong, or regulatory oversight of overseas listing of companies with operations in China or Hong Kong.

We do not maintain any office in mainland China and none of our directors and officers are based in mainland China. However, a major part of our operations is based in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China. Although Hong Kong has its own governmental and legal system that is independent from China, it is uncertain whether in the future the Hong Kong government will implement regulations and policies of the Chinese government, or adopt regulations and policies of its own that are substantially the same as those of the Chinese government. Moreover, given that changes in policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the Chinese government may be quick with little advance notice, it is also uncertain in the future whether our operations in Hong Kong will be subject to the oversight of the Chinese authorities.

We may be subject to the following risks that are specific to doing business in China.

Depending on the needs of our target customers whose sailing routes cover different ports worldwide, we need to provide marine fuel logistic services through ports in the PRC. Therefore, our business may be subject to complex and rapidly evolving laws and regulations there. The Chinese government may exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities.

Depending on the needs of our target customers whose sailing routes cover different ports worldwide, we need to provide marine fuel logistic services through ports in the PRC. Therefore, we may be subject to the laws and regulations of the PRC, which can be complex and evolve rapidly. The PRC government has the power to exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business, and the regulations to which we are subject may change rapidly and with little notice to us or our shareholders. As a result, the application, interpretation, and enforcement of new and existing laws and regulations in the PRC are often uncertain. In addition, these laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied inconsistently by different agencies or authorities, and inconsistently with our current policies and practices. New laws, regulations, and other government directives in the PRC may also be costly to comply with, and such compliance or any associated inquiries or investigations or any other government actions may:

The promulgation of new laws or regulations, or the new interpretation of existing laws and regulations, in each case that restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact the ability or manner in which we conduct our business and could require us to change certain aspects of our business to ensure compliance, which could decrease demand for our services, reduce revenues, increase costs, require us to obtain more licenses, permits, approvals or certificates, or subject us to additional liabilities. To the extent any new or more stringent measures are required to be implemented, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected as well as materially decrease the value of our ordinary shares.

If the Chinese government chooses to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Recent statements by the Chinese government have indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investments in China based issuers. PRC has recently promulgated new rules that require companies collecting or holding large amounts of data to undergo a cybersecurity review prior to listing in foreign countries, a move that will significantly tighten oversight over China-based internet giants. The Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) was promulgated on December 28, 2021 and became effective on February 15, 2022. These measures specify that any “online platform operators” controlling the personal information of more than one million users which seek to list on a foreign stock exchange are subject to prior cybersecurity review.

Our business belongs to the bunkering industry in the Asia Pacific, which does not involve the collection of user data, implicate cybersecurity, or involve any other type of restricted industry. As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, our registered public offering in the U.S. is not subject to the review or prior approval of the CAC or the CSRC and we and our subsidiaries are not covered by such permissions requirements. Uncertainties still exist, however, due to the possibility that laws, regulations, or policies in the PRC could change rapidly in the future. Any future action by the PRC government expanding the categories of industries and companies whose foreign securities offerings are subject to review by the CSRC or the CAC could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

If the Chinese government were to impose new requirements for approval from the PRC authorities to issue our securities to foreign investors or list on a foreign exchange, such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, as of the date of this prospectus, we and our subsidiaries (including our dormant PRC subsidiary, Majestic Energy, and all other non-PRC subsidiaries) (1) are not required to obtain permissions from any PRC authorities to operate or issue our securities to foreign investors, (2) are not subject to permission requirements from the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) or any other entity that is required to approve of our operations in China, and (3) have not received or were denied such permissions by any PRC authorities. As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, we are not required to obtain any permissions or approvals from Chinese authorities either to operate our business or offer the securities being registered to foreign investors because (1) we are not operating in an industry that prohibits or limits foreign investment; (2) our only PRC subsidiary is dormant and has no business operations in China; (3) we do not maintain any office or have any employee in mainland China; and (4) although a substantial part of our revenue were generated from China and Hong Kong (based on the location at which the marine fuel is delivered to the customer), we are a marine fuel logistics company and rely on the permits and licenses of our suppliers for the actual delivery of marine fuel to our customers.

