Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-273543
Marti Technologies, Inc.
85,226,425 Ordinary Shares
This prospectus relates to the offer and sale by the selling securityholders or their permitted transferees (collectively, the “Selling Securityholders”) of up to 85,226,425 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), of Marti Technologies, Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), consisting of (i) 23,802,333 Ordinary Shares issued to certain of the Selling Securityholders named in this prospectus (excluding Former Sponsor (as defined below)) in connection with the Business Combination (as defined below), (ii) 3,578,750 Ordinary Shares held by certain affiliates of Galata Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Former Sponsor”) and certain previous directors of the Company that were previously held as Class B ordinary shares of the Company (“Founder Shares”), which were converted on a one-for-one basis into Ordinary Shares of the Company (“Founder Converted Shares”) immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger (as defined below), (iii) 15,000 Founder Converted Shares held by Gala Investments LLC (“Gala Investments”), a Delaware limited liability company, and (iv) 57,830,342 Ordinary Shares issuable upon the conversion of (x) $62,920,063 principal amount of convertible notes (the “Convertible Notes”) and (y) up to $32,500,000 in subscriptions of Convertible Notes at the option of Callaway Capital Management LLC (“Callaway Capital Management”) up until July 9, 2026. The number of Ordinary Shares registered for resale by each Selling Securityholder is based on holdings information known to the Company as of April 15, 2024.
We are registering the offer and sale of the securities held by the Selling Securityholders, in some cases, to satisfy certain registration rights we have granted, and in other cases, to provide for resale by affiliates of the Company under the Securities Act. Subject to existing lockup or other restrictions on transfer, the Selling Securityholders may offer all or part of the securities for resale from time to time through public or private transactions, at either prevailing market prices or at privately negotiated prices. These securities are being registered to permit the Selling Securityholders to sell securities from time to time, in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of offering. The Selling Securityholders may sell these securities through ordinary brokerage transactions, directly to market makers of our shares or through any other means described in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” herein. In connection with any sales of Ordinary Shares offered hereunder, the Selling Securityholders, any underwriters, agents, brokers or dealers participating in such sales may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act.”
We are registering these securities for resale by the Selling Securityholders named in this prospectus, or their transferees, pledgees, donees or assignees or other successors-in-interest (that receive any of the shares as a gift, distribution, or other non-sale related transfer). We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the securities by the Selling Securityholders.
This prospectus also covers any additional securities that may become issuable by reason of share splits, share dividends or other similar transactions.
Our Ordinary Shares are listed on the NYSE American Stock Exchange (“NYSE American”) under the trading symbol “MRT”. On May 14, 2024, the last reported sale price of our Ordinary Shares was $1.68 per share.
The Selling Securityholders named herein are comprised of Former Sponsor, certain affiliates of Former Sponsor, certain previous independent directors of Galata (as defined herein), certain legacy investors in Marti (as defined herein), the Pre-Fund Subscribers (as defined herein), Callaway Capital Management, Gala Investments,
certain of our executive officers, former executive officers and their affiliates. The following table provides the number of Ordinary Shares offered hereby by each Selling Securityholder as well as the historical weighted-average price paid per Ordinary Share by each Selling Securityholder:
Selling Securityholder |
Number of Ordinary Shares Offered for Resale |
Historical Weighted-Average |
||||
Agah Ugur |
175,240 |
|
1.07 |
|
||
Autotech Fund II, L.P |
353,535 |
(2) |
2.63 |
|
||
Esra Unluaslan Durgun |
7,477,950 |
|
— |
|
||
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development |
707,069 |
(2) |
2.59 |
|
||
Oguz Alper Oktem |
7,477,950 |
|
— |
|
||
Seher Sena Öktem |
793,265 |
|
— |
|
||
Sumed Equity Ltd. |
8,629,368 |
(2) |
1.51 |
|
||
New Holland Tactical Alpha Fund LP |
254,035 |
|
0.01 |
|
||
Shelley Guiley |
35,000 |
|
— |
(5) |
||
Adam Metz |
35,000 |
|
— |
(5) |
||
Tim Shannon |
35,000 |
|
— |
(5) |
||
Gala Investments, LLC |
15,000 |
|
0.01 |
|
||
405 MSTV I LP |
10,896,308 |
(3) |
1.65 |
|
||
Keystone Group, L.P. |
6,294,035 |
(3) |
1.65 |
|
||
Gramercy Emerging Markets Dynamic Credit Fund |
629,404 |
(3) |
1.65 |
|
||
Gramercy Multi-Asset Fund LP |
944,106 |
(3) |
1.65 |
|
||
Funds managed by Weiss Asset Management LP |
7,077,018 |
(3) |
1.81 |
|
||
Farragut Square Global Master Fund, LP |
12,531,036 |
(4) |
1.68 |
|
||
Callaway Capital Management, LLC |
20,641,076 |
(3) |
1.65 |
|
||
Park Loop DC, LLC |
138,186 |
(6) |
0.01 |
|
||
Kemal Kaya |
86,844 |
(6) |
0.01 |
|
____________
(1) For the purposes of this table, where historical consideration was originally conveyed in Turkish lira, amounts have been converted to U.S. dollars using prevailing exchange rates at the time the transaction occurred.
(2) Represents the sum of previously owned shares and the share amount calculated based on the principal amount of Pre-Fund Notes, all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Pre-Fund Notes at the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(3) Represents the sum of the total cost of Ordinary Shares acquired from Former Sponsor (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration, the principal amount of Convertible Notes at the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(4) Represents the sum of the total cost of Ordinary Shares acquired from Former Sponsor (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration, the principal amount of Pre-Fund Notes, all of the accrued amount of PIK interest under the Pre-Fund Notes as of the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(5) Reflects Ordinary Shares acquired as stock-based compensation for service on the board of directors of Galata (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration.
(6) Represents the sum of the total cost of Ordinary Shares acquired from Former Sponsor (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration.
For information about the price paid by the Selling Securityholders, including prices paid by legacy Marti investors and certain of our executive officers, former executive officers and their affiliates to acquire our Ordinary Shares, please see “Selling Securityholders” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Ownership of Securities — Certain existing shareholders purchased securities in the Company at a price below the current trading price of such securities, and may experience a positive rate of return based on the current trading price. Future investors in our Company may not experience a similar rate of return.”
The Selling Securityholders can resell, under this prospectus, and upon the conversion of all Convertible Notes, including such notes pursuant to the Callaway Subscription Agreement (as defined herein), up to 85,226,425 Ordinary Shares constituting approximately 148.6% of our issued Ordinary Shares (based on 57,355,324 Ordinary
Shares outstanding as of April 15, 2024). Sales of a substantial number of Ordinary Shares in the public market by the Selling Securityholders and/or by our other existing securityholders, or the perception that those sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Ordinary Shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our Ordinary Shares.
We may amend or supplement this prospectus from time to time by filing amendments or supplements as required. You should read this entire prospectus and any amendments or supplements carefully before you make your investment decision.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” as defined under the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, rules and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings. See “Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer.”
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus and other risk factors contained in the documents incorporated by reference herein for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Prospectus dated May 30, 2024
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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98 |
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Enforceability of Civil Liabilities Under U.S. Securities Laws |
133 |
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134 |
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F-1 |
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or any supplement. Neither we nor the Selling Securityholders have authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. The securities offered by this prospectus are being offered only in jurisdictions where the offer is permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of each document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
Except as otherwise set forth in this prospectus, neither we nor the Selling Securityholders have taken any action to permit a public offering of these securities outside the United States or to permit the possession or distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to the offering of these securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.
i
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form F-1 filed with the SEC. The Selling Securityholders named in this prospectus may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus includes important information about us, the Ordinary Shares and other information you should know before investing. Any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement may also add, update, or change information in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement, you should rely on the information contained in that particular prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement. This prospectus does not contain all of the information provided in the registration statement that we filed with the SEC. You should read this prospectus together with the additional information about us described in the section below entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.” You should rely only on information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the Selling Securityholders have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of the prospectus. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any other date.
The Selling Securityholders may offer and sell the securities through agents or to or through underwriters or dealers. A prospectus supplement, if required, may describe the terms of the plan of distribution and set forth the names of any agents, underwriters or dealers involved in the sale of securities. See “Plan of Distribution.”
Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this subsection to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Marti Technologies, Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its subsidiaries. As described under “Prospectus Summary — Recent Developments,” in connection with the Closing (as defined below) on July 10, 2023, we changed our legal name from Galata Acquisition Corp. to Marti Technologies, Inc. All references to “Galata” refer to Galata Acquisition Corp., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, prior to the Closing and references to “Marti” refer to Marti Technologies I Inc., a Delaware corporation (formerly known as Marti Technologies Inc.), and its subsidiaries.
ii
In this prospectus, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires:
• “$,” “US$,” “USD” and “U.S. dollar” each refer to the United States dollar; and
• “₺,” “TL” and “lira” each refer to the Turkish lira.
Certain amounts described herein have been expressed in U.S. dollars for convenience, and when expressed in U.S. dollars in the future, such amounts may be different from those set forth herein due to intervening exchange rate fluctuations. The Company and certain of our subsidiaries use USD as their functional currency and certain of Marti’s subsidiaries, including Marti İleri Teknoloji A.Ş., use TL as their functional currency. If the legal records are kept in a currency other than the functional currency, the consolidated financial statements are initially translated into the functional currency and then translated into USD. For the companies in Türkiye that book legal records in TL, currency translation from TL to the presentation currency USD is made under the framework described below:
• Assets and liabilities are translated using the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (“TCMB”) U.S. dollar buying rate prevailing at the balance sheet date:
• December 31, 2023: 1 U.S. dollar = TL 29.4382;
• December 31, 2022: 1 U.S. dollar = TL 18.6983; and
• December 31, 2021: 1 U.S. dollar = TL 13.3290.
• Income and expenses are translated from TL to USD using the TCMB U.S. dollar average buying rates:
• 2023: 1 U.S. dollar = TL 23.7464;
• 2022: 1 U.S. dollar = TL 16.5520; and
• 2021: 1 U.S. dollar = TL 8.8719.
Marti İleri Teknoloji A.Ş. used Turkish Lira (“TL”) as its functional currency until the end of February 2022. Since the cumulative three-year inflation rate rose to above 100% at the end of February 2022, based on the Turkish nation-wide consumer price indices announced by Turkish Statistical Institute (“TSI”), Türkiye is currently considered a hyperinflationary economy under FASB ASC Topic 830, Foreign Currency Matters starting from March 1, 2022. Consequently, Marti İleri Teknoloji A.Ş. has remeasured its financial statements prospectively into new functional currency, USD, which is the non-highly inflationary currency in accordance with ASC 830-10-45-11 and ASC 830-10-45-12. According to ASC 830-10-45-9, ASC 830-10-45-10 and ASC 830-10-45-17, at the application date (March 1, 2022), the opening balances of non-monetary items are remeasured in USD, which has become the new functional currency for Marti İleri Teknoloji A.Ş. Subsequently, non-monetary items are accounted for as if they had always been assets and liabilities in USD. Monetary items are treated in the same manner as any other foreign currency monetary items. Subsequently, monetary items are remeasured into USD using current exchange rates. Differences arising from the remeasurement of monetary items are recognized in profit or loss. See “Presentation of Financial Information” for more information.
iii
In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), our management uses certain non-GAAP measures to assess performance.
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure for reporting used by us and is calculated by adding depreciation, amortization, taxes, financial expenses (net of financial income) and one-time charges and non-cash adjustments, to net income (loss).
Pre-depreciation contribution per ride is a non-GAAP measure for reporting used by us and is calculated by adding depreciation per ride to gross profit per ride. The numerator of this metric is our pre-depreciation contribution, which is calculated as our net revenue less all variable costs, excluding depreciation, necessary to make vehicles available for rent on the field, during a given time period.
Financial measures that are not in accordance with U.S. GAAP should not be considered as alternatives to operating income, cash flows from operating activities or any other performance measures derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These measures have important limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Because of these limitations, we rely primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and use Adjusted EBITDA and Pre-depreciation contribution per ride only as supplements.
The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
Year ended December 31, |
||||||||||||
(in thousands except as otherwise noted) |
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
|||||||||
Net Loss |
$ |
(33,815 |
) |
$ |
(14,246 |
) |
$ |
(14,472 |
) |
|||
Depreciation and Amortization |
|
10,045 |
|
|
9,097 |
|
|
5,473 |
|
|||
Income Tax Expense |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
888 |
|
|||
Financial Income |
|
(3,561 |
) |
|
(2,567 |
) |
|
(180 |
) |
|||
Financial Expense |
|
6,773 |
|
|
1,932 |
|
|
4,712 |
|
|||
Customs tax provision expense |
|
32 |
|
|
78 |
|
|
592 |
|
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Lawsuit provision expense |
|
846 |
|
|
175 |
|
|
35 |
|
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Stock based compensation expense accrual |
|
1,989 |
|
|
1,658 |
|
|
852 |
|
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Founders’ salary adjustment |
|
— |
|
|
— |
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|
218 |
|
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Other |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
238 |
|
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Adjusted EBITDA |
$ |
(17,692 |
) |
$ |
(3,873 |
) |
$ |
(1,645 |
) |
Pre-depreciation contribution per ride is calculated by adding depreciation per ride to gross profit per ride. The numerator of this metric is our pre-depreciation contribution, which is calculated as our net revenue (please see the metric above for the calculation of our net revenue) less all variable costs, excluding depreciation, necessary to make vehicles available for rent on the field, during a given time period. Our variable costs include the field operations team, the field operations service vans and motorcycles, the fuel consumed by field operations service vans and motorcycles, the repair and maintenance team, spare parts, charging station rent, electricity costs, customer service call center costs, field operations control center costs, occupancy fees paid to municipalities, data costs for servers and the internet connectivity of our vehicles, payment processing costs, invoice costs, and other operating costs. Pre-depreciation contribution is divided by the total number of rides completed by our vehicles during a given time period in order to reflect the pre-depreciation contribution per ride. We believe this is an important metric for management as it lets us assess the efficiency of our field operations and repair and maintenance teams in servicing our vehicles on the field, distinct from the performance of our vehicle team in increasing the useful life of our vehicles off of the field as reflected by depreciation. The metric also lets us compute the number of rides after which we pay back the fully loaded cost of our vehicles, by dividing our fully loaded vehicle cost by our pre-depreciation contribution per ride. This makes it an important metric for investors to track our operating efficiency and unit economics.
iv
The following table presents a reconciliation of pre-depreciation contribution per ride to gross profit per ride in our Two-wheeled Electric Vehicle segment, which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
Year ended December 31, |
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2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
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Gross Profit per ride |
$ |
(0.25 |
) |
$ |
(0.07 |
) |
$ |
0.00 |
|
|||
Depreciation per ride |
$ |
(0.58 |
) |
$ |
(0.30 |
) |
$ |
(0.29 |
) |
|||
Pre-Depreciation Contribution Per Ride |
$ |
0.33 |
|
$ |
0.22 |
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
v
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
This prospectus contains the audited consolidated financial statements of Marti Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023.
Unless otherwise indicated, financial data presented in this prospectus has been taken from the audited financial statements of Marti included in this prospectus. Unless otherwise indicated, financial information of Marti has been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
vi
This prospectus contains estimates, projections, and other information concerning our industry and business, as well as data regarding market research, estimates, and forecasts prepared by our management. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research, or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties, and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained industry, business, market, and other data from reports, research surveys, studies, and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry and general publications, government data, and similar sources. Forecasts and other forward-looking information with respect to industry, business, market, and other data are subject to the same qualifications and additional uncertainties regarding the other forward-looking statements in this prospectus. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
vii
TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS
We own or have rights to various trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our businesses. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks and trade names of third parties, which are the property of their respective owners. The use or display of third parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products in this prospectus is not intended to create, and does not imply, a relationship with us, or an endorsement or sponsorship by or of us. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ®, ™ or ℠ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, service marks and trade names.
viii
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein include certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “seeks,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies, future market conditions or economic performance and developments in the capital and credit markets and expected future financial performance, the markets in which we operate, as well as any information concerning possible or assumed future results of our operations.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in forward-looking statements herein.
Many factors could cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this prospectus, including without limitation: (i) the effect of the public listing of our securities on our business relationships, performance, financial condition and business generally, (ii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us or our directors or officers, (iii) our ability to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE American, (iv) volatility in the price of our securities due to a variety of factors, including without limitation changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which we plan to operate, variations in competitors’ performance and success and changes in laws and regulations affecting our business, (v) our ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify opportunities, (vi) the risk of downturns in the highly competitive tech-enabled mobility services industry, (vii) our ability to build our brand and consumers’ recognition, acceptance and adoption of our brand, (viii) the risk that we may not be able to effectively manage our growth, including our design, research, development and maintenance capabilities, (ix) technological changes and risks associated with doing business in an emerging market, (x) risks relating to our dependence on and use of certain intellectual property and technology and (xi) other factors discussed under the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, which section is incorporated herein by reference.
The foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements herein. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We undertake no obligation, except as required by law, to revise publicly any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should, however, review the factors and risks described in the reports we will file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) after the date of this prospectus.
ix
This summary highlights certain information about us, this offering and selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding whether to invest in the securities covered by this prospectus. You should read the following summary together with the more detailed information in this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, including the information set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus in their entirety before making an investment decision. Some of the statements in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for more information.
Marti was founded in 2018 to offer tech-enabled urban transportation services to riders across Türkiye. Marti launched two-wheeled electric vehicle operations in March 2019 and now has a fully funded fleet of more than 38,000 e-mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters, serving 6 cities across Türkiye, serviced by proprietary software systems and IoT infrastructure. In addition, Marti operates a ride-hailing service, offering car and motorcycle ride-hailing options that connect riders with drivers traveling in the same direction. As of December 31, 2023, we have served more than 77 million rides to more than 4.9 million unique riders. We define a unique rider as a paying customer who has completed at least one ride on a Marti e-scooter, e-bike or e-moped, or over our ride-hailing service since we launched our operations in March 2019. We are currently the number one urban mobility app in Türkiye across iOS and Android, as measured by the total number of downloads among all apps in the travel category of both stores which serve within city rather than between city transportation.
We offer environmentally sustainable transportation services to our riders. Our rentable services are currently delivered via fully electric two-wheeled vehicles, and our ride-hailing service promotes shared trips, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability through reduced emissions in the cities where we operate.
In October 2022, Marti launched its car and motorcycle ride-hailing service. Riders and drivers agree on the price of the ride, and we currently do not enable payment over our app or charge a fee for this service. With this addition, we are aligning our services to cater to a broader and more diverse customer base and better meet customer demand for both four- and two-wheeled vehicles. As of December 31, 2023 our ride-hailing service has served over 498,000 unique riders and includes over 106,000 registered drivers, including over 88,000 registered drivers in Istanbul. This is in contrast to 19,845 taxis serving the city of Istanbul.
We plan to continue to grow our existing urban transportation services, introduce additional forms of environmentally sustainable mobility services that are electric and/or shared, and leverage our existing scale and customer base to offer adjacent, tech-enabled services beyond transportation. Our operations have helped us avoid approximately 1,600 tons of CO2 emissions in 2022, equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by approximately 72,000 mature trees. We believe our plan for sustainable growth positions our services to be an integral part of the transportation networks of the cities we serve, and of the lives of our customers.
Corporate Information
We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands on February 26, 2021, under the name Galata Acquisition Corp. Upon the closing of the Business Combination (as defined below) on July 10, 2023, we changed our name to Marti Technologies, Inc.
Our registered office is Stuarts Corporate Services Ltd., P.O. Box 2510, Kensington House, 69 Dr Roy’s Drive, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-1104, and our principal executive office is Buyukdere Cd. No:237, Maslak, 34485, Sariyer/Istanbul, Türkiye. Our website address is www.marti.tech. We do not incorporate the information contained on, or accessible through, our websites into this prospectus, and you should not consider it a part of this prospectus. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov where you may access reports and other information that we file with or furnish electronically to the SEC. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10168.
1
Our Organizational Structure
The following diagram illustrates the structure of the Company as of the date hereof.
Tax Residence
As discussed more fully under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Treatment as a Domestic Corporation for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes,” we believe that, pursuant to Section 7874 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), even though the Company is an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company will be treated as a U.S. domestic corporation for all purposes of the Code. The Company will therefore be taxed as a U.S. domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Company will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its worldwide income.
In addition, any dividends paid by the Company to a non-U.S. Holder, as defined in the discussion under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Tax Considerations Applicable to Non-U.S. Holders,” would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding at the rate of 30%, or such lower rate as may be provided in an applicable income tax treaty. Each investor should consult its own tax adviser regarding the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the Company and the tax consequences of holding our Ordinary Shares.