Nevertheless, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law,” or the Opinions, which were made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in China regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering. As of May 10, 2022, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. However, there remains significant uncertainty as to the enactment, interpretation and implementation of regulatory requirements related to overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities.

According to the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Administration Provisions”) and the Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “Measures”), only new initial public offerings and refinancing by existent overseas listed Chinese companies will be required to go through the filing process with PRC administrations; other existent overseas listed companies will be allowed sufficient transition period to complete their filing procedure, which means if we complete the offering prior to the effectiveness of Administration Provisions and Measures, we will certainly go through the filing process in the future, perhaps because of refinancing or given by sufficient transition period to complete filing procedure as an existent overseas listed Chinese company. As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, we and our subsidiaries are currently not required to obtain regulatory approval from Chinese authorities before listing in the U.S. under any existing PRC law, regulations or rules, including from the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or any other relevant Chinese regulatory agencies that is required to approve our operations in China. However, it is uncertain when the Administration Provision and the Measures will take effect or if they will take effect as currently drafted. If it is determined in the future that the approval of the CSRC, the CAC or any other regulatory authority is required for this offering, we may face sanctions by the CSRC, the CAC or other PRC regulatory agencies. The CSRC, the CAC, or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of our securities. 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 settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC, the CAC or other regulatory PRC agencies later promulgate new rules requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such an approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our securities.

Moreover, if (1) we are required to but do not receive or maintain approvals from the PRC authorities, or (2) we inadvertently conclude that such approvals are not required, or (3) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change such that we are required to obtain approval in the future, we may be subject to investigations by competent regulators, fines or penalties, ordered to suspend our relevant operations and rectify any non-compliance, prohibited from engaging in relevant business or conducting any offering, and these risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless.

China’s economic, political and social conditions, as well as changes in any government policies, laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Depending on the needs of our target customers whose sailing routes cover different ports worldwide, we may need to provide marine fuel logistic services through ports in the PRC. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and certain transactions we may undertake may be subject to economic, political and legal developments in China.

China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although China’s economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy since the late 1970s, 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 through allocating resources, controlling the incurrence and payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Changes in any of these policies, laws and regulations could adversely affect the economy in China and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage foreign investment and sustainable economic growth and to guide the allocation of financial and other resources. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not repeal or alter these measures or introduce new measures that will have a negative effect on us. China’s social and political conditions may change and become unstable. Any sudden changes to China’s political system or the occurrence of widespread social unrest could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters generally. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in the PRC. However, the PRC has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in the PRC. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, these regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.

Furthermore, 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 may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation.

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 could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law,” or the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection requirements and similar matters. The Opinions remain unclear on how the law will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC governmental authorities, but the Opinions and any related implementing rules to be enacted may subject us to compliance requirements in the future.

On July 10, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a revised draft of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review for public comments, which required that, among others, in addition to “operator of critical information infrastructure”, any “data processor” controlling personal information of no less than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review, and further elaborated the factors to be considered when assessing the national security risks of the relevant activities.

On November 14, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China released the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments) and accepted public comments until December 13, 2021. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security provide that data processors refer to individuals or organizations that autonomously determine the purpose and the manner of processing data. If a data processor that processes personal data of more than one million users intends to list overseas, it shall apply for a cybersecurity review. In addition, data processors that process important data or are listed overseas shall carry out an annual data security assessment on their own or by engaging a data security services institution, and the data security assessment report for the prior year should be submitted to the local cyberspace affairs administration department before January 31 of each year. On December 28, 2021, the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) was promulgated and took effect on February 15, 2022, which iterates that any “online platform operators” controlling personal information of more than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review. As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, we are not among the “operator of critical information infrastructure” or “data processor” as mentioned above. The Company and its subsidiaries is a marine fuel logistics company and neither the Company nor its subsidiaries is engaged in data activities as defined under the Personal Information Protection Law, which includes, without limitation, collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, publication and deletion of data. In addition, neither the Company nor its subsidiaries is an operator of any “critical information infrastructure” as defined under the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the Security Protection Measures on Critical Information Infrastructure. However, Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) was recently adopted and the Network Internet Data Protection Draft Regulations (draft for comments) is in the process of being formulated and the Opinions remain unclear on how it will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.