Recent Developments
Callaway Subscription Agreement
On May 4, 2023, Galata and Callaway Capital Management LLC (“Callaway”) entered into a convertible note subscription agreement (the “Callaway Subscription Agreement”). Callaway is an affiliate of a director of Galata and the Callaway Subscription Agreement was unanimously approved by the Galata board of directors. Pursuant to the terms of the Callaway Subscription Agreement, Callaway or its designee has the option (the “Option”) (but not the obligation) to subscribe for Convertible Notes in an aggregate principal amount up to $40.0 million during the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the one year anniversary of the Closing Date (the “Subscription End Date”). On January 10, 2024, Marti and Callaway entered into an amendment agreement to the Callaway Subscription Agreement (the “Amendment Agreement”), pursuant to which, the Subscription End
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Date shall be, initially, the date that is fifteen (15) months after the Closing Date and shall be automatically extended by three (3) months for each issuance of $5,000,000 of the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes subscribed by Callaway following the date thereof.
MSTV Subscription Agreement
On March 22, 2024, Marti and an existing investor (“MSTV”) entered into a convertible note subscription agreement (the “Additional Subscription Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Additional Subscription Agreement, MSTV subscribed for Convertible Notes in an aggregate principal amount of $7,500,000 (the “MSTV Subscription”). The MSTV Subscription shall be deemed as a partial exercise of Callaway’s Option.
Callaway Commitment Letter
On March 22, 2024, Callaway provided a commitment letter to the Company (the “Commitment Letter”) in order to evidence its commitment to (i) subscribe for convertible notes in an aggregate principal amount of $15,000,000, with the relevant closing date occurring on or before the one-year anniversary of March 22, 2024 and (ii) timely deliver the relevant purchase price as described in the Callaway Subscription Agreement.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved (to the extent applicable to a foreign private issuer). If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
We will remain an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act until the earliest of (a) the last day of our first fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering, (b) the last date of our fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, (c) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the rules of the SEC with at least $700.0 million of outstanding securities held by non-affiliates or (d) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the previous three years. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
We report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including, but not limited to:
• the rules under the Exchange Act requiring domestic filers to issue financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP;
• the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;
• the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and
• the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specific information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events.
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We intend to take advantage of these exemptions until such time as we are no longer a foreign private issuer. We would cease to be a foreign private issuer at such time as (i) more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are held by U.S. residents and (ii) any of the following three circumstances applies: (A) the majority of our executive officers or directors are U.S. citizens or residents, (B) more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States or (C) our business is administered principally in the United States.
Both foreign private issuers and emerging growth companies are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules. Thus, even if we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company but remain a foreign private issuer, we will continue to be exempt from the more stringent compensation disclosures required of companies that are not emerging growth companies and will continue to be permitted to follow our home country practice on such matters.
Summary of Risk Factors
Investing in our securities entails a high degree of risk as more fully described under “Risk Factors.” You should carefully consider such risks before deciding to invest in our securities. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Sales of a substantial number of our securities in the public market by the selling securityholders could cause the price of our Ordinary Shares to fall.
• Certain existing shareholders purchased securities in the Company at a price below the current trading price of such securities, and may experience a positive investment return based on the current trading price, and may realize significant profits. Future investors in our Company may not experience a similar investment return.
• We have a relatively short operating history and a new and evolving business model, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects, forecast financial results and assess the risks and challenges we may face.
• We have incurred significant operating losses in the past and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future.
• Our ability to continue as a going concern depends on our ability to continue obtaining sufficient funding to finance our operations due to our history of recurring losses and anticipated expenditures.
• If we fail to retain existing riders or add new riders, or if our riders decrease their level of engagement with our products and services, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be significantly harmed.
• Our only significant asset is ownership of Marti Delaware and its affiliates and such ownership may not be sufficient to pay dividends or make distributions or obtain loans to enable us to pay any dividends on our Class A ordinary shares (the “Ordinary Shares”) or satisfy other financial obligations.
• We operate in a new and rapidly changing industry, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects.
• The market for micromobility vehicle sharing is in an early stage of growth, and if such market does not continue to grow, grows more slowly than we expect or fails to grow as large as we expect, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
• We launched a ride-hailing service, which may be difficult to monetize and may subject us to increased liability.
• Our future operating results depend upon our ability to obtain vehicles that meet our quality specifications in sufficient quantities on commercially reasonable terms.
• The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and competition represents an ongoing threat to the growth and success of our business.
• If we are unable to attract or retain a sufficient number of driver and riders, whether due to market competition or other factors, our platform will become less appealing to users, which could adversely affect the value of our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
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• If platform users engage in, or are exposed to, criminal, violent, dangerous, or inappropriate activity resulting in significant safety incidents, it may undermine our ability to attract and retain both drivers and riders, which could adversely impact our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
• We have announced our sustainability targets which may require substantial effort, resources, and management time to achieve. However, unforeseen circumstances, some beyond our control, could necessitate adjustments to our planned timelines for fulfilling these commitments.
• Our user growth and engagement on mobile devices depend upon effective operation with mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control.
• Our business could be adversely impacted by changes in the Internet and mobile device accessibility of users and unfavorable changes in or our failure to comply with existing or future laws governing the Internet and mobile devices.
• We may be party to intellectual property rights claims and other litigation that are expensive to support, and if resolved adversely, could have a significant impact on us and our shareholders.
• Action by governmental authorities to restrict access to our products and services in their localities could substantially harm our business and financial results.
• Our business is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations, many of which are evolving, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
• Our business currently requires us to source parts, materials, and supplies internationally, and supply chain disruptions, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and changes to international trade agreements, tariffs, import and excise duties, taxes or other governmental rules and regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
• Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
• Our principal executive offices and other operations and facilities are located in Türkiye and, therefore, our prospects, business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected by political or economic instability in Türkiye.
• We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
• We qualify as an “emerging growth company” and a smaller reporting company, and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” and smaller growth companies may make our securities less attractive to investors.
• The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert our management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.
• If we fail to put in place appropriate and effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we may suffer harm to our reputation and investor confidence levels.
• As an exempted company limited by shares incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the NYSE American corporate governance listing standards applicable to domestic U.S. companies; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the NYSE American corporate governance listing standards.
• An active, liquid trading market for our securities may not be sustained.
• If securities or industry analysts do not publish enough number of research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price and trading volume of our securities could decline.
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The summary below describes the principal terms of the offering. The “Description of Securities” section of this prospectus contains a more detailed description of our Ordinary Shares.
Securities being registered for resale by the Selling Securityholders named in the prospectus |
Up to 85,226,425 Ordinary Shares. |
|
Offering prices |
The securities offered by this prospectus may be offered and sold at prevailing market prices, privately negotiated prices or such other prices as the Selling Securityholders may determine. See “Plan of Distribution.” |
|
Ordinary shares issued and outstanding |
57,355,324 Ordinary Shares as of April 15, 2024. |
|
Use of proceeds |
All of the Ordinary Shares offered by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Securityholders for their respective amounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales. |
|
Lock-up restrictions |
Certain of our shareholders are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. See “Securities Eligible for Future Sales — Lock-Up.” |
|
Dividend policy |
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends. Our board of directors (“Board”) will consider whether or not to institute a dividend policy. We presently intend to retain our earnings for use in business operations and, accordingly, it is not anticipated that our Board will declare dividends in the foreseeable future. We have not identified a paying agent. See “Dividend Policy.” |
|
Risk factors |
Prospective investors should carefully consider the section titled “Risk Factors” for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in the securities offered hereby. |
|
Market for our ordinary shares |
Our Ordinary Shares are listed on the NYSE American under the symbol “MRT”. |
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You should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading price and value of our ordinary shares could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks faced by us described below and elsewhere in this prospectus. As stated elsewhere in this prospectus, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this subsection to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Marti Technologies, Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its subsidiaries. As described under “Prospectus Summary — Recent Developments,” in connection with the Closing on July 10, 2023, we changed our legal name from Galata Acquisition Corp. to Marti Technologies, Inc. All references to “Galata” refer to Galata Acquisition Corp., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, prior to the Closing and references to “Marti” refer to Marti Technologies I Inc., a Delaware corporation (formerly known as Marti Technologies Inc.), and its subsidiaries.
Risks Related to Our Securities
Sales of a substantial number of our securities in the public market by the Selling Securityholders could cause the price of our Ordinary Shares to fall.
The Selling Securityholders can resell, under this prospectus, and upon the conversion of all Convertible Notes, including such notes pursuant to the Callaway Subscription Agreement (as defined herein), up to 85,226,425 Ordinary Shares constituting approximately 148.6% of our issued Ordinary Shares. Sales of a substantial number of Ordinary Shares in the public market by the Selling Securityholders and/or by our other existing securityholders, or the perception that those sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Ordinary Shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our Ordinary Shares.
Certain existing shareholders purchased securities in the Company at a price below the current trading price of such securities, and may experience a positive investment return based on the current trading price, and may realize significant profits. Future investors in our Company may not experience a similar investment return.
Certain shareholders in the Company, including certain of the Selling Securityholders, acquired Ordinary Shares at prices below the current trading price of our Ordinary Shares, and may experience a positive investment return based on the current trading price.
The 3,473,750 Ordinary Shares included hereby for offer and resale by certain affiliates of Former Sponsor were originally acquired as founder shares of Galata in connection with Galata’s initial public offering, for which Former Sponsor paid an aggregate of approximately $25,000.
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This prospectus also includes for offer and resale by certain previous independent directors of Galata, certain legacy investors in Marti, the Pre-Fund Subscribers, Callaway Capital Management, Gala Investments certain of our executive officers, former executive officers and affiliates up to 85,226,425 Ordinary Shares. The following table provides the number of Ordinary Shares offered hereby by each Selling Securityholder as well as the (i) historical total amount paid, (ii) the historical weighted-average price paid per Ordinary Share and (iii) the potential profit earned by each Selling Securityholder:
Selling Securityholder |
Number of |
Historical |
Historical |
Potential |
||||||
Agah Ugur |
175,240 |
|
0.19 |
|
1.07 |
0.11 |
||||
Autotech Fund II, L.P |
353,535 |
(3) |
6.72 |
(6) |
2.63 |
— |
||||
Esra Unluaslan Durgun |
7,477,950 |
|
0.00 |
(7) |
0.00 |
12.56 |
||||
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development |
707,069 |
(3) |
11.44 |
(6) |
2.59 |
— |
||||
Oguz Alper Oktem |
7,477,950 |
|
0.00 |
(7) |
0.00 |
12.56 |
||||
Seher Sena Öktem |
793,265 |
|
0.00 |
(7) |
0.00 |
1.33 |
||||
Sumed Equity Ltd. |
8,629,368 |
(3) |
13.31 |
(6) |
1.51 |
1.47 |
||||
New Holland Tactical Alpha Fund LP |
254,035 |
|
— |
(8) |
— |
0.43 |
||||
Shelley Guiley |
35,000 |
|
— |
(9) |
— |
0.06 |
||||
Adam Metz |
35,000 |
|
— |
(9) |
— |
0.06 |
||||
Tim Shannon |
35,000 |
|
— |
(9) |
— |
0.06 |
||||
Gala Investments, LLC |
15,000 |
|
0.00 |
(7) |
0.01 |
0.03 |
||||
405 MSTV I LP |
10,896,308 |
(4) |
12.80 |
(10) |
1.65 |
0.33 |
||||
Keystone Group, L.P. |
6,294,035 |
(4) |
12.80 |
(10) |
1.65 |
0.19 |
||||
Gramercy Emerging Markets Dynamic Credit Fund |
629,404 |
(4) |
1.28 |
(10) |
1.65 |
0.02 |
||||
Gramercy Multi-Asset Fund LP |
944,106 |
(4) |
1.92 |
(10) |
1.65 |
0.03 |
||||
Funds managed by Weiss Asset Management LP |
7,077,018 |
(4) |
12.80 |
(11) |
1.81 |
— |
||||
Farragut Square Global Master Fund, LP |
12,531,036 |
(5) |
20.99 |
(12) |
1.68 |
— |
||||
Callaway Capital Management, LLC |
20,641,076 |
(4) |
51.2 |
(10) |
1.65 |
0.62 |
||||
Park Loop DC, LLC |
138,186 |
|
— |
(8) |
— |
0.23 |
||||
Kemal Kaya |
86,844 |
|
— |
(8) |
— |
0.15 |
____________
(1) For the purposes of this table, where historical consideration was originally conveyed in Turkish lira, amounts have been converted to U.S. dollars using prevailing exchange rates at the time the transaction occurred.
(2) Potential profit is calculated assuming the sale of all Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus by each respective Selling Securityholder and is based on the last reported sale price on May 14, 2024 of our Ordinary Shares on NYSE American of $1.68 per share.
(3) Represents the sum of previously owned shares and the share amount calculated based on the principal amount of Pre-Fund Notes, all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Pre-Fund Notes at the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(4) Calculated based on the principal amount of Convertible Notes at the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(5) Calculated based on the principal amount of Pre-Fund Notes, all of the accrued amount of PIK interest under the Pre-Fund Notes as of the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(6) Represents the sum of the total cost of previously owned shares, the principal amount of Pre-Fund Notes, all of the accrued amount of PIK interest under the Pre-Fund Notes at the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(7) Reflects total dollar amount paid of (a) $42.75 by each of Mr. Oktem and Ms. Durgun, (b) $4.50 by Ms. Oktem and (c) $104.35 by Gala Investments, LLC, which appears as $0.00 million in the above table due to rounding.
(8) Reflects Ordinary Shares acquired from Former Sponsor (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration.
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(9) Reflects Ordinary Shares acquired as stock-based compensation for service on the board of directors of Galata (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration.
(10) Calculated as the sum of principal amounts of Convertible Notes as of the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(11) Represents the sum of the total cost of Ordinary Shares acquired from Former Sponsor (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration, the principal amounts of Convertible Notes as of the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
(12) Represents the sum of the total cost of Ordinary Shares acquired from Former Sponsor (as defined herein) for no monetary consideration, the principal amount of Pre-Fund Notes, all of the accrued amount of PIK interest under the Pre-Fund Notes as of the Closing Date and all accrued amount of PIK interest under the Convertible Notes as of April 15, 2024.
Based on the last reported sale price of our Ordinary Shares on May 14, 2024 of $1.68 per share, certain Selling Securityholders named in this prospectus would realize significant profits on the sale of their holdings as compared to the initial consideration paid for such holdings, as detailed above.
Given the relatively lower purchase prices that some of our shareholders paid to acquire Ordinary Shares compared to the current trading price of our Ordinary Shares, these shareholders, some of whom are our Selling Securityholders, in some instances will earn a positive rate of return on their investment, which may be a significant positive rate of return, depending on the market price of our Ordinary Shares at the time that such shareholders choose to sell their Ordinary Shares. Investors who purchase our Ordinary Shares in the open market following the Business Combination may not experience a similar rate of return on the securities they purchase due to differences in the purchase prices and the current trading price. Additionally, even though our Ordinary Shares may be trading at a price below the trading price of Galata’s ordinary shares prior to the Business Combination, certain affiliates of Former Sponsor and other affiliates may still be incentivized to sell their shares due to the relatively lower price they paid to acquire such shares.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We have a relatively short operating history and a new and evolving business model, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects, forecast financial results and assess the risks and challenges we may face.
Our business model is relatively new and rapidly evolving. We were founded in 2018 to offer technology-enabled urban transportation services across Türkiye. We launched operations in 2019 and now have a fully funded fleet of more than 38,000 e-mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters, serving six cities across Türkiye. We generate revenue mainly from the rides of e-mopeds, e-bikes, and e-scooters completed by our riders. Riders pay an unlock fee to begin a ride and a per minute fee for each minute of the ride. The unlock fee and per minute fee vary by modality, geography, and length of transit. In addition, a small portion of our revenue (less than 1% in 2023, 2022 and 2021) is generated from advance vehicle reservations that enable riders to reserve a vehicle prior to commencing a ride, with a reservation fee charged on a per minute basis. In October 2022, we launched a ride-hailing service offering car, motorcycle, and taxi ride-hailing options that connect riders with drivers traveling in the same direction. Riders and drivers agree on the price of the ride, and we do not currently enable payment over our app or charge a fee for this service.
We have encountered in the past, and will encounter in the future, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies with limited operating histories in rapidly changing industries. Risks and challenges we have faced or expect to face as a result of our relatively limited operating history and evolving business model include our ability to:
• make operating decisions and evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter;
• forecast our revenue and budget for and manage our expenses;
• attract new riders and retain existing riders in a cost-effective manner;
• comply with existing and new or modified laws and regulations applicable to our business;
• manage our software platform and our business assets and expenses;
• plan for and manage capital expenditures for our current and future products and services, and manage our supply chain and manufacturer and supplier relationships related to our current and future products and services;
• develop, manufacture, source, deploy, maintain, and ensure utilization of our assets, including our growing network of vehicles as well as assembly operations;
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• anticipate and respond to macroeconomic changes and changes in the markets in which we operate;
• maintain and enhance the value of our reputation and brand;
• effectively manage our growth and business operations;
• successfully expand our geographic reach in markets in which we currently operate as well as new markets;
• hire, integrate and retain talented people at all levels of our organization; and
• successfully develop new features, products and services to enhance the experience of customers.
If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which we use to plan and operate our business, are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our results of operations could differ materially from our expectations and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We have incurred significant operating losses in the past and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future.
We have incurred net losses since our inception, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future. Our expenses will likely increase in the future as we develop and launch new products, services and software platform features, expand in existing and new markets, expand our vehicle fleet, expand marketing channels and operations, hire additional employees, and continue to invest in our products and services and customer engagement. These efforts may be more costly than we expect and may not result in increased revenue or growth in our business sufficient to offset these expenses. For example, we may incur additional costs and expenses related to supply chain disruptions. Furthermore, our products and services require significant capital investments and recurring costs, including debt payments, maintenance, depreciation, asset life, and asset replacement costs, and if we are not able to maintain sufficient levels of utilization of such assets or such products or services are otherwise not successful, our investments may not generate sufficient returns and our financial condition may be adversely affected. Additionally, as a public company, we expect stock-based compensation expense will continue to be a significant expense in future periods.
Given our limited operating history, many of our efforts to generate revenue are new and unproven. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our revenue was $20.0 million, a decrease of 19.8%, as compared to our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our revenue was $25.0 million, an increase of 47.0%, as compared to our revenue of $17.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Although we have experienced significant revenue growth in most of the recent periods, we cannot guarantee that we will sustain our recent revenue growth rate in future periods as a result of many factors, including decreased demand for our products and services, increased competition and the maturation of our business, and cannot assure you that our revenue will not decline. You should not consider our historical revenue or operating expenses as indicative of our future performance. If our revenue does not increase sufficiently to offset our expenses, if we experience unexpected increases in operating expenses, or if we are required to take charges related to impairments or other matters, we might not achieve or maintain profitability and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we fail to retain existing riders or add new riders, or if our riders decrease their level of engagement with our products and services, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be significantly harmed.
The size of our rider base is critical to our success. Our financial performance has been and will continue to be significantly determined by our success in cost-effectively adding, retaining, and engaging active users of our products and services. If people do not perceive our products and services to be useful, reliable, trustworthy, and affordable, we may not be able to attract or retain riders or otherwise maintain or increase the frequency of their use of our products and services. Our rider engagement patterns have varied over time, and rider engagement can be difficult to measure, particularly as we introduce new and different products and services and expand into new markets. Any number of factors could negatively affect rider retention, growth, and engagement, including if:
• riders increasingly engage with other competitive products or services;
• local governments and municipalities restrict our ability to operate our products and services in various jurisdictions at the level at which we desire to operate, or at all;
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• there are adverse changes to our products, services or business model that are mandated by legislation, regulatory authorities, or litigation;
• we fail to introduce new features, products, or services that riders find engaging;
• we introduce new products or services, or make changes to existing products and services, that are not favorably received;
• riders have difficulty installing, updating, or otherwise accessing our products on mobile devices as a result of actions by us or third parties that we rely on to distribute our products and deliver our services;
• changes in rider preferences or behavior, including decreases in the frequency of use of our products and services;
• there are decreases in rider sentiment about the quality, affordability, or usefulness of our products or concerns related to privacy, safety, security or other factors;
• riders adopt new products and services where our products and services may be displaced in favor of other products or services, or may not be featured or otherwise available;
• technical or other problems prevent us from delivering our products in a rapid and reliable manner or otherwise affect the rider experience;
• we adopt terms, policies or procedures related to areas such as rider data that are perceived negatively by our riders or the general public;
• we elect to focus our product decisions on longer-term initiatives that do not prioritize near-term rider growth and engagement, or if initiatives designed to attract and retain riders and engagement are unsuccessful or discontinued, whether as a result of actions by us, third parties, or otherwise;
• we fail to provide adequate customer service to riders; or
• we, or other partners and companies in our industry, are the subject of adverse media reports or other negative publicity, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents.
Further, government actions in response to potential future pandemics, such as travel bans, travel restrictions, and shelter-in-place orders, may decrease utilization of our products and services. If we are unable to cost-effectively maintain or increase our rider base and engagement, our products and services may become less attractive to riders and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Changes to our pricing could adversely affect our ability to attract or retain riders.
We regularly analyze data to determine the optimal pricing strategy to support the profitability of our business, while also trying to grow our user base. One of the risks of changing prices is that user demand is sensitive to price increases, particularly given the recent impact inflation has had on consumer spending habits. If we raise prices too much or too often, user demand may decrease. Additionally, factors such as operating costs, legal and regulatory requirements or constraints, and the ability of our competitors to offer more attractive pricing to either their customers or service providers may impact our overall pricing model.
Certain of our competitors offer, or may in the future offer, lower-priced or a broader range of products and services. Similarly, certain competitors may use marketing strategies that enable them to attract or retain riders and service providers at a lower cost than us. In the past, we have made pricing changes and incurred expenses related to marketing and rider payments, and there can be no assurance that we will not be forced, through competition, regulation, or otherwise, to reduce prices for users or increase our marketing and other expenses to attract and retain riders in response to competitive pressures or regulatory requirements. Furthermore, the economic sensitivity of riders on our software platform may vary by geographic location, and as we expand, our pricing methodologies may not enable us to compete effectively in these locations. Local regulations may affect our pricing in certain geographic locations, which could amplify these effects. We have launched, and may in the future launch, new pricing strategies and initiatives, such as subscription packages and rider loyalty programs. We have also modified, and may in the future modify, existing pricing methodologies. Any of the foregoing actions may not ultimately be successful in attracting and retaining riders.
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As we continue to strive for an optimal pricing strategy, we may launch new pricing initiatives that may not be successful in retaining users. While we do and will attempt to optimize prices and balance supply and demand in our marketplace, including in each of the geographic markets in which we operate, our assessments may not be accurate or there may be errors in the technology used in our pricing and we could be underpricing or overpricing our products and services. In addition, if the products and services on our platform change, then we may need to revise our pricing methodologies. As we continue to launch new and develop existing asset-intensive products and services, factors such as maintenance, debt service, depreciation, asset life, battery swaps, supply chain efficiency, and asset replacement may affect our pricing methodologies. Any such changes to our pricing methodologies or our ability to efficiently price our products and services could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our only significant asset is ownership of Marti Delaware and its affiliates and such ownership may not be sufficient to pay dividends or make distributions or obtain loans to enable us to pay any dividends on our Ordinary Shares or satisfy other financial obligations.
We are a holding company and will not directly own any operating assets other than our ownership of interests in Marti Delaware. We depend on Marti Delaware for distributions, loans, and other payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations, including our expenses as a publicly traded company and to pay any dividends. The earnings from, or other available assets of, Marti Delaware may not be sufficient to make distributions or pay dividends, pay expenses or satisfy our other financial obligations.
We rely on third parties maintaining open marketplaces to distribute our application and provide the software we use in certain of our products and services. If such third parties interfere with the distribution of our products or services or with our use of such software, if we are unable to maintain a good relationship with such third parties, or if marketplaces are unavailable for any prolonged period of time, our business will suffer.
Our mobile application is available for download to our users through the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei AppGallery. Substantially all of our revenue is generated through our mobile application. We cannot assure you that the marketplaces through which we distribute our platform will maintain their current structures or that such marketplaces will not charge us fees to list our application for download. We believe that we have good relationships with each of Apple, Google, and Huawei. If we are not featured prominently on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or Huawei AppGallery, users may find it more difficult to discover our mobile applications, which would make it more difficult to generate significant revenue from them. We may also be required to spend significantly more on marketing campaigns to generate substantial revenue on these platforms. In addition, Apple, Google and Huawei do not currently charge a publisher to feature one of its apps. If any of Apple, Google or Huawei were to charge publishers to feature an app, it could cause our marketing expenses to increase. Accordingly, any change or deterioration in our relationship with any of Apple, Google or Huawei could materially harm our business.
We also rely on the continued functioning of the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei AppGallery. In the past, these digital storefronts have been unavailable for short periods of time or experienced issues with their in-app purchasing functionality. If either of these events recurs on a prolonged basis or other similar issues arise that impact our ability to generate revenue from these storefronts, it would have a material adverse effect on our revenue and operating results. In addition, if these storefront operators fail to provide high levels of service, our end users’ ability to access our mobile applications may be interrupted which may adversely affect our users’ confidence in our products and our brand.
In addition to the aforementioned mobile application platforms, there are additional third-party mobile application platforms available to distribute our mobile application to customers, including the Microsoft and Samsung app stores. However, these alternative app stores have significantly fewer users than the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei AppGallery mobile application marketplaces through which we currently distribute our mobile application to customers. Accordingly, our business model is substantially dependent on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Huawei AppGallery, and if we were unable to offer our mobile application to customers on such platforms our business, financial condition, and results of operations would be adversely affected.
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We operate in a new and rapidly changing industry, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects.
The market for vehicle sharing, through which we derive substantially all of our revenue, is a new and rapidly evolving industry. The growth of this market and the level of demand and market acceptance of our services is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. Our future operating results will depend on numerous factors affecting the industry, many of which are beyond our control, including:
• changes in consumer demographics and public tastes and preferences;
• changes in the method for distribution of our mobile application and products and services;
• regulatory agencies, national and local governments and municipalities restricting our ability to operate our products and services in various jurisdictions at the level at which we desire to operate, or at all;
• the availability and popularity of vehicle sharing; and
• general economic conditions, particularly economic conditions adversely affecting discretionary consumer spending and demand for vehicle sharing.
Our ability to plan for development, distribution, and promotional activities will be significantly affected by our ability to anticipate and adapt to relatively rapid changes in the tastes and preferences of our current and potential riders. If the public does not perceive our business or other products and services as beneficial, or chooses not to adopt them as a result of concerns regarding public health or safety, affordability, or for other reasons, whether as a result of incidents on our or our competitors’ platforms, or otherwise, then the market for our products and services may not further develop, may develop more slowly than we expect, or may not achieve the growth potential we expect, which would harm our business and prospects. Additionally, from time to time we may re-evaluate the markets in which we operate and the performance of our network of shared vehicles, and we have discontinued and may in the future discontinue operations in certain markets as a result of such evaluations. Any of the foregoing risks and challenges could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The market for micromobility vehicle sharing is in an early stage of growth, and if such market does not continue to grow, grows more slowly than we expect or fails to grow as large as we expect, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The market for micromobility vehicle sharing is new and unproven, and it is uncertain whether demand for our services will continue to grow and achieve wide market acceptance in the markets in which we operate. Our success depends on the willingness of people to widely adopt micromobility vehicle sharing. If the public does not perceive such sharing as beneficial, or chooses not to adopt it as a result of concerns regarding safety, affordability or for other reasons, whether as a result of incidents on our platform or on our competitors’ platforms or otherwise, then the market for our micromobility sharing network may not further develop, may develop more slowly than we expect or may not achieve the growth potential we expect, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we are unable to efficiently grow and further develop our network of shared vehicles and manage the related risks, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
While some major cities in Türkiye have widely adopted micromobility vehicle sharing, new markets might not accept, or existing markets might not continue to accept, micromobility vehicle sharing, and even if they do, we might not be able to execute our business strategy. Even if we are able to successfully develop and implement our network of shared vehicles, there may be heightened public skepticism of this nascent service offering. In particular, there could be negative public perception surrounding micromobility vehicle sharing, including the overall safety and the potential for injuries occurring as a result of accidents involving an increased number of bikes, scooters, and mopeds on the road. Such negative public perception may result from incidents on our platform or incidents involving competitors’ products and services, which may be out of our control.
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We use a limited number of external suppliers for our vehicles, and rely on a continuous, stable and cost-effective supply of parts for our vehicles that meet our standards, which is critical to our operations. We expect to continue to rely on external suppliers in the future and might not be able to maintain our existing relationships with these suppliers and continue to be able to source our vehicles on a stable basis, at a reasonable price or at all.
The supply chain for vehicles exposes us to multiple potential sources of delivery failure or shortages. For example, in 2021, a global chip shortage led to significant increases in lead times and chip prices. The lead time of chips increased from approximately six weeks to over 20 weeks, and the average price of chips increased from approximately $3 to $40. As a result, the production time and cost of our in-house developed IoTs increased. In the event that the supply of vehicles or key components is interrupted or there are further significant increases in prices, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. Additionally, changes in business conditions, force majeure, governmental changes and other factors beyond our control or that we do not presently anticipate could also affect our suppliers’ ability to deliver on a timely basis.
We incurred significant costs related to the design, purchase, sourcing, and operations of our vehicle fleet and expect to continue incurring such costs as we expand our network of shared vehicles. The prices of our vehicles may fluctuate depending on factors beyond our control including market and economic conditions, tariffs, and demand. Substantial increases in prices of these assets or the cost of our operations would increase our costs and reduce our margins, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our vehicles or components thereof may experience quality problems or defects from time to time, which could result in decreased usage of our micromobility network. We might not be able to detect and fix all defects in our vehicles. Failure to do so could result in lost revenue, litigation or regulatory challenges, including personal injury or products liability claims, and harm to our reputation. We envision expanding our current core business to include other sharing services. Failure to provide these additional services as envisioned or at all, could affect our growth prospects and operating results.
We intend to expand our business and may enter into new lines of business or geographic markets, which may result in additional risks, uncertainties and costs in our business.
We may continue to grow our business by offering additional products and services, by entering into new lines of business and by entering into, or expanding our presence in, new geographic markets. Introducing new products and services could increase our operational costs and the complexities involved in managing such products and services, including with respect to ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. To the extent we enter into new lines of business, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the possibility that we have insufficient expertise to engage in such activities profitably or without incurring inappropriate amounts of risk, the required investment of capital and other resources and the loss of investors due to the perception that we are no longer focusing on our core business. In addition, we may from time to time explore opportunities to grow our business via acquisitions, partnerships, investments or other strategic transactions. There can be no assurance that we will successfully identify, negotiate or complete such transactions, that any completed transactions will produce favorable financial results or that we will be able to successfully integrate an acquired business with ours.
Entry into certain lines of business or geographic markets or introduction of new types of products or services may subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, and may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk. In addition, certain aspects of our cost structure, such as costs for compensation, communication and information technology services, and depreciation and amortization will be largely fixed, and we may not be able to timely adjust these costs to match fluctuations in revenue related to growing our business or entering into new lines of business. If a new business generates insufficient revenue or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, we maintain the majority of our cash and cash equivalents in accounts with major U.S. and multi-national financial institutions, and our deposits at certain of these institutions exceed insured limits. Market conditions can impact the viability of these institutions. In the event of failure of any of the financial institutions where we maintain our cash and cash equivalents, there can be no assurance that we would be able to access uninsured funds in a timely manner or at all. Any inability to access or delay in accessing these funds could adversely affect our business and financial position.
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We launched a ride-hailing service, which may be difficult to monetize and may subject us to increased liability.
In October 2022, we launched a ride-hailing service offering car, motorcycle, and taxi ride-hailing options that connect riders with drivers traveling in the same direction. Riders and drivers agree on the price of the ride, and we do not currently enable payment over our app or charge a fee for this service. This business model is relatively new and a number of factors could negatively affect rider and driver acquisition, growth, retention, and engagement. Our ride-hailing service may be restricted by local governments and municipalities and may be adversely affected by future legislation and/or actions taken by regulatory authorities. Due to the nature of our ride-hailing services, we may be subject to significant liability as a result of traffic accidents, injuries or other incidents that occur during rides booked with our service. New laws and regulations, and changes to existing laws and regulations, continue to be adopted, implemented and interpreted in response to ride-hailing services and related technologies, and we could be subject to intense and even conflicting regulatory pressure from national, regional and local regulatory authorities. Adverse changes in laws or regulations at all levels of government, or bans on or material limitations to ride-hailing services, could adversely affect our business. Even though we do not currently charge a fee for our ride-hailing service, the Turkish Revenue Administration (“TRA”) may conduct a tax audit. If the TRA disagrees with the positions taken on our taxes and we do not prevail in any such disagreement, we could incur additional tax liability, including interest and penalties, which could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition. We are currently investing in growing ride-hailing business in the absence of monetizing the service. We may not be able to monetize our ride-hailing service in the future, or monetize the service sufficiently to recover our investments.
We may acquire other businesses, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, dilute shareholder value, and adversely affect our operating results.
As part of our business strategy, we may purchase the stock or assets of other entities. We continue to evaluate a wide array of potential strategic transactions, including acquisitions of businesses, new technologies, services, and other assets, and strategic investments that complement our business.
Acquisitions involve numerous risks which could harm our business and negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations. There is intense competition for suitable acquisition targets, which could increase acquisition costs and adversely affect our ability to consummate deals on favorable or acceptable terms. There is no assurance that the time and resources expended on pursuing a particular acquisition will result in a completed transaction, or that any completed transaction will ultimately be successful. Furthermore, if we do complete acquisitions, we may not ultimately strengthen our competitive position or achieve our goals, and our ability to bring to market successful products and services could be limited. In addition, acquisitions we do complete may not translate into successful business opportunities or provide us with other benefits, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits or synergies of a transaction. If we fail to successfully integrate our past or future acquisitions, or the technologies associated with such acquisitions, the revenue and operating results of the combined company could be adversely affected. Each integration process requires significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired technology or other assets or accurately forecast the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges. We may also encounter difficulties in retaining key employees or business partners of an acquired company. There may be transaction-related lawsuits or claims, or adverse market reaction to an acquisition. We may not determine the appropriate purchase price of acquired companies, which may lead to the potential impairment of intangible assets and goodwill acquired in the acquisitions. Additionally, we may have to pay cash, incur debt, or issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition, each of which could affect our financial condition or the value of our capital stock, result in dilution to our shareholders, increase our fixed obligations, or require us to comply with covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations. Future acquisitions could also involve other risks, including the assumption of unidentified liabilities for which we, as a successor, may be responsible. The direct costs of these acquisitions, as well as the resources required to evaluate, negotiate, integrate, and promote these acquisitions, may divert significant time and resources from the general operation of our business and require significant attention from management, all of which could disrupt the ordinary functioning of our business and adversely affect our operating results.
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We may need additional capital, and we cannot be certain that additional financing will be available.
Historically, we have funded our operations and capital expenditures primarily through sales of our preferred stock, debt financing, and cash generated from our operations. To support our growing business, we must have sufficient capital to continue to make significant investments in our products and services. Although we currently anticipate that our available funds and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our cash needs for the foreseeable future, we may require additional equity or debt financing, including by the issuance of securities. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked, or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our Ordinary Shares, and our shareholders may experience dilution.
We evaluate financing opportunities from time to time, and our ability to obtain financing will depend, among other things, on our development efforts, business plans, operating performance, and the condition of the capital markets at the time we seek financing. Additionally, the continuing impact of global economic headwinds may affect our access to capital and make additional capital more difficult or available only on terms less favorable to us. We cannot assure you that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We may experience delays in launching and ramping the production of our products and features, or we may be unable to control our manufacturing costs or the quality of supplies that we require.
We have previously experienced and may in the future experience launch and production delays for new products and features. In addition, we may introduce in the future new or unique manufacturing processes and design features for our products. There is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully and timely introduce and scale such processes or features.
In particular, our future business depends in large part on increasing the production of our fleet of vehicles or obtaining certain supply components, such as IoT locks, electric motors or batteries. In order to be successful, we will need to implement, maintain and ramp efficient and cost-effective manufacturing capabilities, processes and supply chains and achieve the design tolerances, high quality and output rates we have planned at expanding the production capacity in Türkiye through collaborations with local business partners. Bottlenecks and other unexpected challenges such as those we experienced in the past may arise during production ramps, and we must address them promptly while continuing to improve manufacturing processes and reducing costs. If we are not successful in achieving these goals, we could face delays in establishing and/or sustaining our growth plans or be unable to meet our related cost and profitability targets.
Any delay or other complication in ramping the production of our current products or the development, manufacture, launch, and production ramp of our future products, features, and services, or in doing so cost-effectively and with high quality, may harm our brand, business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Poor weather adversely affects the use of our services, which causes seasonality in our business and could negatively impact our financial performance from period to period.
We have vehicle sharing operations in a variety of markets in Türkiye, some of which can have cold and long winters or significant periods of rain or other precipitation during which our vehicles are less likely to be ridden. As a result, poor weather conditions in a particular market can have a material effect on our results of operations in that market and can cause our results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter. Because most of our revenue is currently generated from markets in the Northern Hemisphere, poor weather conditions are more likely to negatively impact our overall business in the first and fourth quarters of the calendar year. However, from time to time we may re-evaluate the markets in which we operate and the performance of our vehicle sharing business, and may in the future discontinue or scale down operations in certain markets and/or at certain times as a result of such evaluations. Any entrance into markets with different weather patterns would introduce additional seasonality. Other seasonal trends may develop or these existing seasonal trends may become more extreme, as a result of climate
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change or otherwise, which would contribute to fluctuations in our operating results. The seasonality of our business could also create cash flow management risks if we do not adequately anticipate and plan for periods of decreased activity, which could negatively impact our ability to execute on our strategy, which in turn could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our future operating results depend upon our ability to obtain vehicles that meet our quality specifications in sufficient quantities on commercially reasonable terms.
We contract to manufacture vehicles with our design inputs using a limited number of external suppliers, and a continuous, stable, and cost-effective supply of vehicles that meets our standards is critical to our operations. We expect to continue to rely on external suppliers in the future. Because we obtain vehicles and certain components for them from single or limited sources, we are subject to significant supply and pricing risks. Many vehicles and components, including those that are available from multiple sources, are or could become at times subject to delivery failure, industry-wide shortages, and significant pricing fluctuations that could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. The prices and availability of our vehicles and related products may fluctuate depending on factors beyond our control, including market and economic conditions, changes to import or export regulations and demand. Changes in business conditions, force majeure, any public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, governmental or regulatory changes, and other factors beyond our control have and could continue to affect our suppliers’ ability to deliver products on a timely basis. While we have entered into agreements for the supply of our vehicles and other components, there can be no assurance that we will be able to extend or renew these agreements on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and that our suppliers will have sufficient resources to fulfill our orders or that the vehicles and components we receive will meet our quality specifications and be free from defects. Furthermore, suppliers may suffer from poor financial conditions, which can lead to business failure for the supplier, or consolidation within a particular industry, further limiting our ability to obtain sufficient quantities of vehicles and components on commercially reasonable terms.
New and changing tariffs, duties, and taxes may apply in connection with the imports and exports of equipment and parts, and can negatively affect our cost structure and logistics planning. Further, customs authorities may challenge or disagree with our classifications or valuation of imports. Such challenges could result in tariff liabilities, including tariffs on past imports, as well as penalties and interest. For example, in January 2022 the Ministry of Trade in Türkiye (the “MTDC”) began investigating the imports of scooters into Türkiye, which led to us restating the importation of our scooter parts under a different import tax product code, resulting in higher import taxes and a fine issued by the MTDC. The total amount paid by us pursuant to the increased tax liability and fine was approximately $2.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and we may incur further tax liabilities and fines in connection with the importation of our e-scooters and e-bikes.
We rely on third-party insurance policies to insure us against vehicle-related risks and operations-related risks. If our insurance coverage is insufficient for the needs of our business or our premiums or deductibles become prohibitively expensive or if our insurance providers are unable to meet their obligations, we may not be able to mitigate the risks facing our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We rely on a limited number of third-party insurance providers for various policies, including, but not limited to, general liability, automobile liability, workers’ compensation, property, cyber liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, and an excess umbrella policy. These third-party policies are intended to cover various risks that we may face as our company continues to grow. These risks may include those that are required by city regulators in order to be granted a permit, as well as to cover any indemnification and defense cost obligations in the event of a vehicle accident caused by city infrastructure. Additionally, we are required to insure against other operations-related risks regarding employee claims. For certain types of operations-related risks or future risks related to our new and evolving products and services, we may not be able to, or may choose not to, acquire insurance. In addition, we may not obtain enough insurance to adequately mitigate such operations-related risks or risks related to our new and evolving products and services, and we may have to pay high premiums or deductibles for the coverage we do obtain. Additionally, if any of our insurance providers becomes insolvent, it could be unable to pay any operations-related claims that we make. Certain losses may be excluded from insurance coverage including, but not limited to, losses caused by intentional act, pollution, contamination, virus, bacteria, terrorism, war, and civil unrest.
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Due to the nature of our business, we may be subject to significant liability based on traffic accidents, injuries, or other incidents that are claimed to have been caused by our vehicles or riders using our vehicles. If the amount of one or more vehicle-related or operations-related claims were to exceed our applicable aggregate insurance coverage limits, we would bear the excess costs, in addition to the amounts already incurred in connection with deductibles. Additionally, because we are insured by third-party insurance providers, those providers may raise premiums in response to loss history and higher limit demands of regulators. Moreover, state and country regulators may alter vehicle definitions to require motor or rider liability coverage. Increasing the breadth of coverage and coverage limits would increase our insurance and claims expenses. Our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected if (i) the cost per claim, premiums, or the number of claims significantly exceeds our historical experience and coverage limits, (ii) we experience a claim in excess of our coverage limits, (iii) our insurance providers fail to pay on our insurance claims, (iv) we experience a claim for which coverage is not provided, (v) the number of claims under our deductibles differs from historic averages, or (vi) an insurance policy is canceled or non-renewed.