There remains uncertainties as to when the final measures will be issued and take effect, how they will be enacted, interpreted or implemented, and whether they will affect us. If we inadvertently conclude that the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) do not apply to us, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and it is determined in the future that the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) become applicable to us, we may be subject to review when conducting data processing activities, and may face challenges in addressing its requirements and make necessary changes to our internal policies and practices. We may incur substantial costs in complying with the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version), which could result in material adverse changes in our business operations and financial position. If we are not able to fully comply with the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version), our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors may be significantly limited or completely hindered, and our securities may significantly decline in value or become worthless.

On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released the Administrative Provisions of the State Council Regarding the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments) and the Measures for the Overseas Issuance of Securities and Listing Record-Filings by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments), both of which had a comment period that expired on January 23, 2022, and if enacted, may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. See “Risk Factors – Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC- CSRC has released for public consultation the draft rules for China-based companies seeking to conduct initial public offerings in foreign markets. While such rules have not yet gone into effect, the Chinese government may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our ordinary shares to investors and could cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or become worthless.”

Thus, it is still uncertain how PRC governmental authorities will regulate overseas listing in general. Furthermore, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering and any follow-on offering, we may be unable to obtain such approvals which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to our investors.

Furthermore, the PRC government authorities may strengthen oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. Such actions taken by the PRC government authorities may intervene or influence our operations at any time, which are beyond our control. Therefore, any such action may adversely affect our operations and significantly limit or hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to you and reduce the value of such securities.

Uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and the fact that rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice, along with the risk that the Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could result in a material change in our operations, financial performance and/or the value of our ordinary shares or impair our ability to raise money.

The CSRC has released for public consultation the draft rules for China-based companies seeking to conduct initial public offerings in foreign markets. While such rules have not yet gone into effect, the Chinese government may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our ordinary shares to investors and could cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or become worthless.

On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released the Draft Rules Regarding Overseas Listing, which had a comment period that expired on January 23, 2022. The Draft Rules Regarding Overseas Listing lay out the filing regulation arrangement for both direct and indirect overseas listing, and clarify the determination criteria for indirect overseas listing in overseas markets. Based on the advice of our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, according to the current content of such rules, in connection with our initial public offering, we and our subsidiaries are not required to obtain prior approval by the relevant competent governmental authorities in PRC including CSRC with respect to the specific matters under such rules, nor have we been involved in any offshore listing prohibited circumstances as set forth in such rules.

The Draft Rules Regarding Overseas Listing stipulate that the Chinese-based companies, or the issuer, shall fulfill the filing procedures within three working days after the issuer makes an application for initial public offering and listing in an overseas market. The required filing materials for an initial public offering and listing should include at least the following: record-filing report and related undertakings; regulatory opinions, record-filing, approval and other documents issued by competent regulatory authorities of relevant industries (if applicable); and security assessment opinion issued by relevant regulatory authorities (if applicable); PRC legal opinion; and prospectus.

In addition, an overseas offering and listing is prohibited under any of the following circumstances: (1) if the intended securities offering and listing is specifically prohibited by national laws and regulations and relevant provisions; (2) if the intended securities offering and listing may constitute a threat to or endangers national security as reviewed and determined by competent authorities under the State Council in accordance with law; (3) if there are material ownership disputes over the equity, major assets, and core technology, etc. of the issuer; (4) if, in the past three years, the domestic enterprise or its controlling shareholders or actual controllers have committed corruption, bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of property, or other criminal offenses disruptive to the order of the socialist market economy, or are currently under judicial investigation for suspicion of criminal offenses, or are under investigation for suspicion of major violations; (5) if, in past three years, directors, supervisors, or senior executives have been subject to administrative punishments for severe violations, or are currently under judicial investigation for suspicion of criminal offenses, or are under investigation for suspicion of major violations; or (6) other circumstances as prescribed by the State Council. The Draft Administration Provisions defines the legal liabilities of breaches such as failure in fulfilling filing obligations or fraudulent filing conducts, imposing a fine between RMB 1 million and RMB 10 million, and in cases of severe violations, a parallel order to suspend relevant business or halt operation for rectification, revoke relevant business permits or operational license.