We do not maintain insurance policies for certain risks related to loss or damage to our vehicles, and increases in vandalism or theft could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We do not maintain insurance policies covering all of our business risks, such as risks relating to loss or damage to our vehicles and we cannot assure you that the insurance coverage we currently have would be sufficient to cover our potential losses. Though historically our vehicle losses due to theft and vandalism have been less than 1% of our revenues, we cannot assure you that this rate will not increase. Potential increases in loss or damage to our vehicles could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Illegal, improper, or inappropriate activity of riders could expose us to liability and harm our business, brand, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our success depends on rider activity and experience. As such, illegal, improper, or otherwise inappropriate activities by riders, including the activities of individuals who may have previously engaged with, but are not then receiving or providing services offered through our software platform, including using our vehicles, or individuals who are intentionally impersonating riders could adversely affect our brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations. Some examples of illegal, improper, or inappropriate activity that could lead to liability include assault, theft, reckless riding. improper parking of vehicles, unauthorized use of credit cards, debit cards, or bank accounts, sharing of user accounts, and other misconduct.
These types of behaviors could lead to accidents or injuries, negative publicity for us, and damage to our brand and reputation. Repeated inappropriate rider behavior could significantly impact our relationship with cities and government authorities, which could adversely impact our ability to operate. Cities and government authorities may limit the number of vehicles we are allowed to operate, suspend our service, and/or revoke our licenses. These behaviors could also lead our riders and partners to believe that our products are not safe, which would harm our reputation. Further, any negative publicity related to the foregoing, whether such incident occurred on our products and services, on our competitors’ platforms, or on any ridesharing platform, could adversely affect our reputation and brand or public perception of the ridesharing industry as a whole, which could negatively affect demand for platforms like ours, and potentially lead to increased regulatory or litigation exposure.
To protect against such risks, we have implemented various programs to anticipate, identify, and address risk of these activities, such as implementing in-house security systems, IoT lock-equipped vehicles and effective use of Closed-Circuit Televisions (“CCTVs”) to reduce theft and vandalism, in-app messaging to outline local regulations to riders, and credit card pre-authorization to confirm user identity and minimize payment fraud. These measures may not adequately address or prevent all illegal, improper, or otherwise inappropriate activity by these parties from occurring in connection with our products and services. Furthermore, if these measures are too restrictive and inadvertently prevent qualified riders from using our products and services, or if we are unable to implement and communicate them fairly and transparently or are perceived to have failed to do so, the growth and retention of the number of riders on our platform and their utilization of our platform could be negatively impacted. Any of the foregoing risks could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Exposure to product liability in the event of significant vehicle damage or reliability issues could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have product liability exposure from our business. Injured riders may claim that our vehicles malfunctioned during the course of their ride. Product liability actions can stem from, among other claims, allegations of defective design, defective manufacture, failure to warn of known defects, and improper vehicle maintenance. In addition, the battery packs in our products use lithium-ion cells. On rare occasions, lithium-ion cells can rapidly release the energy they contain by venting smoke and flames in a manner that can cause burns and other injuries or ignite nearby materials, as well as other lithium-ion cells. We take certain precautions to reduce the risks of such events, but we cannot guarantee that such events will not occur. While we carry general liability insurance to cover bodily injury and property damage caused by a vehicle malfunction, these claims may ultimately damage our reputation, decrease vehicle usage, or decrease ridership, each of which could materially impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our growth and performance metrics and estimates, including the key metrics included in this prospectus, are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.
We regularly review and may adjust our processes for calculating our metrics used to evaluate our growth, measure our performance, and make strategic decisions. These metrics are calculated using internal company data and have not been evaluated by a third party. Our metrics may differ from estimates published by third parties or from similarly titled metrics of our competitors due to differences in methodology or the assumptions on which we rely, and we may make material adjustments to our processes for calculating our metrics in order to enhance accuracy, because better information becomes available or for other reasons, which may result in changes to our metrics. Similarly, we may at times present claims and metrics about the emissions, or other sustainability, benefits of our products. The methodologies for determining these benefits are complex and continuously evolving, and there is not currently a single accepted industry standard for these calculations. The estimates and forecasts we disclose relating to the size and expected growth of our addressable markets may prove to be inaccurate. Even if the markets in which we compete meet the size estimates and growth we have forecasted, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all. If investors or analysts do not consider our metrics to be accurate representations of our business, or if we discover material inaccuracies in our metrics, then our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We rely on third-party payment processors to process payments made by users on our software platform and if we cannot manage our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We rely on a limited number of third-party payment processors to process transactions and payments made by riders. If a third-party payment processor terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on mutually agreeable terms, we would need to find an alternative solution and may not be able to secure similar terms or find a proper replacement in a timely manner. Such transition to an alternative provider may also require significant time from our employees and necessitate the use of other limited resources. Additionally, the software and services provided by these third-party processors may not meet our expectations, contain vulnerabilities or errors, be otherwise compromised, or experience outages.
Any of these risks could cause us to lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment transactions, which could make our platform less convenient and attractive to riders.
Nearly all of our riders’ payments are made by credit card, by debit card or through third-party payment services, which subjects us and our service providers to certain payment network or service provider operating rules, to certain regulations, and to the risk of fraud. New rules and regulations related to payment networks and systems have recently been implemented in Türkiye and, although adapted from EU regulations, the absence of established practice rules and court decisions related to these new rules and regulations in Türkiye allows for significant legal uncertainty. We may in the future offer new payment options to riders that may be subject to additional operating rules, regulations, and risks. We may be also subject to a number of other laws and regulations relating to the payments we accept from our riders, including with respect to money laundering, money transfers, privacy, and information security. If we fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations, we may be subject to civil or
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criminal penalties, fines, or higher transaction fees, and may lose our ability to accept online payments or other payment card transactions, which could make our products and services less convenient and attractive to our users. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We could also be subject to additional laws, rules, and regulations related to the provision of payments and financial services, and if we expand into new jurisdictions, the foreign regulations and regulators governing our business that we are subject to will expand as well. If we are found to be a money transmitter under any applicable regulation and we are not in compliance with such regulations, we may be subject to fines or other penalties in one or more jurisdictions levied by regulators as well as those levied by foreign regulators. In addition to fines, penalties for failing to comply with applicable rules and regulations could include criminal and civil proceedings, forfeiture of significant assets, or other enforcement actions. We could also be required to make changes to our business practices or compliance programs as a result of regulatory scrutiny.
For various payment options, we are required to pay fees such as interchange and processing fees that are imposed by payment processors, payment networks, and financial institutions. These fees may be subject to increases, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, our payment processors require us to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or re-interpret existing rules in ways that might prohibit us from providing certain products and services to some users, or be costly to implement or difficult to follow. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may in the future rely on third parties to provide services to us, and if we cannot obtain third-party services our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We may in the future rely on third parties to assist us in certain operational tasks, such as battery swaps or repair and maintenance of vehicles. If and when our dependence on third parties increases, we will be subject to a number of risks associated with our dependence on these third parties, including:
• lack of day-to-day control over the activities of third-party service providers;
• third-party service providers, including suppliers, may not fulfill their obligations to us or otherwise meet our quality standards or required quantities;
• third-party service providers may terminate their arrangements with us on limited or no notice or may change the terms of these arrangements in a manner unfavorable to us for reasons outside of our control; and
• disagreements with our third-party service providers could require or result in costly and time-consuming litigation or arbitration.
If we fail to establish and maintain satisfactory relationships with these third-party service providers, our revenues and market share may not grow as anticipated, and we could be subject to unexpected costs which would harm our results of operations and financial condition.
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and competition represents an ongoing threat to the growth and success of our business.
Vehicle sharing is a highly competitive business, characterized by rapidly emerging new products, services and technologies, and shifting rider needs. Our current and potential future competitors include other vehicle and/or ride sharing platforms, some of which may have one or more advantages over us, either globally or in particular geographic markets, including:
• longer operating histories;
• significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, research and development, manufacturing, and other resources;
• greater experience within the industry;
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• stronger brand and consumer recognition regionally or worldwide;
• a larger user base;
• economies of scale and the ability to integrate or leverage synergies or compatibilities with other business units, brands, or products;
• the capacity to leverage their marketing expenditures across a broader portfolio of products;
• more substantial intellectual property of their own from which they can develop mobile applications and which may predate our intellectual property;
• lower labor and development costs and better overall economies of scale;
• greater platform-specific focus, experience, and expertise; and
• broader global distribution and presence.
Our competitors may develop products, features or services that are similar to ours or that achieve greater acceptance, may undertake more far-reaching and successful product development efforts or marketing campaigns, or may adopt more aggressive pricing policies. Some competitors may gain a competitive advantage against us in areas where we operate, including by integrating competing platforms, applications or features into products they control, by making acquisitions, by making access to our products more difficult or by making it more difficult to communicate with our riders. As a result, our competitors may acquire and engage riders or generate revenue at the expense of our own efforts, which may negatively affect our business and financial results. In addition, from time to time, we may take actions in response to competitive threats, but we cannot assure you that these actions will be successful or that they will not negatively affect our business and financial results.
Additionally, we may see competition from other modalities (e.g., autonomous vehicles and mainstream transportation tools such as public and private transportation, walking and other methods of transportation). While we do not believe that true vehicle autonomy in cities poses a near- or medium-term risk, it could pose a risk to our business in the long term.
If our vehicles, mobile applications, or other services have defects, the reputation and brand of our products and services could suffer, which could negatively impact the use of our products and services, and negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.
We believe that establishing and maintaining our brand is critical to attracting engagement with our products and services. Increasing awareness of our brand and recognition of our products and services is particularly important in connection with increasing our customer base. Our ability to promote our brand and increase recognition of our platform and services depends on our ability to provide high-quality products and services. If consumers do not perceive our products and services as safe and of otherwise high quality (including our vehicles, mobile applications, and maintenance and repair practices) or if we introduce new products and services that are not favorably received by them, then we may not succeed in building brand recognition and brand loyalty in the marketplace. If our vehicles or mobile applications have physical or other defects, have usability issues, or are subject to acts of vandalism, it could result in negative rider reviews, significant litigation or regulatory challenges, including personal injury or products liability claims, decreased usage of our platform and network of vehicles, and damage our brand. For example, in August 2021 our moped fleet in the Istanbul Asia region experienced IoT connection issues that caused us to lose real-time visibility of our devices for several hours.
There can be no assurance we will be able to detect and fix all defects or vandalism in our products and services. In addition, globalizing and extending our brand and recognition of our products and services is costly and involves extensive management time to execute successfully, particularly as we expand our efforts to increase awareness of our brand, products, and services among a wider range of consumers. If we fail to increase and maintain brand awareness and consumer recognition of our products and services, our potential revenue could be limited, our costs could increase, and our business, operating results, and financial condition could suffer.
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Any failure to offer high-quality user support may harm our relationships with users and could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our ability to attract and retain riders depends in part on the ease and reliability of our products and services, including our ability to provide high-quality support. Users on our platform depend on our support organization to resolve any issues relating to our products or services, such as being overcharged for a ride, reporting a safety incident, discovering a damaged vehicle or having difficulty locating a vehicle. Our ability to provide effective and timely support largely depends on our ability to attract and retain service providers who are qualified to support users and sufficiently knowledgeable regarding our products and services. As we expand our geographic reach, vehicle fleet and mobility sharing platforms, we will face challenges related to providing quality support services at scale. Any failure to provide efficient user support, or a market perception that we do not maintain high-quality support, could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business is subject to interruptions, delays, or failures resulting from earthquakes, other natural catastrophic events, geopolitical instability, war, terrorism, public health crises, and other unexpected events.
Our services and operations, and the operations of our third-party technology providers, are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, winter storms, floods, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war, human errors, break-ins, and similar events. In addition, any public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, other epidemics, political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war and other political instability, or other catastrophic events, could cause disruptions to the Internet, our business, or the economy as a whole. For example, there were a series of earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023 in the southeastern region of Türkiye with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, directly affecting 11 cities, leveling neighborhoods and resulted in more than 50,000 casualties. In the aftermath, most of the production facilities and shops in the affected regions were shut down. The cost of direct physical damages of the earthquakes on February 6, 2023 is estimated to be $34.2 billion and total cost thereof is estimated to be $84.1 billion. We did not have any vehicle losses and relocated our vehicles from the affected zones to our other operational regions. Since March of 2020, COVID-19 has led to certain business disruptions as described in our other risk factors, including travel bans and restrictions, and shelter in place orders that have resulted in declines in demand for our services, as well as adverse effects on users on our platform, our suppliers, and the economy, all of which have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In particular, acts of war or acts of terrorism, especially any directed at GPS signals, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. The threat of terrorism and war and heightened security and military response to this threat, or any future acts of terrorism, may cause a redeployment of the satellites used in GPS or interruptions of the system. To the extent that such interruptions have an effect on sales of our products or services, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Our insurance coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur.
The impact of any natural disaster, act of terrorism or other disruption to us or our third-party providers’ abilities could result in decreased demand for our products and services or a delay in the provision of our products and services, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The loss of one or more of our key personnel, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could harm our business.
Our success and ability to grow our business depends on the talents and efforts of highly skilled individuals. We devote significant resources to identifying, recruiting, hiring, integrating, training, developing, motivating, and retaining highly skilled personnel. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. Also, all of our employees, including our management team, work for us on an at-will basis, and there is no assurance that any such employee will remain with us. Our competitors may be successful in recruiting and hiring members of our management team or other key employees, and it may be difficult for us to find suitable replacements on a timely basis, on competitive terms, or at all. If we are unable to attract and retain the necessary personnel, particularly in critical areas of our business, we may not achieve our strategic goals.
We currently depend on the continued services and performance of our key personnel, including our executive team, business development team, product managers, engineers, and others. People with these skills are in high demand in Türkiye, where our headquarters are located and we will continue to face increased competition for talent. To attract and retain top talent, we have had to offer, and we believe we will need to continue to offer, competitive
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compensation and benefits packages. Job candidates and existing personnel often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. If the perceived value of our equity awards declines or we are unable to provide competitive compensation packages, it may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, and we may experience increased attrition. Certain of our employees may receive significant proceeds from sales of our equity in the public markets, which may reduce their motivation to continue to work for us. We may need to invest significant amounts of cash and equity to attract and retain new employees and expend significant time and resources to identify, recruit, train, and integrate such employees, and we may never realize returns on these investments. If we are unable to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency, ability to meet forecasts and employee morale, productivity, and retention could suffer, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The impact of economic conditions, including the resulting effect on discretionary consumer spending, may harm our business and operating results.
Our performance is subject to economic conditions and their impact on levels of discretionary consumer spending. Some of the factors that have an impact on discretionary consumer spending include general economic conditions, unemployment, consumer debt, reductions in net worth, residential real estate and mortgage markets, taxation, energy prices, interest rates, consumer confidence, and other macroeconomic factors. Consumer preferences tend to shift to lower-cost alternatives during recessionary periods and other periods when disposable income is adversely affected. In such circumstances, consumers may not choose to use our products and services to get around, seeking alternative low-cost options. An economic downturn resulting in a prolonged recessionary period may have a further adverse effect on our revenue.
Our company culture has contributed to our success and if we cannot maintain this culture as we grow, our business could be harmed.
We believe that our company culture has been critical to our success. We face a number of challenges that may affect our ability to sustain our corporate culture, including:
• failure to identify, attract, reward, and retain people in leadership positions in our organization who will share and further our culture, values, and mission;
• the increasing size and geographic diversity of our workforce;
• the inability to achieve adherence to our internal policies and core values;
• competitive pressures to move in directions that may divert us from our mission, vision, and values;
• the continued challenges of a rapidly evolving industry;
• the increasing need to develop expertise in new areas of business that affect us;
• negative perception of our treatment of employees or our response to employee sentiment related to political or social causes or actions of management; and
• the integration of new personnel and businesses from acquisitions.
From time to time, we may engage in workforce reductions in order to better align our operations with our strategic priorities, managing our cost structure or in connection with acquisitions. For example, in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, we took certain cost-cutting measures, including lay-offs, which may adversely affect employee morale, our culture, and our ability to attract and retain employees. These actions may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain personnel and maintain our culture. If we are not able to maintain our culture, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We are subject to risks associated with doing business in an emerging market.
We operate in Türkiye and derive substantially all of our revenue from activities in Türkiye. As a result, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects are significantly affected by the overall level of economic activity and political stability in Türkiye. Despite Türkiye undergoing significant political and economic reform in recent years that increased stability and led to economic growth, Türkiye is still considered by international
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investors to be an emerging market. Emerging markets such as Türkiye are subject to greater risk than more developed markets of being perceived negatively by investors based upon external events, and financial turmoil in any emerging market (or global markets generally) could disrupt the business environment in Türkiye. Moreover, financial turmoil in one or more emerging market(s) tends to adversely affect prices for securities in other emerging market countries as investors move their money to countries that are perceived to be more stable and economically developed. An increase in the perceived risks associated with investing in emerging economies could dampen capital flows to Türkiye and adversely affect the Turkish economy. As a result, investors’ interest in the securities (and thus their market price) might be subject to fluctuations that might not necessarily be related to economic conditions in Türkiye or our financial performance. Investors’ interest in Türkiye might be negatively affected by events in other emerging markets or the global economy in general, which could adversely affect the value of our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
Our business would be adversely affected if ride-hailing drivers were classified as employees, workers, or quasi-employees in the future.
The classification of drivers is not currently being challenged in Türkiye by legislators or by government agencies. However, our global peers face numerous legal proceedings, including putative class and collective class action lawsuits in different countries, claiming that drivers should be treated as company employees (or as workers or quasi-employees where those statuses exist), rather than as independent contractors. We believe drivers are independent contractors since they can choose the platform they work on regardless of any performance criteria and switch between the platform without any penalties. They can also choose the time and location to provide their services. However, we might not successfully uphold the classification of drivers in certain jurisdictions, which may also lead to arbitration demands against us that assert similar classification claims. Changes to laws and regulations governing the definition or classification of independent contractors could require the classification of drivers as employees (or workers or quasi-employees where those statuses exist).
That reclassification of drivers could lead the group of drivers becoming represented by labor unions. If the number of unionized drivers were to become significant, collective bargaining agreement terms may deviate us significantly from our business model and we may be required to change it. In addition, a labor dispute involving drivers may harm our reputation, disrupt our operations, reduce our future net revenues, and increase the resolution costs of labor disputes.
Furthermore, due to the competition for attracting and onboarding the drivers which might be intense, we may not employ adequate drivers currently using our platform to meet the rider demand. Even if we manage to retain drivers initially, drivers might change their platform easily, slowing down our long-term growth. Additionally, any such reclassification would require us to fundamentally change our business model, consequently having an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
In addition to the risks of incurring significant additional expenses for compensating drivers, including expenses related to wages (including minimum wage, overtime, and meal and rest period requirements), employee benefits, social security contributions, taxes (direct and indirect), and potential penalties, the expenses tied to defending, settling, or resolving ongoing and future legal disputes (including arbitration demands) may be significant for our business which could adversely affect the value of our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
The mobility industry is highly competitive, with low barriers to entry for both local and global, well-capitalized competitors, offering low-cost alternatives, and minimal switching costs. Inability to compete effectively could significantly diminish the value of our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
We offer multiple transportation services to our riders including a ride hailing service that matches riders with car, motorcycle, and taxi drivers. While we currently face significant competition in the taxi-hailing service, we might face increasing competition in car-hailing and motorcycle-hailing services in the future. Given the low switching costs for both for drivers and riders, as well as the low entry barriers in the market, we might expect global and local competitors to focus on marketing and software system investments in Türkiye.
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We compete against personal car and motorcycle ownership, which constitutes a significant portion of the total passenger market, especially in cities with widespread geography and insufficient or inconvenient transportation services. Public transportation also serves as a competitor, offering a low-cost and sometimes faster travel option. Taxicabs and taxi-hailing services such as Uber and BiTaksi are also our competitors, boasting years of experience in the sector and well-capitalized company structures. Furthermore, we might anticipate the entry of other global players into the market, such as Lyft, Ola, Didi, Grab, Bolt, and Yandex Taxi, as well as local players like BinBin in the future.
Increased competition from current and future competitors could lead to, among other things, a decrease in our revenue and margins, a decline in the number of riders and drivers, and a reduction in the frequency of platform usage. This could adversely impact the value of our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
To remain competitive in the ride-hailing market, we may lower our fares or service fees, or potential commission percentages and might offer significant driver incentives, rider promotions, and discounts, which could adversely affect the value of our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
To remain competitive in the ride-hailing market and foster further growth for our platform we may lower our fares, service fees, or potential commission percentages, and provide significant driver incentives, rider promotions, and discounts in the future. However, we cannot assure you that these drivers incentives, riders promotions, and discounts will ensure our competitiveness in the market, or that our pricing will sustain a profitable margin in the future.
Our pricing model may also be subject to change due to regulations imposed by governmental authorities and legislators, which may restrict our ability to offer affordable prices to our riders, necessitating adjustments to commission percentages or driver incentives to maintain profitability of our the services.
Significant investments from local and global competitors may result in consolidating transactions that provide them with pricing advantages. All of these actions could either reduce the per-trip revenue of our drivers or decrease our margins from the trips and limit our control over our pricing model, which could adversely affect the value of our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
If we are unable to attract or retain a sufficient number of drivers and riders, whether due to market competition or other factors, our platform will become less appealing to users, which could adversely affect the value of our business and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
Our future success depends significantly on our ability to acquire or retain drivers and riders and achieve sustainable growth. If drivers choose to stop using our platform, we may experience a shortage of available drivers, resulting in longer waiting times for our ride-hailing service, decreased rider satisfaction. Similarly, if attracting riders becomes more challenging, existing drivers may also opt for other platforms, necessitating potential changes to our business model, including increased incentives, reduced profits, and higher marketing expenses. Conversely, if we choose to decrease incentives to improve our financial performance, we may experience further declines in driver numbers and increased dissatisfaction among them. Driver attrition could adversely impact overall platform satisfaction and rider experiences, ultimately reducing the overall value of our platform.
Additionally, if drivers opt out, our operational processes such as driver education, qualification, background checks, and approvals would need to start anew for replacements. Completing these operational processes and onboarding drivers with the necessary qualifications might take longer than expected, either due to competition or other factors, potentially resulting in delays in meeting rider demand. Furthermore, local or governmental authorities and regulators may require more complex background checks and information approvals in the future, further increasing response times. All of these operational burdens could decrease the value of our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
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If platform users engage in, or are exposed to, criminal, violent, dangerous, or inappropriate activity resulting in significant safety incidents, it may undermine our ability to attract and retain both drivers and riders, which could adversely impact our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
We may not control and foresee the actions of our platform users and third parties in such cases whether before, during, or after their use of our platform. Consequently, we may struggle to ensure a safe environment for our drivers and riders due to certain behaviors exhibited by them or by third parties impersonating our drivers. Criminal activities such as armed robbery, violent assault, rape, kidnapping, or terrorist attacks before, during, or after a trip on our platform may result in serious injuries, deaths, or property damage for our drivers, riders, or third parties. Despite efforts to mitigate these risks through driver background checks and digital control points such as requesting driver and rider selfies before the trips, we may receive complaints and legal actions from riders, drivers, and authorities.
We also provide motorcycle-hailing services which may be considered a higher-risk group in traffic. Traffic accidents involving motorcycle drivers may lead to more serious injuries, deaths, incidents, potentially resulting in lawsuits against our Company.
These risks could incur significant costs in investigation and defense and could have an adverse impact on our reputation, leading to a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
Climate change-related sustainability risks pose threats to our existing operations, and regulators and stakeholders may demand an expedited transition period. If we are unable to manage such risks, it could adversely impact our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
In the future, our operations may face climate-related physical risks, such as extreme weather events or natural disasters potentially disrupting our ability to operate and causing temporary shutdowns. Given the nature of the motorcycle-hailing business, it is particularly vulnerable to such risks, meaning this line of our business may encounter even greater challenges.
As Türkiye begins producing its own electric vehicles (“EVs”), regulators and stakeholders may increasingly push for lower-carbon transportation solutions. This could lead to regulatory changes mandating the transition to EVs for public transportation and mobility, along with additional fees or penalties for drivers using fossil-fueled vehicles. Such a transition might hinder the growth of our driver count due to potential increased costs for them. Moreover, drivers may request assistance from us in transitioning to EVs, placing additional operational and financial burdens on our company. Failure to comply with this transition could result in negative publicity and influence rider preferences and behaviors.
If we are unable to manage such risks, they could have an adverse impact on our reputation and material adverse effects on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
Regulators may change the licensing requirements of drivers operating on our platform or within the sector, potentially necessitating new licenses to operate or imposing limits on the number of drivers permitted to operate in specific regions or with our Company.
Currently, our drivers, as well as those in the sector, are only required to possess standard driving licenses, without the need for additional commercial taxi licenses. However, as the market evolves, regulators may mandate additional licenses for drivers to operate as ride-hailing drivers. They may also impose limitations on the number of drivers, driver hours, or vehicles permitted for ride-hailing service companies like ours, along with introducing additional licensing requirements and fees. Such regulations may also restrict the number of drivers, driver hours, or vehicles permitted to operate within specific regions based on population density or local demand.
All these changes in laws and regulations could result in additional costs, potentially limiting the growth of our platform reducing its overall value. Moreover, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
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In the future, our ride-hailing operations may increasingly rely on insurance coverage for drivers and other supplementary aspects. Any adverse changes to the terms and conditions of this coverage could lead to additional costs for both drivers and our Company.
Currently, we do not request any information or check any documents regarding drivers’ insurance at the registration process. However, as the number of our drivers grows and the ride-hailing market expands in Türkiye, alongside an increase in incidents, third-party insurance companies may alter their policy coverages and premiums for ride-hailing drivers including our drivers.
As our driver base expands, drivers may demand that we establish our own policies or act as intermediaries between them and third-party insurance companies through collective bargaining. They may also request to pay insurance premiums in installments, creating additional cash flow liabilities for our Company. Drivers may also seek coverage for damages resulting from accidents from our Company, which could become crucial for retention of drivers, particularly amidst intensified sector competition. Furthermore, if various third-party insurance companies fail to promptly cover damages or declare bankruptcy, our drivers may request that we cover their losses. Refusal may result in legal action against our Company or losing our drivers to competitors who cover losses.
Third-party insurance companies may miscalculate the risk premiums and fail to be profitable since the ride-hailing sector is relatively new. The escalation of these additional insurance coverage responsibilities may substantially increase the overall risk defined by insurance companies for our sector or our Company, potentially resulting in significantly higher insurance costs both for ride-hailing and other business insurance policies of our Company.
Additionally, new laws and regulations favoring drivers may result in additional liabilities for our Company and competitors in the sector regarding the insurance. Losing legal cases to drivers or regulators could set precedents for future cases, potentially compelling us to cover drivers damages or insurance costs, straining our resources.
Any perceived failure to comply with local laws, rules, regulations, or contractual obligations related to insurance coverage could result in legal proceedings, penalties, negative publicity, increased insurance costs, and amendments to our insurance policies, materially impacting our business, results of operations, and prospects.
We may encounter pricing regulations imposed by government entities or municipalities, as well as related litigation or regulatory inquiries.
Our revenue from ride-hailing services will depend on the pricing models we will employ to calculate rider fares and driver commissions and incentives. We may utilize online software systems or artificial intelligence for region-based dynamic pricing. However, similar dynamic pricing models have often faced challenges, bans, caps, or limitations, especially during emergency conditions in certain countries or regions worldwide. We may encounter similar challenges and be subject to government or municipality-mandated maximum fare or fees in cities or regions. Additionally, we may face litigation and regulatory inquiries. These challenges may result in additional costs, reduce or restrict our revenue growth, and potentially decrease the value of our business, leading to a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
We have announced our sustainability targets which may require substantial effort, resources, and management time to achieve. However, unforeseen circumstances, some beyond our control, could necessitate adjustments to our planned timelines for fulfilling these commitments.
Our sustainability targets include the initiation of Marti Safety Academy by 2024, commitment to zero-waste operations by 2025, achieving net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and net-zero inbound logistics operations by 2030 (Scope 3). Achieving the targets may require significant investment of effort, resources, and management time. However, factors such as epidemics, changing regulations and policies, technological advancements (e.g., battery storage and charging stations), accessibility to electric vehicles (“EVs”) by drivers, and the convenience and costs of EV charging stations may present unforeseen challenges beyond our control.
Additionally, as we expand into new business sectors such as car-hailing, motorcycle-hailing, and taxi-hailing, we may need to adjust our calculation methods or operational scopes included in these sustainability calculations.
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Failure to comply with climate-related regulations, meet our announced sustainability targets within the agreed timeframe, or achieve them at all could negatively impact our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and prospects.
Our ability to continue as a going concern depends on our ability to continue obtaining sufficient funding to finance our operations due to our history of recurring losses and anticipated expenditures.
Our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. The going concern basis of the presentation assumes that we will continue in operation for the foreseeable future and will be able to realize our assets and satisfy our liabilities in the normal course of business and do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from our inability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern is subject, in part, to our ability to continue raising additional capital through equity offerings or debt financings. However, we may not be able to secure additional financing in a timely manner or on favorable terms, if at all, and may not receive any milestone payments. If we cannot continue as a going concern, we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our financial statements, and it is likely that our shareholders may lose some or all of their investment in us. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding on commercially reasonable terms or at all and our business may suffer.
We have debts and may incur additional debts in the future. Our debt repayment obligations may limit our available resources and the terms of debt instruments may limit our flexibility in operating our business.
As of December 31, 2023, we had total outstanding financial liabilities of $6.6 million, comprised of our short-term and long-term borrowings under credit agreements entered into with Partners for Growth (“PFG”). Additionally, in connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, we entered into a convertible note subscription agreement (the “Pre-Fund Subscription Agreement”) with Farragut Square Global Master Fund, LP (“Farragut”), as the lead subscriber, and the persons and entities listed on the schedule of subscribers attached thereto (as updated from time to time in accordance with its terms) (together with Farragut, collectively, the “Pre-Fund Subscribers”), pursuant to which (a) Farragut agreed to subscribe for and purchase $10.0 million in unsecured convertible promissory notes (the “Farragut Pre-Fund Notes”), (b) Sumed Equity Ltd agreed to subscribe for and purchase $1.0 million in unsecured convertible promissory notes (the “Sumed Equity Pre-Fund Notes”), (c) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development agreed to subscribe for and purchase $1.0 million in unsecured convertible promissory notes (the “EBRD Pre-Fund Notes”), and (d) AutoTech Fund II, LP agreed to subscribe for and purchase $500,000 in unsecured convertible promissory notes (the “AutoTech Pre-Fund Notes” and together with the Farragut Pre-Fund Notes, the Sumed Equity Pre-Fund Notes and the EBRD Pre-Fund Notes, “Pre-Fund Notes”).
Pre-funded notes which were classified under long-term financial liabilities of $17.0 million became convertible notes of $19.3 million as of the closing date of July 10, 2023. In addition to that, we had net proceeds of $35.5 million from private investment in public equity (“PIPE”) financing as convertible notes on July 10, 2023. Total convertible notes amounting to $54.8 million and $58.7 million respectively on July 10, 2023 and December 31, 2023. The convertible notes short-term portion is $5.5 million and the long-term portion is $53.3 million at December 31, 2023.
Even if the holders of our convertible notes convert all of those notes into Ordinary Shares, we will use a substantial portion of our cash flows, cash on hand and/or capital raises to pay the principal and interest on our indebtedness. These payments will reduce the funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, and other corporate purposes and will limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital or making capital expenditures for expansion plans and other investments, which may in turn limit our ability to implement our business strategy. Our debt may also increase our vulnerability to downturns in our business, in our industry or in the economy as a whole and may limit our flexibility in terms of planning or reacting to changes in our business and in the industry and could prevent us from taking advantage of business opportunities as they arise. Our business might not generate sufficient cash flow from operations and future financing might not be available in sufficient amounts or on favorable terms to enable us to make timely and necessary payments under the terms of our indebtedness or to fund our activities.
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In addition, the terms of certain of our debt facilities subject us to certain limitations in the operation of our business, due to restrictions on incurring additional debt and encumbrances, carrying out corporate reorganizations, selling assets, paying dividends or making other distributions. Any debt that we incur or guarantee in the future could be subject to additional covenants that could make it difficult to pursue our business strategy, including through potential acquisitions or divestitures.
If we breach covenants under our outstanding debts, we could be held in default under such loans, which could accelerate our repayment dates and adversely affect our business.
If we were to default on any of our debt, we could be required to make immediate repayment, our other debt facilities may be cross-defaulted or accelerated, the lenders may pursue foreclosure of our pledged assets and we may be unable to refinance our debt on favorable terms or at all, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial position.
Any actual or perceived security or privacy breach could interrupt our operations and adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business involves the collection, storage, processing, and transmission of users’ personal data and other sensitive data. An increasing number of organizations, including large online and offline merchants and businesses, other Internet companies, financial institutions, and government institutions, have disclosed breaches of their information security systems and other information security incidents, some of which have involved sophisticated and highly targeted attacks. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or to sabotage information systems change frequently and may not be known until launched, we may be unable to anticipate or prevent these attacks. For example, in February 2022 an unknown actor claimed that they were able to access and obtain customer data from our servers. After notifying Türkiye’s Personal Data Protection Authority (Kişisel Verileri Koruma Kurumu) (“TDPA”), we conducted an internal investigation into the matter and have not been able to verify the actor’s claim nor do we believe the actor obtained any customer data. Unauthorized parties may in the future gain access to our systems or facilities through various means, including gaining unauthorized access into our systems or facilities or those of our service providers, partners or users on our platform, or attempting to fraudulently induce our employees, service providers, partners, users or others into disclosing rider names, passwords, payment card information or other sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access our information technology systems, or attempting to fraudulently induce employees, partners or others into manipulating payment information, resulting in the fraudulent transfer of funds to criminal actors. In addition, users on our platform could have vulnerabilities on their own mobile devices that are entirely unrelated to our systems and platform but could mistakenly attribute their own vulnerabilities to us. Further, breaches experienced by other companies may also be leveraged against us. For example, credential stuffing attacks are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated actors can mask their attacks, making them increasingly difficult to identify and prevent. Certain efforts may be state-sponsored or supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more difficult to detect.
Although we use systems and processes that are designed to protect users’ data, prevent data loss and prevent other security breaches, these security measures cannot guarantee security. Our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to cyberattacks or security breaches, and third parties may be able to access our users’ personal information and limited payment card data that are accessible through those systems. Employee error, malfeasance or other errors in the storage, use or transmission of personal information could result in an actual or perceived privacy or security breach or other security incident. Although we have policies restricting the access to the personal information we store, we may be subject to accusations in the future of employees violating these policies.
Any actual or perceived breach of privacy or security could interrupt our operations, result in our platform being unavailable, result in loss or improper disclosure of data, result in fraudulent transfer of funds, harm our reputation and brand, damage our relationships with third-party partners, result in significant legal, regulatory, and financial exposure and lead to loss of rider confidence in, or decreased use of, our platform, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any breach of privacy or security impacting any entities with which we share or disclose data (including, for example, third-party technology providers) could have similar effects. Further, any cyberattacks, or security and privacy breaches directed at our competitors could reduce confidence in the ridesharing industry as a whole and, as a result, reduce confidence in us.
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Additionally, defending against claims or litigation based on any security breach or incident, regardless of their merit, could be costly and divert management’s attention. For example, in February 2021, the TDPA filed an investigation against one of our subsidiaries regarding our failure to comply with legislation on data protection and data processing in violation of data protection principles. In response to the inquiry, we revised our data privacy principles and agreements to comply with applicable law and shared our responses with the TDPA. In November of 2022, the TDPA informed us that their investigation closed.
Our insurance coverage might not be adequate for data handling or data security liabilities actually incurred, and we cannot assure you that insurance will continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that any insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceed available insurance coverage, or the occurrence of changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements, could have an adverse effect on our reputation, brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The Convertible Notes issued and outstanding may have a material adverse effect on our financial results, result in dilution to our shareholders and create downward pressure on the price of our Ordinary Shares.
In connection with the Business Combination, the Company entered into convertible note subscription agreements, as amended pursuant to the First PIPE Amendment and the Second PIPE Amendment (the “Pipe Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors (the “PIPE Investors”), pursuant to which the Company issued and sold, in private placements to close immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, an aggregate of approximately $50.5 million of aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes (before adjusting for the termination of the PIPE Subscription Agreement with a certain PIPE Investor representing $15.0 million of aggregate principal amount on April 29, 2023), and Marti entered into a Pre-Fund Subscription Agreement pursuant to which the Pre-Fund Subscribers purchased from Marti an aggregate of $17.5 million in Pre-Fund Notes, which converted into the Convertible Notes at the closing of the Business Combination (the “Closing”). Pursuant to the Callaway Subscription Agreement (as defined herein), the MSTV Subscription Agreement (as defined herein) and the Callaway Commitment Letter (as defined herein), 405 MSTV I, L.P., an existing PIPE Investor (“MSTV”), purchased from Marti an aggregate principal amount of $7.5 million of the Convertible Notes.
In January 2024, each of Marti and Callaway Capital Management LLC (“Callaway”) purchased the Convertible Note held by another certain existing PIPE Investor in an aggregate principal amount of $1.5 million (the “Assignment”). Upon the completion of the Assignment, such PIPE Investor no longer holds any Convertible Notes. As of the date of this prospectus, the Pre-Fund Subscribers and the PIPE Investors (including, for the avoidance of doubt, MSTV and excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, Callaway in connection with the Callaway Subscription Agreement (as described below) have collectively subscribed for an aggregate principal amount of $53.0 million in Convertible Notes.
The Convertible Notes are convertible into Ordinary Shares at an initial conversion price of $11.00 per Ordinary Share. The reference price underlying the conversion price is subject to a monthly reset feature for the first twelve (12) months following issuance, and resets to the lower of (i) the average of the daily volume weighted average price over the twenty (20) consecutive trading day period immediately preceding the reset date in the applicable month and (ii) the reference price in the immediately preceding month, subject to a minimum of $1.50 and maximum of $10.00 per Ordinary Share. Therefore, the current conversion price of the Convertible Notes is $1.65 per Ordinary Share. The Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 15.00% per annum, payable semi-annually at a rate per annum equal to 10.00% with respect to interest paid in cash and at a rate per annum equal to 5.00% with respect to payment-in-kind interest. The sale of the Convertible Notes may affect our earnings per share figures, as accounting procedures may require that the number of shares of Ordinary Shares into which the Convertible Notes are convertible be included in the calculation of earnings per share. If Ordinary Shares are issued to the holders of the Convertible Notes upon conversion, there will be dilution to our stockholders’ equity and the market price of our Ordinary Shares may decrease due to the additional selling pressure in the market. Any downward pressure on the price of Ordinary Shares caused by the sale, or potential sale, of shares issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes could also encourage short sales by third parties, creating additional selling pressure on our share price.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property and Technology
Our user growth and engagement on mobile devices depend upon effective operation with mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control.
The substantial majority of our revenue is generated from our vehicle sharing business, which requires use of our mobile application, which we refer to as the “Marti App”. There is no guarantee that popular mobile devices or application stores will continue to feature our mobile application, or that mobile device users will continue to use our products rather than competing products. We are dependent on the interoperability of the Marti App with popular mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control, such as the Android and iOS operating systems. Any changes, bugs, or technical issues in such systems, or changes in our relationships with mobile operating system partners, handset manufacturers, or mobile carriers, or in their terms of service or policies that degrade our products’ functionality, availability, reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute our products, give preferential treatment to competitive products, or charge fees related to the distribution of our products, could adversely affect the usage of the Marti App on mobile devices and revenue. Additionally, in order to deliver high-quality mobile products, it is important that our products work well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks, and standards that we do not control, and that we have good relationships with handset manufacturers and mobile carriers. We may not be successful in maintaining or developing relationships with key participants in the mobile ecosystem or in developing products that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks, or standards. In the event that it is more difficult for our users to access and use the Marti App on their mobile devices, or if our users choose not to access or use the Marti App on their mobile devices or use mobile products that do not offer access to the Marti App, our user growth and user engagement could be harmed. From time to time, we may also take actions regarding the distribution of our products or the operation of our business based on what we believe to be in our long-term best interests. Such actions may adversely affect our users and our relationships with the operators of mobile operating systems, handset manufacturers, mobile carriers, or other business partners, and there is no assurance that these actions will result in any benefits in the short or long term. In the event that our users are adversely affected by these actions or if our relationships with such third parties deteriorate, our user growth and engagement could be adversely affected and our business could be harmed.
Our future success depends on our ability to keep pace with rapid technological changes that could make our current or future technologies less competitive or obsolete.
Rapid, significant, and disruptive technological changes continue to impact the industries in which we operate. Our competitors or others might develop technologies that are more effective than current or future technologies, or that render our technologies less competitive or obsolete. If competitors introduce superior technologies or media content and we cannot make upgrades to our process to remain competitive, our competitive position, and in turn our business, revenues, and financial condition, may be materially and adversely affected. Further, many of our competitors may have superior financial and human resources deployed toward research and development efforts. We are relatively constrained in comparison to our competitors and our financial and human resources may limit our ability to effectively keep pace with relevant technological changes.
Our business could be adversely impacted by changes in the Internet and mobile device accessibility of users and unfavorable changes in or our failure to comply with existing or future laws governing the Internet and mobile devices.
Our business depends on users’ access to our platform via a mobile device and the Internet. We may operate in jurisdictions that provide limited Internet connectivity, particularly as we expand into more remote areas in the markets in which we operate. Internet access and access to a mobile device are frequently provided by companies with significant market power that could take actions that degrade, disrupt, or increase the cost of users’ ability to access our platform. In addition, the Internet’s infrastructure that we and users of our software platform rely on in any particular geographic area may be unable to support the demands placed upon it. Any such failure in Internet or mobile device accessibility, even for a short period of time, could adversely affect our results of operations.