The Draft Rules Regarding Overseas Listing, if enacted, may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to get the clearance of filing procedures under the Draft Rules Regarding Overseas List on a timely basis, or at all. Any failure of us to fully comply with new regulatory requirements may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our ordinary shares, cause significant disruption to our business operations, and severely damage our reputation, which would materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and cause our ordinary shares to significantly decline in value or become worthless.

In the event that we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, any limitation on the ability of our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

Our PRC subsidiary, Majestic Energy, is dormant and does not have operations or assets. Since it has no earnings and profits, it has not distributed and will not distribute any dividends. In general, our PRC subsidiary’ ability to distribute dividends is based upon their distributable earnings. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to its shareholders only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiary, as a Foreign Invested Enterprise, or FIE, is required to draw 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a common reserve, which may stop drawing its after-tax profits if the aggregate balance of the common reserve has already accounted for over 50 percent of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. If our PRC subsidiary incurs debt on its own in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to distribute dividends or other payments to its shareholders could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

The Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC resident enterprises are incorporated.

Under Hong Kong law, dividends could only be paid out of distributable profits (that is, accumulated realized profits less accumulated realized losses) or other distributable reserves. Dividends cannot be paid out of share capital. Under the current practice of the Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong, no tax is payable in Hong Kong in respect of dividends paid by us.

Any limitation on the ability of our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

To the extent cash or assets in our business is in the PRC or Hong Kong or in our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC or Hong Kong due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets.

As of the date of this prospectus, there were no cash flows between CBL International or Banle BVI and our subsidiaries. However, we may in the future depend on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC and Hong Kong subsidiaries or depend on our assets located in China or Hong Kong for our cash and financing requirements. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. Shortages in availability of foreign currency may then restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiary to remit sufficient foreign currency to our offshore entities for our offshore entities to pay dividends or make other payments or otherwise to satisfy our foreign-currency-denominated obligations. Therefore, to the extent cash or assets in our business is in the PRC or Hong Kong or in our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC or Hong Kong due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets.

The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and substantial vetting processes may be put forward by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC (“SAFE”) for cross-border transactions. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC and Hong Kong subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Any funds we transfer to our PRC subsidiary, Majestic Energy, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, are subject to approval by or registration with relevant governmental authorities in China. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs, in China, capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary are subject to the approval of or filing with the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM or its local branches and registration with a local bank authorized by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. In addition, (i) a foreign loan of less one year duration procured by our PRC subsidiary is required to be registered with SAFE or its local branches and (ii) a foreign loan of one year duration or more procured by our PRC subsidiary is required to be applied to the NDRC in advance for undergoing recordation registration formalities. Any medium or long-term loan to be provided by us to our PRC subsidiary, must be registered with the NDRC and the SAFE or its local branches. We may not be able to complete such registrations on a timely basis, with respect to future capital contributions or foreign loans by us to our PRC subsidiary. Since Majestic Energy is currently dormant, we have no intention to transfer any funds to, or use the proceeds of this offering to fund, Majestic Energy, but in the unlikely event that we decide otherwise in the future and if we fail to complete such registrations, our ability to capitalize our operations through Majestic Energy may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Currently our Hong Kong subsidiaries do not need to obtain approval from or register with governmental authorities in China or in Hong Kong in order to raise capital, but it is unclear if the PRC or Hong Kong authorities will in the future interpret the abovementioned regulations in a way that will subject Hong Kong companies to the same restrictions as a PRC company. If the abovementioned regulations is applied by the authorities to our Hong Kong subsidiaries, our ability to capitalize our operations through our Hong Kong subsidiaries may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