Moreover, we are subject to a number of laws and regulations specifically governing the Internet and mobile devices that are constantly evolving, including the Internet Law. Existing and future laws and regulations, or changes thereto, may impede the growth and availability of the Internet and online products and services, require us to change our business practices, or raise compliance costs or other costs of doing business. These laws and
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regulations, which continue to evolve, cover taxation, privacy and data protection, pricing, copyrights, distribution, mobile and other communications, advertising practices, consumer protections, the provision of online payment services, unencumbered Internet access to our offering, and the characteristics and quality of online products and services, among other things. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation and brand a loss in business and proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, which could adversely impact our results of operations.
The operators of digital storefronts on which we publish our mobile application in many cases have the unilateral ability to change and interpret the terms of our contract with them.
We distribute our mobile application through direct-to-consumer digital storefronts, for which the distribution terms and conditions are often “click-through” agreements that we are not able to negotiate with the storefront operator. For example, we are subject to each of Apple’s, Google’s and Huawei’s standard click-through terms and conditions for application developers, which govern the promotion, distribution, and operation of applications, including our mobile applications, on their storefronts. Apple, Google and Huawei each can unilaterally change their standard terms and conditions with no prior notice to us. Any changes in the future that impact our revenue could materially harm our business, and we may not receive advance warning of such change.
In addition, the agreement terms can be vague and subject to variable interpretation by the storefront operator, who acts unilaterally to enforce such terms. Each of Apple, Google and Huawei have the right to prohibit a developer from distributing its applications on its storefront if the developer violates its standard terms and conditions. If Apple, Google, Huawei or any other storefront operator determines in its interpretation that we are violating its standard terms and conditions, or prohibits us from distributing our app on its storefront, our business, financial condition, and results of operations would be adversely affected.
We may be party to intellectual property rights claims and other litigation that are expensive to support, and if resolved adversely, could have a significant impact on us and our shareholders.
Companies that operate in the technology industry, such as ours, own large numbers of copyrights, trademarks, patents, domain names, and trade secrets and frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property or other rights As we face increasing competition and gain an increasingly high profile, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. In addition, we use open source software in our website, mobile applications and backend applications, and expect to continue to use open source software in the future. From time to time, we may face claims from companies that incorporate open source software into their products, claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the source code, the open source software and/or derivative works that were developed using such software, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license, including by altering the terms on which we license our software to others.
Our technologies may not be able to withstand any third-party claims or rights against their use. The costs of supporting such litigation and disputes is considerable, and there can be no assurances that a favorable outcome will be obtained. We also may be required to settle such litigation and disputes on terms that are unfavorable and costly to us. The terms of any settlement or judgment may require us to cease some or all of our operations and/or pay substantial amounts to the other party. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim, we may have to seek a license to continue practices found to be in violation of a third party’s rights, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all and may significantly increase our operating expenses. Our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected as a result.
If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be adversely affected.
We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of confidentiality, invention assignment, and license agreements with our employees, consultants, and third parties with whom we have relationships, as well as applicable trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection laws, to protect our proprietary rights. In Türkiye, we filed various applications for registration of certain aspects of our intellectual property. However, third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe our proprietary rights, third parties may challenge proprietary rights held by us, pending and future copyright, trademark, and patent applications may not be approved and we may not be able
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to prevent infringement without incurring substantial expense. In addition, others may be able to claim priority and begin use of intellectual property to our detriment. If the protection of our proprietary rights is inadequate to prevent use or appropriation by third parties, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished and competitors may be able to more effectively mimic our service and methods of operations. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any significant disruption in our services or in our information technology systems could result in a loss of users or harm our business.
Our reputation and ability to attract and retain users and grow our business depends on our ability to operate our service at high levels of reliability, scalability, and performance. We have experienced interruptions in our systems in the past due to unusually high user demand, and future interruptions in these systems, whether due to system failures, computer viruses, or physical or electronic break-ins, could affect the security or availability of our mobile applications. Problems with the reliability or security of our mobile applications, and our internal information technology systems would harm our reputation, and the cost of remedying these problems could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Damage to, or failure of, our systems or interruptions or delays in service from our third-party cloud service platforms could impair the delivery of our service and harm our business.
Any damage to, or failure of, our systems generally could result in interruptions in our service. In addition, we are heavily dependent on third-party cloud service providers for hosting our data. Any damage to, or failure of, our systems generally or those of our third-party providers’ hosting facilities, including as a result of unsuccessful or delayed data transfers, could result in interruptions in our service, which could cause our users and potential users to believe that our service is unreliable, and could accordingly negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For example, in August 2022 a failure in the domain name system of one of our cloud providers temporarily affected the availability of some of our application programming interfaces, thereby impacting our application’s availability and customer rides.
Our service relies on GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (“GNSS”), and if we were to no longer have access to GPS and other GNSS, we may experience a total loss of demand and a total loss of vehicles as a result of not being able to track vehicle locations.
GPS is a satellite-based navigation and positioning system consisting of a constellation of orbiting satellites. The satellites and their ground control and monitoring stations are maintained and operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, which does not currently charge users for access to the satellite signals. These satellites and their ground support systems are complex electronic systems subject to electronic and mechanical failures and possible sabotage. The satellites were originally designed to have lives of 7.5 years and are subject to damage by the hostile space environment in which they operate. However, of the current deployment of satellites in place, some have been operating for more than 20 years.
To repair damaged or malfunctioning satellites is currently not economically feasible. If a significant number of satellites were to become inoperable, there could be a substantial delay before they are replaced with new satellites. A reduction in the number of operating satellites may impair the current utility of the GPS system and the growth of current and additional market opportunities. GPS satellites and ground control segments are being modernized. GPS modernization software updates can cause problems with GPS functionality. We depend on public access to open technical specifications in advance of GPS updates.
GPS is operated by the U.S. government. If U.S. policy were to change, and GPS were no longer supported by the U.S. government, or if user fees were imposed, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. As part of the service we offer, we rely on GPS and other GNSS to track the locations of our vehicles, and to show these locations to both riders and our field operations team. If we were to no longer have access to GPS and other GNSS, we would no longer be able to track the locations of our vehicles, which would result in (i) us not being able to show the vehicles in our app to riders, thereby adversely impacting demand and (ii) our operations team not being able to retrieve the vehicles, thereby increasing the risk of stolen and lost vehicles, either of which would have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
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Computer malware, viruses, hacking, and phishing attacks, and spamming could harm our business and results of operations.
Computer malware, viruses, computer hacking, and phishing attacks have become more prevalent in our industry and may occur on our systems or the systems of our vendors in the future. Though it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from any specific interruption or attack, any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security, and availability of our products and technical infrastructure may harm our reputation and our ability to retain existing users and attract new users. We have been targeted for phishing attempts in the past and may be further targeted in the future.
Systems failures and resulting interruptions in the availability of our website, applications, products or services could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our systems, or those of third parties upon which we rely, may experience service interruptions or degradation because of hardware and software defects or malfunctions, distributed denial-of-service and other cyberattacks, human error, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, natural disasters, power losses, disruptions in telecommunications services, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses, ransomware, malware, or other events. Our systems also may be subject to break-ins, sabotage, theft and intentional acts of vandalism, including by our own employees, which may result in loss of material trade secrets or confidential information as well as potential liability. Some of our systems are not fully redundant and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses that may result from interruptions in our service as a result of systems failures and similar events.
We have experienced and will likely continue to experience system failures and other events or conditions from time to time that interrupt the availability or reduce or affect the speed or functionality of our products and services. These events have resulted in, and similar future events could result in, losses of revenue. A prolonged interruption in the availability or reduction in the availability, speed, or other functionality of our products and services could adversely affect our business and reputation and could result in the loss of users. Moreover, to the extent that any system failure or similar event results in harm or losses to the users using our platform, we may make voluntary payments to compensate for such harm or the affected users could seek monetary recourse or contractual remedies from us for their losses and such claims, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time-consuming and costly for us to address.
Risks Related to Legal Matters and Regulations
Action by governmental authorities to restrict access to our products and services in their localities could substantially harm our business and financial results.
The shared micromobility industry is relatively nascent, rapidly evolving and increasingly regulated. Government authorities have, and may continue to seek to limit the use of our products and services in certain areas, restrict access entirely, or impose other restrictions that may affect the accessibility of our products and services for an extended period of time or indefinitely. For example, in recent months, certain district municipalities in Istanbul, the city that accounts for the majority of our rides, have begun expressing concerns surrounding scooter usage and have begun asking operators to reduce the amount of scooters stationed in public areas. Such requests include asking scooter operators to install scooter parking spots in congested areas with high utilization which may result in additional capital expenditures for operators, including us. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any such notices from any district municipalities. Additionally, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced that they are working on new regulations regarding (i) the opening of 1,500 new parking spots, (ii) recognizing certain regions as highly congested and imposing new speed limitations therein, and (iii) requiring operators to educate their riders once every two months. We are also aware that the Ministry of Transportation is working on a draft regulation that mandates each scooter to have a sensor enabling authorities to intervene with scooters ridden on banned roads through GPS satellite. In order to remain in good standing with government authorities and continue operating our fleets and services, we must adhere to evolving regulations, limitations, vehicle caps, enforced parking zones, among other restrictions in the cities in which we operate. From time to time, we may be required to compete with other micromobility operators in a “request for proposal” or similar permitting/licensing application process to gain long-term access to a particular market. Failure to win or renew a permit/license may result in a shutdown
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of existing operations within that market. There are also certain caps on the number of permits and vehicles that are permitted in certain municipalities and if such caps were to be reduced or exceeded by us and/or our competitors, our growth plans may be materially impacted which would have a significant impact on our business and results of operations. In addition, government authorities may seek to restrict user access to our products and services if they consider us to be in violation of their laws or a threat to public safety or for other reasons, and certain of our products and services have been restricted by governments from time to time. In the event that access to our products or services is restricted, in whole or in part, or other restrictions are imposed on our products or services, or our competitors are able to successfully penetrate new geographic markets or capture a greater share of existing geographic markets that we cannot access or where we face other restrictions, our ability to retain or increase our user base and user engagement may be adversely affected, we may not be able to maintain or grow our revenue as anticipated, and our financial results could be adversely affected.
Our business is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations, many of which are evolving, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are subject to several laws in Türkiye, including the Highway Traffic Code, the Regulation on Electric Scooters, the Regulation on Highway Traffic, the Code on Protection of Competition, the Code on Environment, the Code on Personal Data Protection, the Code on Protection of Consumers, the Code on Intellectual Property Rights, the Code on Industrial Property Rights, and the Law on Municipal Revenues, and regulations and standards governing issues such as ridesharing, product liability, personal injury, text messaging, subscription services, intellectual property, consumer protection, taxation, privacy, data security, competition, terms of service, mobile application accessibility, and vehicle sharing are often complex, constantly evolving and subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity. As a result, their application in practice may change or develop over time through judicial decisions or as new guidance or interpretations are provided by regulatory and governing bodies. Regulatory changes at the national or local level could result in severe restrictions to micromobility or shared mobility products and services, including outright bans or certain products or services, revocation of one or more of our operating licenses, reductions in the number of our vehicles allowed in certain cities and/or districts, and additional requirements to obtain and/or renew an operating license, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
The ridesharing industry and our business model are relatively nascent and rapidly evolving, particularly in the markets in which we operate. Under Türkiye’s current regulatory framework, we are subject to a multi-tiered license process that requires us to procure a national license from the Ministry of Transportation and city-level licenses in each city in which we operate or propose to operate. Additionally, we must pay a per-vehicle daily occupancy fee to each district in which we operate. New laws and regulations and changes to existing laws and regulations continue to be adopted, implemented, and interpreted in response to the industry and related technologies, and we could be subject to intense and even conflicting regulatory pressure from national, regional, and local regulatory authorities. As we expand our business into new markets or introduce new products and services into existing markets, regulatory bodies or courts may claim that we or users on our platform are subject to additional requirements, or that we are prohibited from conducting business in certain jurisdictions, or that users on our platform are prohibited from using the platform, either generally or with respect to certain products and services. Adverse changes in laws or regulations at all levels of government or bans on or material limitations to our products or services could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Certain jurisdictions and governmental entities require us to obtain permits, pay fees or penalties or comply with certain other requirements to provide vehicle sharing products and services. These jurisdictions and governmental entities may reject our applications for permits or deny renewals, delay our ability to operate, increase their fees or charge new types of fees, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, many of the permits that we have received are for set periods of time and need to be renewed every one to two years. If governmental authorities were to revoke any permit that we had previously been granted or deny the renewal of any of our permits, our rider base and associated revenues would decrease.
Regulatory bodies may enact new laws or promulgate new regulations that are adverse to our business, or they may view matters or interpret laws and regulations differently than they have in the past or in a manner adverse to our business. Such regulatory scrutiny or action may create different or conflicting obligations on us from one jurisdiction to another.
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Our success, or perceived success, and increased visibility may also drive some businesses that perceive our business model negatively to raise their concerns to local policymakers and regulators. These businesses and their trade association groups or other organizations may take actions and employ significant resources to shape the legal and regulatory regimes in jurisdictions where we may have, or seek to have, a market presence in an effort to change such legal and regulatory regimes in ways intended to adversely affect or impede our business and the ability of riders to utilize our platform.
Any of the foregoing risks could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Government regulation of the Internet and user privacy is evolving and negative changes could substantially harm our business and operating results.
We are subject to various business regulations and laws, including those specifically governing the Internet and user privacy, including the processing and storage of personal information. Existing and future regulations and laws could impede the growth of the Internet or other online services. These regulations and laws may involve taxation, tariffs, data protection, content, copyrights, distribution, electronic contracts and other communications, consumer protection and the characteristics and quality of services, any of which may substantially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to users or other third parties, or any other legal obligations or regulatory requirements relating to privacy, data protection or information security may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us, and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations, and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our users may limit the adoption and use of, and reduce the overall demand for, our platform. Additionally, if third parties we work with violate applicable laws, regulations, or agreements, such violations may put our users’ data at risk, could result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, fines, litigation, claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Further, public scrutiny of, or complaints about, technology companies or their data handling or data protection practices, even if unrelated to our business, industry or operations, may lead to increased scrutiny of technology companies, including us, and may cause government agencies to enact additional regulatory requirements, or to modify their enforcement or investigation activities, which may increase our costs and risks.
Additionally, certain actions of our users that are deemed to be a misuse of or unauthorized disclosure of another user’s personal data could negatively affect our reputation and brand and impose liability on us. The safeguards we have in place may not be sufficient to avoid liability on our part or avoid harm to our reputation and brand, especially if such misuse or unauthorized disclosure of personal data was high profile, which could adversely affect our ability to expand our user base, and our business and financial results.
Our business could be adversely affected if laws or regulations are adopted, interpreted, or implemented in a manner that is inconsistent with our current business practices and that require changes to these practices, the design of our features, websites, mobile applications, or our privacy policies. Furthermore, our business could be harmed by any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices or the requirements of platform providers regarding the use or disclosure of data our users choose to share with us, age verification, underage users or the manner in which the express or implied consent of users for such use and disclosure is obtained. Such changes may require us to modify our websites and mobile applications features and advertising practices, possibly in a material manner, and may limit our ability to use the data that our users share with us as well as our ability to monetize our products. In addition, any failure by us to comply with such regulations could result in our incurrence of material liabilities.
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We collect, store, process and use personal information and other customer data, which subjects us to governmental regulation and other legal obligations related to privacy, information security, and data protection, and our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could harm our business.
We collect, store, process and use personal information and other user data. Our users’ personal information may include, among other information, names, date of birth, ID number, nationality, driver license number, ride details, usage details, device type, device ID, hardware model, user transaction records, traffic data, user photograph, phone numbers, email addresses, payment account information, age, gender, and GPS-based location. Due to the volume and types of the personal information and data we manage and the nature of our products and applications, the security features of our platform and information systems are critical. If our security measures or applications are breached, disrupted or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to obtain access to user data. If we or our third-party service providers or business partners were to experience a breach, disruption or failure of systems compromising our users’ data or the media suggested that our security measures or those of our third-party service providers were insufficient, our brand and reputation could be adversely affected, use of our products and services could decrease, and we could be exposed to a risk of loss, litigation, and regulatory proceedings. Depending on the nature of the information compromised, in the event of a data breach, disruption or other unauthorized access to our user data, we may also have obligations to notify the relevant governmental bodies and users about the incident and we may need to provide some form of remedy for the individuals affected by the incident. A growing number of legislative and regulatory bodies have adopted consumer notification requirements in the event of unauthorized access to or acquisition of certain types of personal data. Such breach notification laws continue to evolve and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another. Complying with these obligations could cause us to incur substantial costs and could increase negative publicity surrounding any incident that compromises user data. Our users may also accidentally disclose or lose control of their passwords, creating the perception that our systems or those of our third-party service providers are not secure against third-party access. Additionally, if third parties we work with, such as vendors, business partners, service providers, or developers, violate applicable laws, agreements, or our policies, or experience security breaches that affect our user information, such violations or breaches may also put our users’ information at risk and could in turn have an adverse effect on our business.
Expansion of products or services could subject us to additional laws and regulations, and any actual or perceived failure by us to comply with such laws and regulations or manage the increased costs associated with such laws or regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Laws and regulations are continuously evolving, and compliance is costly and can require changes to our business practices and significant management time and effort. It is not always clear how existing laws apply to our new business models. We strive to comply with all applicable laws, but the scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us is often uncertain and may conflict across jurisdictions. As we enter new businesses or introduce new lines of business, we may be subjected to ambiguous or broad laws and regulations which could adversely affect our operational costs.
For example, on February 3, 2023, Istanbul Otomobilciler Esnaf Odasi, an Istanbul-based association of taxi owners, filed a lawsuit before Istanbul 14th Commercial Court (the “Commercial Court”) against us regarding our (i) recently launched ride-hailing service and (ii) e-moped services, on the basis that both services constitute unfair competition. The plaintiff also sought injunctive relief from the court preventing access of third parties to these services through our website or our mobile application.
There was an injunctive relief decision regarding the ride-hailing service as of March 6, 2023, which we successfully appealed at the Commercial Court. The injunctive relief decision was removed as of June 20, 2023. As of the date of this prospectus, there is no injunctive relief in place for either of our ride-hailing or e-moped services.
After a hearing on January 12, 2024, the experts that were appointed by the court submitted their expert report as requested by the court on January 22, 2024. We filed an objection to the court noting that the report did not cover all the issues requested and was incomplete, and as a result of our objections, the court gave the experts 90 days to prepare an additional report. The last hearing of the case was held on March 29, 2024, at which time the court decided to postpone the hearing. The next hearing is scheduled on July 19, 2024.
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The judicial process before the Commercial Court is pending and, inclusive of any process before the Court of Objections, is estimated to last until the end of 2024, subject to any further delays. Currently, the ride-hailing service does not generate any income for us, but our e-moped services generate income. If the Commercial Court ultimately accepts the plaintiff’s claims, we may be required to materially modify or cease the ride-hailing service and/or our e-moped service. Such a decision would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, and liquidity due to effects on e-moped services.
We are regularly subject to claims, lawsuits, government investigations, and other proceedings that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are regularly subject to claims, lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government investigations, and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of business, including those involving personal injury, property damage, worker classification, labor and employment, commercial disputes, competition, consumer complaints, compliance with regulatory requirements, and other matters, and we may become subject to additional types of claims, lawsuits, government investigations, and legal or regulatory proceedings as our business grows and as we deploy new products and services, including proceedings related to our acquisitions, securities issuances, or business practices.
For example, we have been investigated in the past and we may be investigated in the future, by the Turkish Competition Authority (the “TCA”) to determine whether we hold a dominant position in the markets we serve and, if so, whether we have abused such a dominant position. If the TCA finds that we have abused a dominant position, we may be subject to an administrative fine up to 4.5% of the annual net revenue we earned in the fiscal year preceding the TCA’s decision, as well as fines related to the procedural aspects of the TCA’s investigation. Depending on the nature of these matters, we may be subject to monetary damage awards, fines, penalties, or injunctive orders. Furthermore, the outcome of such investigations could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
The results of any such claims, lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government investigations, or other legal or regulatory proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, be harmful to our reputation, require significant management attention, and divert significant resources. Determining reserves for our pending litigation is a complex and fact-intensive process that requires significant subjective judgment and speculation. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in substantial damages, settlement costs, fines, and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These proceedings could also result in harm to our reputation and brand, sanctions, consent decrees, injunctions, or other orders requiring a change in our business practices. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, we have contractual and other legal obligations to indemnify and to incur legal expenses on behalf of our business and commercial partners and current and former directors and officers.
A determination in, or settlement of, any legal proceeding, whether we are party to such legal proceeding or not, that involves our industry, could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The costs associated with an adverse outcome in that litigation, or in defending, settling, or resolving those proceedings, may be material to our business.
We have faced, and are likely to continue to face, lawsuits from local governmental entities, municipalities, and private citizens related to the conduct of our business.
We have been, and continue to be, subject to litigation and other actions brought by governmental entities, municipalities, and private citizens alleging a variety of causes of actions, among other things, failure to operate with proper local permits, public nuisance and trespass related to the placements of our vehicles on public property, interfering with others’ use and enjoyment of, and access to, public and private property, and personal injuries and property damages caused by riders of our vehicles. The defense of these matters has and could continue to significantly increase our operating expenses. In addition, if we are determined to have violated applicable laws or regulations, or we settle or compromise these disputes, we may be required to change our operations or services in certain markets or globally, to change material components of our business strategy, to cease operations in one or more markets, and/or to pay substantial damages or fines. In the event that we are required to take one or more such actions, our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In addition, any litigation or claims, whether or not valid, could result in substantial costs, negative publicity, and diversion of resources and management attention.