On March 30, 2015, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming the Management Approach Regarding the Foreign Exchange Capital Settlement of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, which took effect as of June 1, 2015. SAFE Circular 19 launched a nationwide reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of FIEs and allows FIEs to settle their foreign exchange capital at their discretion, but continues to prohibit FIEs from using the Renminbi fund converted from their foreign exchange capital for expenditure beyond their business scopes, providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between nonfinancial enterprises. The SAFE issued the Circular on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or SAFE Circular 16, effective in June 2016. Pursuant to SAFE Circular 16, enterprises registered in China may also convert their foreign debts from foreign currency to Renminbi on a self-discretionary basis. SAFE Circular 16 provides an integrated standard for conversion of foreign exchange under capital account items (including but not limited to foreign currency capital and foreign debts) on a self-discretionary basis which applies to all enterprises registered in China. SAFE Circular 16 reiterates the principle that Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital of a company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope or prohibited by PRC laws or regulations, while such converted Renminbi shall not be provided as loans to its non-affiliated entities. As this circular is relatively new, there remains uncertainty as to its interpretation and application and any other future foreign exchange related rules. Violations of these Circulars could result in severe monetary or other penalties, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If Safe Circulars 16 and 19 are interpreted to apply to the Hong Kong Dollar, our ability to use Hong Kong Dollars converted from the net proceeds from our offshore financing activities to fund the establishment of new entities in Hong Kong, to invest in or acquire any other Hong Kong or PRC companies may be limited, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any requirement to obtain prior approval under the M&A Rules and/or any other regulations promulgated by relevant PRC regulatory agencies in the future could delay this offering and failure to obtain any such approvals, if required, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and reputation as well as the trading price of our ordinary shares, and could also create uncertainties for this offering and affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors outside China.

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM, the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (the “SASAC”), the State Administration of Taxation (the “SAT”), the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (the “SAIC”), the CSRC, and the SAFE jointly adopted the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors (“M&A Rules”) 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 formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company 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 counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, that the CSRC approval is not required in the context of this offering because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings under the prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; and (ii) we established our PRC subsidiary, Majestic Energy, by means of direct investment rather than by merger with or acquisition of PRC domestic companies. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted and implemented, and the opinion of our PRC counsel is subject to any new laws, rules, and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that the relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC 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 ordinary shares 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, the security review rules issued by the MOFCOM that took effect 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. Furthermore, according to the security review, foreign investments that would result in acquiring the actual control of assets in certain key sectors, such as critical agricultural products, energy and resources, equipment manufacturing, infrastructure, transport, cultural products and services, information technology, Internet products and services, financial services and technology sectors, are required to obtain approval from designated governmental authorities in advance.

We are not operating in an industry that prohibits or limits foreign investment. As a result, as advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, we are not required to obtain any permission under the aforementioned M&A Rules and the security review rules issued by the MOFCOM. However, if we inadvertently conclude that such approvals are not required, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change such that we are required to obtain approval in the future, we may be subject to investigations by competent regulators, fines or penalties, ordered to suspend our relevant operations and rectify any non-compliance, prohibited from engaging in relevant business or conducting any offering, and these risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless.

As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, we and our subsidiaries are currently not required to obtain regulatory approval from Chinese authorities before listing in the U.S. under any existing PRC law, regulations or rules, including from the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or any other relevant Chinese regulatory agencies that is required to approve our operations in China. However, the PRC government may take actions to exert more oversight and control over offerings by China based issuers conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in such companies, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors outside China and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.

In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions, if required, could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. It is unclear whether our business would be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” concerns. However, the MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, according to the M&A Rules, if a PRC entity or individual plans to merge or acquire its related PRC entity through an overseas company legitimately incorporated or controlled by such entity or individual, such a merger and acquisition will be subject to examination and approval by the MOFCOM. There is a possibility that the PRC regulators may promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain the approval of the MOFCOM or other PRC governmental authorities for our completed or ongoing mergers and acquisitions. There is no assurance that, if we plan to make an acquisition, we can obtain such approval from the MOFCOM or any other relevant PRC governmental authorities for our mergers and acquisitions, and if we fail to obtain those approvals, we may be required to suspend our acquisition and be subject to penalties. Any uncertainties regarding such approval requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and corporate structure.

In addition, on July 6, 2021, the relevant PRC government authorities made public the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities in Accordance with the Law. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies. Pursuant to the Opinions, Chinese regulators are required to accelerate rulemaking related to the overseas issuance and listing of securities, and update the existing laws and regulations related to data security, cross-border data flow, and management of confidential information. Numerous regulations, guidelines and other measures are expected to be adopted under the umbrella of or in addition to the Cybersecurity Law and Data Security Law. As of the date of this prospectus, no official guidance or related implementation rules have been issued yet and the interpretation of these opinions remains unclear at this stage.