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We are subject to various existing and future environmental health and safety laws and regulations that could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating costs and restrictions. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations may result in substantial fines or other limitations that could adversely impact our financial results or operations.
We and our operations, as well as our contractors, suppliers, and customers are subject to various domestic and international environmental laws and regulations, including laws related to the generation, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous substances and waste as well as electronic waste and hardware, whether hazardous or not. We or others in our supply chain may be required to obtain permits and comply with procedures that impose various restrictions on operations that could have adverse effects on our operations. If key permits and approvals cannot be obtained on acceptable terms, or if other operational requirements cannot be met in a manner satisfactory for our operations or on a timeline that meets out commercial obligations, it may adversely impact our business.
Environmental and health and safety laws and regulations can be complex and may be subject to change, such as through new regulations enacted at the supranational, national, sub-national, and/or local level or new or modified regulations that may be implemented under existing law. The nature and extent of any changes in these laws, rules, regulations, and permits may be unpredictable and may have material effects on our business. Future legislation and regulations or changes in existing legislation and regulations, or interpretations thereof, including those relating to electronic waste, could cause additional expenditures, restrictions, and delays in connection with our operations as well as other future projects, the extent of which cannot be predicted.
Further, we rely on third parties to ensure compliance with certain environmental laws, including those related to the disposal of waste, such as electronic waste, to include end-of-life disposal or recycling. Any failure to properly handle or dispose of waste, regardless of whether such failure is ours or our contractors, may result in liability under environmental laws, including, but not limited to administrative fines and suspension of activity. The costs of liability with respect to contamination could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Additionally, we may not be able to secure contracts with third parties and contractors to continue their key supply chain and disposal services for our business, which may result in increased costs for compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
Separately, our company and our operations are subject to an increasing number of laws and regulations regarding Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) matters. We may also be subject to various supply chain requirements in the future regarding, among other things, conflict minerals and labor practices. We may be required to incur substantial costs to comply with these requirements, and the failure to comply may result in substantial fines or other penalties that may adversely impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We may be subject to Turkish tax audits that may result in additional tax liabilities.
Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the TRA may decide to start a tax audit as a result of an accusation by a third party, an industry-wide investigation, an internal risk assessment of the TRA or a commercial relationship between us and a company under tax audit. If the TRA disagrees with the positions taken on our taxes and we do not prevail in any such disagreement, we could incur additional tax liability, including interest and penalties, which could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
Our business currently requires us to source parts, materials, and supplies internationally, and supply chain disruptions, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and changes to international trade agreements, tariffs, import and excise duties, taxes or other governmental rules and regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Our business consists of obtaining, maintaining and operating the most durable electric vehicles we can in the most cost-efficient way to provide reliable services to our customers. We currently use a number of suppliers in and outside of Türkiye to make this possible and may continue to leverage various partners and companies that operate outside of Türkiye in the future. If supply chains are disrupted, foreign currency exchange rates fluctuate or any restrictions or significant increases in costs or tariffs are imposed related to vehicles and components as a result of amendments to existing trade agreements or otherwise, our supply and shipping costs may increase, resulting in decreased margins. The extent to which our margins could decrease in response to any future tariffs is uncertain. We may also expand our operations to countries with unstable governments that are subject to instability, corruption, changes in rules and regulations, and other potential uncertainties that could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
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Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (“Articles of Association”), the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (“the Companies Act”) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to the Company under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Stuarts Humphries, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (1) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (2) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
The Economic Substance Legislation of the Cayman Islands may impact us.
The Cayman Islands enacted the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (As Revised), or the Cayman Economic Substance Act, in January 2019. We are required to comply with the Cayman Economic Substance Act and related regulations and guidelines. As we are a Cayman Islands exempted company, compliance obligations will include filing annual notifications, in which we will need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Cayman Economic Substance Act and the filing of an annual return with the Department of International Tax Co-Operation. We may need to allocate additional resources and make changes to our operations in order to comply with all requirements under the Cayman Economic Substance Act. Failure to satisfy these requirements may subject us to penalties under the Cayman Economic Substance Act.
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The Financial Action Task Force’s monitoring of the Cayman Islands could impact us.
In February 2021, the Cayman Islands was added to the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) list of jurisdictions whose anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist and proliferation financing practices are under increased monitoring, commonly referred to as the “FATF grey list”. When the FATF places a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, it means the country has committed to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased monitoring during that timeframe. It is unclear what ramifications, if any, the designation will have for us.
In June 2023, the FATF confirmed that the Cayman Islands had satisfied all FATF recommended actions, recognizing that the jurisdiction has a robust and effective anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing regime. In October 2023, the Cayman Islands was removed from the FATF grey list after demonstrating that all remaining recommended actions were addressed, but we have no assurance that the Cayman Islands will not be added back to the FATF grey list in the future.
On March 13, 2022, the European Commission (“EC”) updated its list of ‘high-risk third countries’ (the “EU AML List”) identified as having strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing regimes. The EC noted it was committed to greater alignment with the FATF listing process and the addition of the Cayman Islands to the EU AML List was a direct result of the inclusion of the Cayman Islands on the FATF grey list in February 2021. Following removal from the FATF grey list, in January 2024, the Cayman Islands was removed from the EU AML List, but we have no assurance that the Cayman Islands will not be added back to the EU AML List.
We may be subject to fines and the loss of certain tax advantages as a result of investigations by the Turkish customs authority (the “Customs Authority”).
In January 2022, the Customs Authority began investigating the importation of scooters and e-bikes into Türkiye. As a result of this investigation, we reviewed our import practices and voluntarily decided to amend the import tax product codes of separately imported parts under the higher import tax product code for scooters and e-bikes. The amendment resulted in an additional import tax charge of $1.7 million and a fine of $0.6 million. We paid $1.4 million of the import tax charge and $0.5 million of such fine in 2022 and the remaining $0.1 million was recorded as a provision as of December 31, 2022.
In January 2023, the Customs Authority issued us an additional fine of $3.3 million upon review of our voluntary amendment. On March 12, 2023 the Law numbered 7440 was entered into force, which regulates tax amnesty and restructuring certain receivables. Pursuant to the Law numbered 7440 and the official notices of the Customs Authority, the additional fine of $3.3 million is in the scope of amnesty and therefore is not subject to any payment.
Additionally, in May 2022, we voluntarily decided to amend the import tax product codes under the higher import tax product code for e-bikes. As a result of such amendment, an additional import tax charge amounting to $0.4 million emerged. The amendment has not officially resulted in any action by the Customs Authority yet; however we applied for the amnesty within the scope of the Law numbered 7440 based on the information and guidance we received verbally from the Customs Authority that the Customs Authority will only collect the half of the additional import tax charge together with the interest and default interest calculated based on the domestic producer price index.
Notwithstanding the above and the Law numbered 7440, we could still face additional penalties as a result of future investigations, all of which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
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Risks Related to Türkiye
Our principal executive offices and other operations and facilities are located in Türkiye and, therefore, our prospects, business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected by political or economic instability in Türkiye.
Substantially all of our revenue is derived from our operations in Türkiye, and our principal executive offices and other operations and facilities as well as suppliers are located in Türkiye. Accordingly, political and economic conditions in Türkiye may directly affect our business.
Changes in Türkiye’s domestic and/or international political circumstances, including the inability of the Turkish government to devise or implement appropriate economic programs and decreased investor confidence in Türkiye’s economic programs and governance, might adversely affect the stability of the Turkish economy and, in turn, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations. Prior to its current presidential republic system, Türkiye was a parliamentary republic between 1923 and 2018. Unstable coalition governments have been common and, since the establishment of the parliamentary system, Türkiye has had over 60 governments, with political disagreements frequently resulting in early elections.
Furthermore, although its role has diminished in recent years, the Turkish military establishment historically has played a significant role in Turkish government and politics, intervening in the political process in 1960, 1971, and 1980.
Following an attempted coup in July 2016 by a group within the Turkish army, the government, among other things: implemented a two year state of emergency; initiated legal proceedings against numerous institutions (including schools, universities, hospitals, associations, and foundations), some of which were closed down; arrested, discharged or otherwise restricted thousands of members of the military, the judiciary and the civil service; restricted media outlets and took various actions against members of the business and journalism sectors.
Following a constitutional referendum on April 16, 2017, the parliamentary system and council of ministers were abolished and replaced with an executive presidency and a presidential system. In the presidential election held on June 24, 2018, President Erdoğan was re-elected and the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, the President’s party) and Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi), which together formed the “People’s Alliance” bloc, received sufficient votes to hold a majority of the seats in parliament.
On July 9, 2018, President Erdoğan announced the new ministers of his cabinet, which included the former minister of Energy and Natural Resources and his son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, as the minister of Treasury and Finance. On July 10, 2018, President Erdoğan issued a decree (a) empowering the President to appoint the governor of the Central Bank and the deputy governors of the Central Bank, (b) removing the previous requirement for deputy governors of the Central Bank to have at least ten years of professional experience and (c) shortening the office term of the governor and the deputy governors of the Central Bank to four years from five years. On July 6, 2019, the governor of the Central Bank was removed from his post by a Presidential Decree and, on the same day, President Erdoğan appointed Murat Uysal, one of the Central Bank’s then-deputy governors, as the new governor of the Central Bank. This was followed on August 9, 2019 by the board of the Central Bank, as part of its reorganization, removing from office its chief economist and other high-ranking officials. On November 7, 2020, following a sharp depreciation of the Turkish Lira against the U.S. Dollar, President Erdoğan replaced Mr. Uysal with Mr. Ağbal, after which the Central Bank increased the benchmark interest rate to 19.0% (between March and September 2021).
On November 8, 2020, Mr. Albayrak resigned from his position as Minister of Treasury and Finance and was replaced by Lutfi Elvan, a former Minister of Development and Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication. On March 20, 2021, President Erdoğan dismissed Mr. Ağbal and replaced him with Mr. Şahap Kavcıoğlu, a former member of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for the Justice and Development Party. Following Mr. Ağbal’s dismissal, the value of the Turkish Lira decreased against the U.S. dollar (from TL 7.27 per U.S. dollar before Mr.Ağbal’s dismissal, to TL 7.99 per U.S. dollar) and trading on the Borsa İstanbul was suspended after a sharp fall in share prices, which declined by 9.6% in a week. On March 30, 2021, President Erdoğan dismissed the deputy governor of the Central Bank. Following the appointment of Şahap Kavcıoğlu as governor, the Central Bank announced several decreases in the policy interest rate (to 18.0% in September 2021, 16.0% in October 2021, 15.0% in November 2021, 14% in December 2021, 13.0% in August 2022, 12.0% in September 2022, 10.5% in October 2022, 9% in November 2022, and 8.5% in February 2023). On December 2, 2021, Lütfi Elvan
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also resigned as Minister of Treasury and Finance and was replaced by Nureddin Nebati. The Turkish Lira reached TL 17.47 per U.S. dollar on December 20, 2021. Subsequently, the Turkish government introduced, among other things, a foreign exchange-protected Turkish Lira deposit scheme in an effort to reduce the volatility in exchange rates and lower the inflation rate, as a result of which the Turkish Lira appreciated by 31.1% against the U.S. Dollar (to TL 13.33 per U.S. dollar) from December 20, 2021 to December 31, 2021. As such, uncertainty in relation to the independence of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Treasury and Finance continues, and failure to implement effective monetary and fiscal policies may adversely affect the Turkish economy. On February 6, 2023, Borsa İstanbul experienced a sharp decrease of 15% following three days of earthquakes and the stock exchange was halted on February 8, 2023. On February 15, 2023, the stock exchange reopened, rising 9.8% by mid-afternoon due to a wide range of measures imposed by the government including tax incentives and utilization of the Turkish Wealth Fund.
Following the parliamentary and presidential elections in May 2023, Mehmet Simsek was appointed as the new Minister of Treasury and Finance on June 4, 2023 and on June 9, 2023, Hafize Gaye Erkan assumed the position of governor of the Central Bank. The Central Bank increased interest rates by 650 basis points on June 22, 2023, 250 basis points on July 20, 2023, 750 basis points on August 24, 2023, 500 basis points each on September 21, 2023, October 26, 2023, and November 23, 2023, 250 basis points each on December 21, 2023 and January 25, 2024, 500 basis points on March 21, 2024. Despite these measures, the Turkish Lira continued to weaken against the USD, reaching 32.31 per USD on March 22, 2024.
On February 2, 2023, President Erdoğan appointed Fatih Karahan as the Turkish Central Bank governor following Mrs. Erkan resignation from her tenure due to the claims of improper use of power.
Turkish parliamentary elections were held on May 14, 2023, along with the presidential election. According to official election results. The People’s Alliance (led by the governing Justice and Development Party) received 49.50% of the vote, or 323 seats, and the Nation’s Alliance (led by the Republican People’s Party) received 35.04% of the vote, or 212 seats, in the National Assembly. In the four-candidate presidential election, current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received 49.52% of the vote and Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 44.88% of the vote. As no candidate received a simple majority of the vote, a runoff final election among President Erdogan and Mr. Kilicdaroglu was held on May 28, 2023. President Erdogan received 52.18% of the vote and Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.82% of the vote.
In addition to domestic events, there has been recent political tension between Türkiye and the EU, certain members of the EU, and the United States. With respect to the United States, various events during recent years have impacted the relationship. For example, on October 8, 2017, the United States suspended all non-immigrant visa services for Turkish citizens in Türkiye following the arrest of an employee of the United States consulate in İstanbul. On the same date, Türkiye responded by issuing a statement that restricted the visa application process for United States citizens. While visa services have since returned to normal, relations between the two countries remain strained on various topics, including (a) the conflicts against the self-proclaimed jihadist Islamic State (“ISIS”), (b) relationships with Iran (including the purchase of oil from Iran), (c) the October 2019 U.S. federal indictment of state-controlled bank Halkbank asserting violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran, (d) the arrest and detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson in 2018, (e) Türkiye’s December 2017 entry into a contract with Russia for the purchase of S-400 missile defense systems, and (f) Türkiye’s position with Russia in light of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine (particularly in light of United States, UK and EU sanctions against Russia).
On August 1, 2018, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“OFAC”) took action targeting Türkiye’s Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior, indicating that these Ministers played leading roles in the organizations responsible for the arrest and detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson. Following such action, Türkiye imposed reciprocal sanctions against two American officials. On August 10, 2018, the President of the United States stated that he had authorized higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Türkiye. On August 15, 2018, Türkiye retaliated by increasing tariffs on certain imports from the United States, such as cars, alcohol and tobacco. These actions contributed to a decline in the value of the Turkish Lira, which fell to a record low before strengthening to TL 5.3 as of December 31, 2018, due in part to the higher-than-expected interest rate hike by the Central Bank on September 13, 2018, improving relations between Türkiye and the United States following the release of Mr. Brunson on October 12, 2018, and the removal of the sanctions imposed upon the two Turkish ministers and reciprocal sanctions imposed by Türkiye November 2, 2018.
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On November 5, 2018, in an effort to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, the United States reinstated U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been removed in 2015 as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a multilateral treaty signed with Iran on July 14, 2015 regarding the Iranian nuclear program, including Türkiye’s import of Iranian oil. The impact of this action, including any additional costs that might be borne by Turkish importers of oil (and thus on the country’s current account deficit) or any sanctions that might be imposed for violations of these requirements and/or Türkiye’s relationship with Iran, could have a material adverse impact on the Turkish economy and thus have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In December 2017, Türkiye entered into a contract with Russia for the purchase of S-400 missile defense systems, the first shipments of which were received in July 2019. In December 2020, the United States announced sanctions on Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (the “SSB”) and its president and other senior officers for Türkiye’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. The imposed sanctions include a ban on all U.S. export licenses and authorizations to the SSB, and an asset freeze and visa restrictions on the SSB’s president and other SSB officers. While such sanctions did not have a material impact on Turkish markets, it is uncertain if any other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) member will impose sanctions or other measures (or if the U.S. will impose additional sanctions or other measures) against Türkiye and, if imposed, how such sanctions and measures might impact the Turkish economy and/or the relationship between Türkiye and the U.S. or any other NATO member.
On November 27, 2019, the Turkish government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Libya’s Government of National Accord to recognize a shared maritime boundary in the Mediterranean running from southwestern Türkiye to northeastern Libya. This was further supported by a separate agreement signed in order to expand security and military cooperation between the two countries. A number of countries raised objections to this agreement with Libya. On January 2, 2020, the military resolution was accepted by the Turkish parliament and a small contingent of Turkish troops was deployed in Libya. On the same date, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus signed an agreement for a new undersea pipeline that would carry gas from offshore deposits in the southeastern Mediterranean to continental Europe, which might constrain Türkiye’s efforts to explore for, and subsequently develop, offshore gas reserves in the region.
In August 2021, the Taliban, a Sharia Islamic militant group, took over the major cities of Afghanistan (including Kabul), which has created expectations of a potential new migration wave through Europe and Türkiye. President Erdoğan and other high-level Turkish officials have made various statements noting that Türkiye will not shoulder the burden of a new migration wave. However, there is no certainty as to what impact on Türkiye any such migration might have. Türkiye’s future relationship with the Taliban is also uncertain given the complex geopolitical circumstances relating to Afghanistan.
In April 2021, President Biden referred to the World War I deaths of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, which might negatively contribute to Türkiye’s relationship with the United States. It is uncertain whether the positions that the Biden administration might take with respect to Türkiye, including relating to any of the aforementioned topics, (including potential additional sanctions), might materially alter the relationship between Türkiye and the U.S.
Turkish municipality elections were held on March 31, 2024. According to official election results, the Republican People’s Party received 37.8% of the total votes and the governing Justice and Development Party received 35.5% of the total votes. The Republican People’s Party won 14 metropolitan municipalities, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, and Bursa, which is 3 more metropolitan municipalities than it won in the 2019 municipal elections. The Justice and Development Party won 12 metropolitan municipalities, including Konya and Kocaeli, which is 3 fewer metropolitan municipalities than it won in the 2019 municipal elections. The Republican People’s Party won 35 total cities (metropolitan and non-metropolitan), while the Justice and Development Party won 24. In the 2019 local elections, the Republican People’s Party won 21 total cities and the Justice and Development Party won 39. In the 2024 municipal elections, out of 973 districts, the Justice and Development Party received more votes in 356 districts, while the Republican People’s Party received more votes in 337 districts.
The above-mentioned events, future elections and/or other political circumstances may cause volatility in the Turkish financial markets, have an adverse effect on investors’ perception of Türkiye and/or Türkiye’s ability to support economic growth and manage domestic social conditions, result in (or contribute to) a deterioration of the relationship between Türkiye and the EU, certain members of the EU, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia
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and/or other countries and/or have an adverse impact on the Turkish economy or Turkish institutions, any of which in turn might have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations and/or on the market price of an investment in the securities.
We are subject to certain anti-corruption laws, trade sanctions laws and regulations, and anti-money laundering laws and regulations, and we could face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations, which could harm our business.
Our activities may be subject to applicable anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”), as amended, anti-corruption laws in Türkiye, and other state and national anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws that may apply to our business activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and generally prohibit companies and their employees from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, corrupt payments of anything of value to private persons or public officials to obtain or retain business or an improper business advantage. Under the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws, we also can be held liable for the corrupt activities of our agents, intermediaries, and other partners, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. As part of our business, we or our third parties may need to obtain permits, licenses, patent registrations, and other regulatory approvals outside the United States, and we may engage third parties to assist us with sales activities. As a U.S. issuer, we also are subject to the FCPA’s accounting provisions, which require us to make and keep complete and accurate books and records, and to maintain a system of adequate internal accounting controls. We also may be subject to certain economic and trade sanctions regulations (such as those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”)) or applicable anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing laws and regulations. To the extent applicable, these laws and regulations generally prohibit transactions in, with, involving, or relating to certain countries or regions or certain persons or entities, and compliance with these laws could impact our business. Although we have policies and controls in place to promote compliance with these laws and regulations, there are no assurances that these policies and controls will always prevent illegal or improper acts by employees, agents, third parties, or business partners. Violations of the laws and regulations described above may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment for individuals involved, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm, investigation costs, and other consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Türkiye’s economy is subject to inflation and risks related to its current account deficit.
Macroeconomic developments in Türkiye, in particular those related to current account deficit and inflationary pressures, also affect our business. The current account deficit in Türkiye was 4.1%, 5.7%, and 1.7% of GDP in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Türkiye’s high current account deficit may reflect both Türkiye’s current economic conditions and long-standing structural economic problems, such as dependence on imported energy, manufacturing and domestic consumption imports, and a low savings rate. To date, Türkiye’s current account deficit has been funded largely through short-term foreign capital borrowings and foreign portfolio investments.