On July 10, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (Revision Draft for Comments) for public comments, which proposes to authorize the relevant government authorities to conduct cybersecurity review on a range of activities that affect or may affect national security, including listings in foreign countries by companies that possess the personal data of more than one million users.

On November 14, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments) which set forth cyber data security compliance requirements in greater detail.

On December 28, 2021, the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) was promulgated and took effect on February 15, 2022, which iterates that any “online platform operators” controlling personal information of more than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review. As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, we are not among the “operators of critical information infrastructure” or “online platform operators” as mentioned above. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries is engaged in data activities as defined under the Personal Information Protection Law, which includes, without limitation, collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, publication and deletion of data. In addition, neither the Company nor its subsidiaries is an operator of any “critical information infrastructure” as defined under the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the Security Protection Measures on Critical Information Infrastructure. However, the Measures for Cybersecurity Review were recently adopted and the Network Internet Data Protection Draft Regulations (draft for comments) are in the process of being formulated and the Opinions remain unclear on how it will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.

There remains uncertainties as to when the final measures will be issued and take effect, how they will be enacted, interpreted or implemented, and whether they will affect us. If we inadvertently conclude that the Measures for Cybersecurity Review do not apply to us, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and it is determined in the future that the Measures for Cybersecurity Review become applicable to us, we may be subject to review when conducting data processing activities, and may face challenges in addressing its requirements and make necessary changes to our internal policies and practices. We may incur substantial costs in complying with the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which could result in material adverse changes in our business operations and financial position. If we are not able to fully comply with the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors may be significantly limited or completely hindered, and our securities may significantly decline in value or become worthless.

On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released the Administrative Provisions of the State Council Regarding the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments) and the Measures for the Overseas Issuance of Securities and Listing Record-Filings by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments), both of which had a comment period that expired on January 23, 2022, and if enacted, may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. Thus, it is still uncertain how PRC governmental authorities will regulate overseas listing in general in the future. Furthermore, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their prior approvals or ex-post record-filing for this offering and any follow-on offering, we may be unable to obtain such approvals or record-filing which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to our investors.

As advised by our PRC counsel, Zhong Lun Law Firm, as of the date of this prospectus, we are not required to obtain any permission from any PRC governmental authorities to offer securities to foreign investors. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in China regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and offering securities to foreign investors. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. However, there remains significant uncertainty as to the enactment, interpretation and implementation of regulatory requirements related to overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities. If it is determined in the future that the approval of the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China or any other regulatory authority is required for this offering, we may face sanctions by the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operations in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities. The CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of our ordinary shares. 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 settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC, the Cyberspace Administration of China or other regulatory PRC agencies later promulgate new rules requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such an approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our securities.

Certain PRC regulations may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.

Among other things, the M&A Rules and Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC which became effective in 2008 (“Anti-Monopoly Law”), established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. Such regulation requires, among other things, that State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor acquires control of a PRC domestic enterprise or a foreign company with substantial PRC operations, if certain thresholds under the Provisions of the State Council on the Standard for Declaration of Concentration of Business Operators, issued by the State Council in 2008, are triggered. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that transactions which involve the national security, the examination on the national security shall also be conducted according to the relevant provisions of the United States. In addition, PRC Measures for the Security Review of Foreign Investment which became effective in January 2021 require acquisitions by foreign investors of PRC companies engaged in military-related or certain other industries that are crucial to national security be subject to security review before consummation of any such acquisition. We may pursue potential strategic acquisitions that are complementary to our business and operations.

Complying with the requirements of these regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval or clearance from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business in the PRC.

U.S. regulatory bodies may be limited in their ability to conduct investigations or inspections of our PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries.