Various events and circumstances, including, among others, a decline in Türkiye’s foreign trade and tourism revenues (including due to a resurgence of COVID-19 and the impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine), political risks and changes to Türkiye’s macroeconomic policy (such as with respect to domestic interest rates), could result in an increase in the current account deficit. The current account deficit increases Türkiye’s vulnerability to changes in global macroeconomic conditions and, as a result, the Turkish government could take policy actions to reduce the current account deficit, including policies that could have a material negative impact on domestic growth and consumption. Any negative impact on economic growth or the introduction of policies that curtail economic activity could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
Although Türkiye’s economic growth depends to some extent upon domestic demand, Türkiye’s economy is also dependent upon trade, in particular with Europe. The EU remains Türkiye’s largest export market. A significant decline in the economic growth of any of Türkiye’s major trading partners, such as the EU, could have an adverse impact on Türkiye’s balance of trade and adversely affect Türkiye’s economic growth. Diplomatic or political tensions between Türkiye and the EU (or any of its member states) or other countries could impact trade or demand for imports and exports. Türkiye also exports to markets in Russia and the Middle East and the continuing political and/or economic turmoil in certain of those markets could lead to a decline in demand for such imports. A decline
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in demand for imports into the EU or Türkiye’s other trading partners or weakening of Euro could have a material adverse effect on Turkish exports and Türkiye’s economic growth and could result in an increase in Türkiye’s current account deficit.
Due to the negative impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Türkiye’s tourism revenues and export revenues experienced a significant decline in 2020, whereas (driven in large part by the import of gold) imports into Türkiye increased. In order to reduce the negative impact on Türkiye’s current account deficit by decreasing the demand for imports into Türkiye and supporting domestic producers, the Turkish government imposed new (or increased) custom tax rates for numerous products. In addition, starting in August 2020, the Central Bank began to tighten monetary policy by increasing the cost of funding, which could reduce demand for imports and adversely affect Türkiye’s economic growth.
If the current account deficit increases, financial stability in Türkiye could deteriorate. In addition, financing the current account deficit could be difficult in the event of a future global liquidity crisis and/or declining interest or confidence of foreign investors in Türkiye. Increased uncertainty in the global financial markets and/or failure to reduce the current account deficit could have a negative impact on Türkiye’s sovereign credit ratings and could lead to increased volatility in the Turkish economy, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
The Turkish economy has experienced significant inflationary pressures in the past. In 2021, the annual consumer price index (“CPI”) increased by 36.1% reflecting an increase in food, energy, and commodity prices (including due to the depreciation of the Turkish Lira) and domestic producer price index (“PPI”) increased by 79.9%. In 2022, CPI increased by 64.3% and PPI increased by 97.2% reflecting the supply shocks led by the prospects for global energy, food, agricultural commodity and housing prices amid geopolitical developments. In 2023, CPI increased by 64.8% and PPI increased by 44.2% reflecting an increase in food, energy, and service sector driven by the increased labor costs (including due to the depreciation of the Turkish Lira).
On April 29, 2021, the Central Bank published its second inflation report of 2021, indicating an inflation forecast for 2021 and 2022 of 12.2% and 7.5%, respectively, which was then further revised on July 29, 2021 to 14.1% for 2021 and 7.8% for 2022. On October 28, 2021, the Central Bank revised its inflation forecast for 2021 and 2022, respectively, to 18.4% and 11.8%. In the first inflation report of 2022, the Central Bank indicated an inflation forecast for 2022 and 2023 of 23.2% and 8.2%, before revising the inflation forecast for 2022 and 2023 to 42.8% and 12.9%, respectively in its second inflation report of 2022, 60.4% and 19.2% for 2022 and 2023, respectively, in its third inflation report of 2022, and 65.2% and 22.3% for 2022 and 2023, respectively, in its fourth inflation report of 2022. In its first inflation report of 2023, the Central Bank indicated an inflation forecast for 2023 and 2024 of 22.3% and 8.8%, respectively. In its second inflation report of 2023, the Central Bank maintained its forecast for 2023 and 2024 at 22.3% and 8.8%, respectively, but later revised the inflation forecast for 2023 and 2024 to 58% and 33%, respectively. In its fourth inflation report of 2023, the Central Bank revised its forecast for 2023 and 2024 at 65% and 24%, respectively. In its first inflation report of 2024, the Central Bank indicated an inflation forecast for 2024 and 2025 at 36% and 14%, respectively.
In an effort to decrease the negative effects of the inflation, Türkiye raised the net minimum wage by 50% in January 2022 to TL 4,250, 30% in July 2022 to TL 5,500, 54% in January 2023 to TL 8,506, 34% in July 2023 to TL 11,402, and in January 2024 to TL 17,002. The net minimum retirement pension was also raised by approximately 66% in January 2022 to TL 2,500, 40% in July 2022 to TL 3,500, 114% in March 2023 to TL 7,500, 25% in July 2023 to TL 9,377, and in January 2024 to TL 10,000. Despite these and other measures, inflation could continue at an elevated pace due to anticipated higher food prices (in part due to supply chain issues and increased transportation costs as a result of the Ukraine conflict, droughts, wildfires, logistics obstacles and other supply side challenges), increased prices of consumer goods (in particular, as a result of higher production costs due to the increased cost in electricity and gas as a result of the Ukraine conflict), worsening inflation expectations and pent-up demand following the reopening of the economy following COVID-19 restrictions.
Additionally, any significant global price increases in major commodities such as oil, cotton, corn, and wheat would likely increase inflation in Türkiye. Such inflation, particularly if combined with further depreciation of the Turkish Lira, could result in Türkiye’s inflation exceeding the Central Bank’s inflation target, which could prompt
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the Central Bank to modify its monetary policy. Inflation-related measures taken by the Central Bank and/or other Turkish authorities could have an adverse effect on the Turkish economy and a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
Risks from events affecting Türkiye’s relationship with the United States.
The relationship between the United States and Türkiye has been strained by recent developments in the region, and also by Türkiye’s agreement to acquire an air and missile defense system from Russia in December 2017. In response to these events, the United States Congress has considered potential sanctions on Türkiye and limited Türkiye’s ability to acquire fighter jets from the United States. In December 2020, the United States imposed sanctions that targeted the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) of Türkiye, its chairman and three other employees.
In 2018, a New York federal court found a former executive at Türkiye’s majority state-owned bank Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş. guilty on charges that included bank fraud and conspiracies to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran and sentenced him to prison. He was released in July 2019, but the U.S. Department of Justice brought similar allegations against Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş., which are ongoing as of the date of this prospectus. As of the date of this prospectus, the final outcome in relation to the judicial process, or whether any sanction, fine or penalty will be imposed by the OFAC or any other U.S. regulatory body on Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş. or any other Turkish bank or person in connection with those matters, as well as the possible reaction of the Turkish Government or the financial markets to any such events, is unknown.
The United States has expressed concern Russian oligarchs are increasingly using Türkiye as a haven to shelter assets after the United States imposed Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia. In August 2022, the Biden Administration warned Turkish business associations that Turkish companies could face sanctions if they do business with Russian individuals and institutions. The Turkish government has indicated it seeks to intensify its economic cooperation with Russia.
Actual or perceived political instability in Türkiye, escalating diplomatic and political tensions with the United States or other countries, and/or other political circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations or on the market price of the Ordinary Shares.
Foreign exchange rate risks could affect the Turkish macroeconomic environment, could affect your investment and could significantly affect our results of operation and financial position in future periods if hedging tools are not available at commercially reasonable terms.
We are exposed to foreign exchange rate risks between Turkish Lira and U.S. dollars. Although our income, expenses, assets, and liabilities are primarily denominated in Turkish Lira, we also maintain some non-Turkish Lira denominated assets and liabilities, primarily in U.S. dollars. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we recorded foreign exchange gains of $2.7 million, foreign exchange gains of $2.3 million, foreign exchange losses of $4.1 million, respectively.
The Turkish Lira has demonstrated a significant degree of volatility, with particularly sharp depreciation against major currencies, in recent years, which has increased the Company’s foreign currency risk. For example, in nominal terms, between December 31, 2017 and August 14, 2018, the Turkish Lira depreciated by 80.6% against the U.S. dollar. Following the announcement of measures to support the financial markets and prevent volatility in the currency market in August 2018, the Turkish Lira appreciated by 23.5% against the U.S. dollar by December 31, 2018. However, between December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2020, the Turkish Lira depreciated by 39.5%. Following the dismissal of the Governor of the Central Bank on March 20, 2021, the Turkish Lira depreciated by a further 13.4% against the U.S. dollar by March 31, 2021.
Following decreases in interest rates by the Central Bank in late 2021, the Turkish Lira depreciated by a further 60% against the U.S. dollar by December 31, 2021, by a further 29.5% to TL 18.70 against the U.S. dollar by December 31, 2022, and by a further 57.4% to TL 29.44 against the U.S. dollar by December 31, 2023. In addition, to curb rising inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 bps in March 2022, by 50 bps in May 2022, by 75 bps in each of June 2022, July 2022, September 2022, and November 2022, by 50 bps in December 2022, and by 25 bps in each of February 2023, March 2023, May 2023, and July 2023. The Central Bank’s monetary policy is subject to a number of uncertainties, including global macroeconomic conditions and political conditions in
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Türkiye, and further macroeconomic uncertainties may result in additional volatility in the value of the Turkish Lira. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and increased volatility of the Turkish Lira could adversely affect the Turkish economy and could have a negative effect on the value of our securities.
We do not currently undertake any currency hedging to manage our exposure in Türkiye to changes in foreign exchange rates. Consequently, any sudden and significant changes in foreign exchange rates may have an adverse impact on our financial condition, revenue and results of operations.
Because our operational subsidiary is incorporated in Türkiye, and because it is subject to Turkish accounting rules, we are bound to calculate and declare dividends, if any, in Turkish Lira. The depreciation of Turkish Lira against the U.S. dollar could cause fewer U.S. dollars to be obtained from the conversion of Turkish Lira at any time dividend payments are made.
Türkiye is subject to internal and external unrest and the threat of future terrorist acts, which may adversely affect us.
Türkiye is located in a region that has been subject to ongoing political and security concerns. Türkiye has been subject to a number of terrorist attacks, resulting in a number of fatalities and casualties. Such incidents have had, and could continue to have, a material adverse effect on the Turkish economy. In particular, the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria have been the subject of significant international attention and conditions in the region remain volatile. Unrest in these countries could have political implications both within Türkiye and in its relationship with other countries and/or have a negative impact on the Turkish economy, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Türkiye has been subject to a number of bombings, including tourist-focused centers in Istanbul and the city center in Ankara, which have resulted in a number of fatalities. Such incidents may continue to occur periodically, though the most recent fatal incident in a major town occurred in January 2017. Additionally, there have been military and civilian hostilities across the Syrian-Turkish border, leading to the creation by the Turkish military of a “safe zone” in northern Syria in 2019, which could have political repercussions both within Türkiye and in its relationship with any of the United States, Russia, Syria, Iran or other countries and could have an adverse impact on the Turkish economy. Türkiye’s conflict with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (the “PKK”) (a group that is listed as a terrorist organization by various states and other entities, including Türkiye, the European Union and the United States), which has intensified since 2015, could also negatively impact the Turkish economy and/or Türkiye’s relationship with the United States.
The Turkish military commenced military operations in northern Syria in October 2019. This engagement expanded, including in particular around Idlib, and has resulted in many Turkish casualties and increased direct conflicts between the Turkish and Syrian militaries. Although Türkiye and Russia reached a ceasefire agreement in March 2020 that has since reduced the level of conflict, a permanent diplomatic solution has not yet been reached and it is possible that this conflict could escalate further, including resulting in further conflicts with Russia and/or other nations. The conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh also could contribute to further disagreements between Türkiye and Russia.
The above (or similar) circumstances have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on the Turkish economy and lead to reductions in purchasing power of our customers, consumer confidence, consumer spending, general demand for e-commerce goods and services, display advertising and marketing spending of our advertisers and a reduction in demand for our products and services, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Türkiye’s economy has been undergoing a significant transformation and remains subject to ongoing structural and macroeconomic risks.
Since the mid-1980s, the Turkish economy has moved from a highly protected state-directed system to a market-oriented free enterprise system. Reforms have, among other things, largely removed price controls and reduced subsidies, reduced the role of the public sector in the economy, emphasized growth in the industrial and service sectors, liberalized foreign trade, reduced tariffs, promoted export growth, eased capital transfer and exchange controls, encouraged foreign investment, strengthened the independence of the Central Bank, led to full convertibility of the Turkish Lira by accepting Article VIII of the International Monetary Fund’s (the “IMF”) Articles of Agreement and overhauled the tax system. Although the Turkish economy has generally responded positively to this transformation, it
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has experienced severe macroeconomic imbalances, including significant current account deficits, high rates of interest, significant currency volatility and persistent unemployment. In addition, the Turkish economy remains vulnerable to both external and internal shocks, including volatility in oil prices, changing investor opinion, outbreaks of disease (e.g., COVID-19, SARS, etc.) and natural disasters, such as earthquakes. For example, the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy (including precautions taken to minimize transmission, including travel restrictions, the closure of factories and restrictions on public gatherings) has increased risks to global growth and financial markets. In addition, the direct physical damages of the earthquakes on February 6, 2023 is estimated to be 34.2 billion US dollars and total cost thereof is estimated to be 84.1 billion US dollars. Global macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties, a slowdown in capital flows to emerging markets and an increasingly protectionist approach to global foreign trade also continue to negatively affect the Turkish economy. The Turkish economy has also experienced a succession of financial crises and severe macroeconomic imbalances. These include substantial budget deficits, significant current account deficits, high rates of inflation, and high real rates of interest.
There can be no assurance that the Turkish government will continue to implement its current and proposed economic and fiscal policies successfully or that the economic growth achieved in recent years will continue considering external and internal circumstances, including the Central Bank’s efforts to curtail inflation and simplify monetary policy while maintaining a lower funding rate, the current account deficit and macroeconomic and political factors, such as changes in oil prices and uncertainty related with conflicts in Iraq and Syria and the political developments in Türkiye (see “— Our principal executive offices and other operations and facilities are located in Türkiye and, therefore, our prospects, business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected by political or economic instability in Türkiye”). Any of these developments could cause Türkiye’s economy to experience macro-economic imbalances, which could impair our business strategies and/or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
In addition, in March 2019, the United States announced that imports from Türkiye would no longer be eligible for tariff relief under the “Generalized System of Preferences” program, which seeks to promote economic growth in countries identified as developing countries, due to Türkiye’s rapid economic development since its entry into the program. This development could have a material adverse effect on Türkiye’s economy and/or the financial condition of one or more industries within Türkiye.
Internet and e-commerce regulation in Türkiye is recent and is subject to further development.
In 2007, Türkiye enacted a law setting forth obligations and liabilities of content, access and hosting providers as well as certain requirements specific to online content (the “Internet Law”). A number of laws and regulations impacting e-commerce and digital businesses in Türkiye have been enacted since 2007, including amendments to the Internet Law, a law on regulation of e-commerce stipulating the obligations of e-commerce operators (the “E-commerce Law”), various laws to protect personal data and laws on electronic payments, among others. Additionally, significant amendments to the E-commerce Law were enacted on July 1, 2022. However, unlike in the United States, little case law exists around the Internet Law and E-commerce Law and existing jurisprudence has not been consistent and may not reflect the latest amendments or additional legislation. Legal uncertainty arising from the limited guidance provided by current laws in force allows for different judges or courts to decide very similar claims in different ways and establish contradictory jurisprudence. This allows for legal uncertainty and could set adverse precedents, which individually or in the aggregate could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, legal uncertainty may negatively affect our customers’ perception and use of our services.
If regional instability were to spread, our operations could be adversely affected.
We conduct substantially all of our operations in Türkiye. In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and the resulting war is ongoing. The war in Ukraine has already had, and likely will continue to have, a material impact on geopolitical relationships and global economic and market conditions, including increased inflation, volatility in interest and exchange rates, and global supply chain challenges. It is also possible that the war in Ukraine could lead to further military conflicts, particularly involving Eastern Europe, leading to additional economic disruption.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the EU, Canada, Japan, and Australia have imposed sanctions on Russia, select Russian companies and select Russian nationals. For example, on March 8, 2022, President Biden announced that the United States would ban imports of Russian crude oil and certain petroleum
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products, liquefied gas, and coal. Furthermore, other sanctions that have been imposed by other countries including, United Kingdom, Canada and European countries, includes, among other, freeze of the assets of the central bank of Russia, banning of all transactions with the central bank of Russia and removal of the certain Russian banks from the swift messaging system, restrictions on access to financing by Russian entities, controls on exports to Russia’s energy and defense sectors. Following these sanctions, thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have fled to Türkiye to stay, invest, and hold assets because Türkiye has not imposed any sanctions on Russia except for the closure of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to warships. Türkiye may reconsider its current sanction-free policy in light of international pressure and any further sanctions that may be imposed by the aforementioned countries, which in turn would require Türkiye to impose sanctions on Russia. If Türkiye were to impose such sanctions, they may have a material adverse effect on Türkiye’s economy and financial condition due to Türkiye’s significant trade, natural gas supply and tourism relationships with Russia. Heightened tensions, if any, between Türkiye and Russia or the U.S. over events in Ukraine could materially negatively affect global macroeconomic conditions and the Turkish economy. Heightened tensions between Türkiye and other international trading partners, who condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, or heightened tensions for any other reason between Türkiye and Russia or disruption of their trading, natural gas supply and tourism relationships could materially negatively affect the Turkish economy, and directly or indirectly have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
Additionally, Türkiye also has an important trading and tourism relationship with Ukraine. In 2021, Türkiye received 4.7 million and 2.0 million tourists from Russia and Ukraine, respectively, representing 27% of all international tourists in 2021. In addition, Türkiye is a net energy importer, and depends significantly on Russia to meet its domestic energy requirements, particularly with regards to its consumption of natural gas. Türkiye and Russia also cooperate in other industries, such as construction, including the ongoing construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. Ukraine is also a strategic partner of Türkiye and the two countries have in recent years increased their cooperation in the defense industry. Because of Türkiye’s close relationship with, and geographic proximity to, both countries, the current hostilities between Russia and Ukraine are likely to have an increasingly adverse effect on Türkiye’s political, economic, and financial position.
In addition, because Türkiye is a member of NATO, any confrontation between the armed forces of a NATO member country and the armed forces of Russia and/or Ukraine could pose significant risks to Türkiye. As a member of NATO, if the war in Ukraine were to spread into a NATO country, Türkiye would be required, pursuant to the terms of NATO membership, to treat such action as an attack on its own territory and could be compelled to join the war. Heightened tensions between Türkiye and Ukraine due to Türkiye’s role as a NATO member and a host to ceasefire negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators may adversely affect the relationship between Türkiye and Ukraine and could lead to a disruption of their trading and tourism relationships, which could have an adverse effect on Türkiye’s economy and indirectly have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
The above circumstances have had, and could continue to have, a material adverse effect on the Turkish economy and on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
Türkiye is subject to the risk of significant seismic events.
A significant portion of Türkiye’s population and most of its economic resources are located in first-degree earthquake risk zones (i.e., the highest level of risk of damage from earthquakes), and a number of our properties and business operations in Türkiye are located in such zones. Türkiye has experienced a large number of earthquakes in recent years, some of which were severe. For example, in October 2020, the western province of Izmir experienced an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, which caused significant loss of life and property damage. Further, two earthquakes took place on February 6, 2023 in the southeastern region of Türkiye with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, directly affecting 11 cities, leveling neighborhoods and resulting in more than 50,000 casualties. In the aftermath, most of the production facilities and shops in the region were shut down and many of the local residents moved to the other parts of Türkiye. We did not have any vehicle losses and relocated our vehicles from the earthquake zone to our other operational regions.
It is likely that Türkiye will experience earthquakes in the future and any future earthquakes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
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Risks Related to Our Financial Results
We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
We conduct a significant portion of our business in currencies other than the U.S. dollar but report our financial results in U.S. dollars. As a result, we face exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. As exchange rates vary, revenue, cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization, operating expenses, other income and expense, and assets and liabilities, when translated, may also vary materially and thus affect our overall financial results.
We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities and may be affected by changes in tax laws or interpretations, any of which could adversely impact our results of operations.
We expect to be subject to income taxes in the United States and various jurisdictions outside of the United States, including Türkiye. Our effective tax rate could fluctuate due to changes in the mix of earnings and losses in countries with differing statutory tax rates. Moreover, our tax position could also be impacted by changes in accounting principles, changes in U.S. federal, state or international tax laws applicable to corporate multinationals, other fundamental law changes currently being considered by many countries, including the United States, and changes in taxing jurisdictions’ administrative interpretations, decisions, policies, and positions. Any of the foregoing changes could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) was signed into law on August 16, 2022 and imposes a minimum tax on certain corporations with book income of at least $1 billion, subject to certain adjustments, and a 1% excise tax on certain stock buybacks (including redemptions) and similar corporate actions. Any of these or similar developments or changes in U.S. federal, state or non-U.S. tax laws or tax rulings could adversely affect our effective tax rate and our operating results.
According to “A Law on the Establishment of an Additional Mo