Any disclosure of documents or information located in China by foreign agencies may be subject to jurisdiction constraints and must comply with China’s state secrecy laws, which broadly define the scope of “state secrets” to include matters involving economic interests and technologies. There is no guarantee that requests from U.S. federal or state regulators or agencies to investigate or inspect PRC or Hong Kong subsidiaries could be honored by us, by entities who provide services to us or with whom we associate in China, without violating PRC legal requirements.

Risks Relating to the Initial Public Offering in the U.S.

An active trading market for the ordinary shares on Nasdaq might not develop or be sustained, their trading prices might fluctuate significantly and the liquidity of our ordinary shares would be materially affected.

Following the completion of our initial public offering in the U.S., we cannot assure you that an active trading market for the ordinary shares on Nasdaq will develop or be sustained. If an active trading market of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq does not develop or is not sustained after our initial public offering in the U.S., the market price and liquidity of our ordinary shares could be materially and adversely affected.

Our existing shareholders will continue to have substantial control over us after this offering, which could severely limit the ability of our other shareholders to influence matters requiring shareholder approval and, as a result, we may take actions that our other shareholders do not view as beneficial.

Upon completion of this offering, CBL (Asia) Limited, a company controlled by Teck Lim Chia, our director and Chief Executive Officer, and Straits Energy Resources Berhad, the two largest shareholders of our company, will beneficially own approximately 52.7% and 32.3%, respectively, of our outstanding ordinary shares. In particular, we expect that CBL (Asia)’s significant ownership interest will allow it to continue to exert a significant degree of influence or actual control over our management and affairs and over matters requiring shareholder approval, including the appointment of directors, a merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets and other significant business or corporate transactions. This concentrated control will limit the ability of other shareholders to influence corporate matters and, as a result, we may take actions that our other shareholders do not view as beneficial. For example, this concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or otherwise discouraging a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of us, which in turn could cause the market price of our equity shares to decline or prevent such price from increasing or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the market price for their equity shares. Moreover, although each of CBL (Asia) and Straits Energy Resources Berhad will enter into a lock-up agreement for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions, with respect to our ordinary shares and securities that are substantially similar to our ordinary shares, after such lock-up period, neither of them is prohibited from selling interest in us to a third party and may do so without your approval. Accordingly, the equity shares held by you may be worth less than they would be if CBL (Asia) and/or Straits Energy Resources Berhad did not maintain voting control over us.

The trading price of our ordinary shares may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading price of our ordinary shares is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. For instance, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, which may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares. In addition, the price and trading volume of our ordinary shares may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following:

We may experience extreme stock price volatility unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our ordinary shares.

Our ordinary shares may be subject to extreme volatility that is seemingly unrelated to the underlying performance of our business. Recently, the U.S. stock market has witnessed instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines and strong stock price volatility with recent initial public offerings, especially among those with relatively smaller public floats, and such stock price volatility was seemingly unrelated to the respective company’s underlying performance. As a relatively small-capitalization company with relatively small public float, we may experience greater stock price volatility, extreme price run-ups, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. Although the specific cause of such volatility may be unclear, our anticipated public float may amplify the impact of the actions taken by a few stockholders have on the price of our stock, which may cause our stock price to deviate, potentially significantly, from a price that better reflects the underlying performance of our business. The potential extreme volatility may confuse public investors regarding the value of our shares, distort the market perception of our share price and our company’s financial performance and public image, and negatively affect the long-term liquidity of our ordinary shares, regardless of our actual or expected operating performance. Should our ordinary shares experience run-ups and declines that are seemingly unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, prospective investors may have difficulty assessing the rapidly changing value of our ordinary shares. In addition, investors of our ordinary shares may experience losses, which may be material, if the price of our ordinary shares declines after this offering or if such investors purchase our ordinary shares prior to any price decline.

We may fail to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations about our business, which could cause our stock price to decline.

We may provide from time-to-time guidance regarding our expected financial and business performance. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and our guidance may not ultimately be accurate in all respects. Our guidance is based on certain assumptions, such as those relating to anticipated sales volumes, average sales prices, supplier and commodity costs, and planned cost reductions. If our guidance varies from actual results, the market value of our ordinary shares could decline significantly.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our ordinary shares and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ordinary shares will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our ordinary shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our ordinary shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for our ordinary shares to decline.