CANTALOUPE, INC. - Annual Report: 2015 (Form 10-K)

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015

OR

For the transition period from ____________________ to _____________________

Commission file number 000-50054

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes ¨ No x

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity securities held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was $55,098,386 as of the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter, December 31, 2014, based upon the closing price of the Registrant’s Common Stock on that date.

As of September 15, 2015, there were 35,854,655 outstanding shares of Common Stock, no par value.

USA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, regarding, among other things, the anticipated financial and operating results of the Company. For this purpose, forward-looking statements are any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact and include, but are not limited to, those preceded by or that include the words, “estimate,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “likely,” “may,” “will,” “plan,” “intend,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projected,” or similar expressions. Those statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements. The forward-looking information is based on various factors and was derived using numerous assumptions.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Actual results or business conditions may differ materially from those projected or suggested in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Form 10-K. We cannot assure you that we have identified all the factors that create uncertainties. Moreover, new risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all risks on our business or the extent to which any risk, or combination of risks, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Form 10-K speaks only as of the date of this Form 10-K. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this Form 10-K or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

USA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

OVERVIEW

USA Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”, “We”, “USAT”, or “Our”) was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in January 1992. We are a provider of technology-enabled solutions and value-added services that facilitate electronic payment transactions primarily within the unattended Point of Sale (“POS”) market. We are a leading provider in the small ticket, beverage and food vending industry and are expanding our solutions and services to other unattended market segments, such as amusement, commercial laundry, kiosk and others. Since our founding, we have designed and marketed systems and solutions that facilitate electronic payment options, as well as telemetry and machine-to-machine (“M2M”) services, which include the ability to remotely monitor, control, and report on the results of distributed assets containing our electronic payment solutions. Historically, these distributed assets have relied on cash for payment in the form of coins or bills, whereas, our systems allow them to accept cashless payments such as through the use of credit or debit cards or other emerging contactless forms, such as mobile payment.

We derive the majority of our revenues from license and transaction fees resulting from connections to, as well as services provided by, our ePort Connect service. Connections to our service stem from the sale or lease of our POS electronic payment devices or certified payment software or the servicing of similar third-party installed POS terminals. The majority of ePort Connect customers pay a monthly fee plus a blended transaction rate on the transaction dollar volume processed by the Company. Connections to the ePort Connect service, therefore, are the most significant driver of the Company’s revenues, particularly revenues from license and transaction fees.

As of June 30, 2015, the Company had approximately 333,000 connections to its ePort Connect service, compared to approximately 266,000 connections as of June 30, 2014, representing a 25% increase. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, the Company processed approximately 217 million cashless transactions totaling approximately $389 million in transaction dollars, representing a 28% increase in transaction volume and a 32% increase in dollars processed from the 169 million cashless transactions totaling approximately $294 million during the previous fiscal year ended June 30, 2014.

The above chart shows the increases over the last four fiscal years in the number of connections, revenues and the dollar value of transactions handled by us. The vertical bars depict total revenues, segmented by license and transaction fees and equipment revenues. The solid line depicts the number of connections to our ePort Connect service, as of the end of each of the last four fiscal years, as indicated by the dot at the mid-point on the revenue bar for each year. Similarly, the dollar value of transactions handled by us during each of the last four fiscal years is indicated by the dotted line and the dot at the mid-point on the revenue bar for each year.

Our solutions and services have been designed to simplify the transition to cashless for traditionally cash-only based businesses. As such, they are turnkey and include our comprehensive ePort Connect service and POS electronic payment devices or certified payment software, which are able to process traditional magnetic stripe credit and debit cards, contactless credit and debit cards and mobile payments. Standard services through ePort Connect are maintained on our proprietary operating systems and include merchant account setup on behalf of the customer, automatic processing and settlement, sales reporting and 24x7 customer support. Other value-added services that customers can choose from include things such as cashless deployment planning, cashless performance review and loyalty products and services. Our solutions also provide flexibility to execute a variety of payment applications on a single system, transaction security, connectivity options, compliance with certification standards, and centralized, accurate, real-time sales and inventory data to manage distributed assets (wireless telemetry and M2M).

Our customers range from global food service organizations to small businesses that operate primarily in the self-serve, small ticket retail markets including beverage and food vending, amusement and arcade machines, smartphones via our ePort Mobile™ solution, commercial laundry, tolls, and various other self-serve kiosk applications as well as equipment developers or manufacturers who incorporate our ePort Connect service into their product offerings.

We believe that we have a history of being a market leader in cashless payments with a recognized brand name, a value-added proposition for our customers and a reputation of innovation in our product and services. We believe that these attributes position us to capitalize on industry trends.

THE INDUSTRY

We operate primarily in the small ticket electronic payments industry and, more specifically, the unattended POS market. We also have the ability to accept cashless payment “on the go” through mobile-based payment services, which are generally higher ticket transactions. Our solutions and services facilitate electronic payments in industries that have traditionally relied on cash transactions. We believe the following industry trends are driving growth in demand for electronic payment systems in general and more specifically within the markets we serve:

Shift toward electronic payment transactions and away from cash and checks

There has been an ongoing shift away from paper-based methods of payment, including cash and checks, towards electronic-based methods of payment. According to The Nilson Report, December 2012, paper-based methods of payment continued to decline in 2010, representing 38.97% of transaction dollars measured compared to 50.45% in 2005. The four card-based systems—credit, debit, prepaid, and electronic benefits transfer—generated $4.22 trillion in the United States in 2011, 50.6% of transaction dollars measured, compared to 42.3% in 2006. The Nilson Report projects that by 2016 spending at merchants in the U.S., from the four card-based system will grow to $6.5 trillion, or 62.8% of total transaction dollars measured.

Increase in Consumer and Merchant/Operator Demand for Electronic Payments

Increase in Consumer Demand. The unattended, vending and kiosk POS market has historically been dominated by cash purchases. However, oftentimes, cash purchases at unattended POS locations represent a cumbersome transaction for the consumer because they do not have the correct monetary value (paper or coin), or the consumer does not have the ability to convert their bills into coins. We believe electronic payment system providers such as USA Technologies that can meet consumers’ demand within the unattended market will be able to offer retailers, card associations, card issuers and payment processors and business owners an expanding value proposition at the POS.

Increase in Merchant/Operator Demand. We believe that, increasingly, merchants and operators of unattended payment locations (e.g., vending machines, laundry, tabletop games, etc.) are utilizing electronic payment alternatives as a means to improve business results. The Company works with its customers to help them drive increased revenue of their distributed assets through this expanded market opportunity. In addition, electronic payment systems can provide merchants and operators real-time sales and inventory data utilized for back-office reporting and forecasting, like USA Technologies’ solutions and services, helping them to manage their business more efficiently.

Increase in Demand for Networked Assets. M2M (machine-to-machine) technology includes capturing value from wireless modules and electronic devices to improve business productivity and customer service. The term M2M describes any kind of 2-way communication system between geographically distributed devices through a centrally managed software application without human intervention and as such, the Company’s integrated POS and ePort Connect remote data management capabilities fall into this category of solution. In addition, networked assets can provide valuable information regarding consumers’ purchasing patterns and payment preferences, allowing operators to more effectively tailor their offerings to consumers. According to a Verizon Wireless 2011 whitepaper, titled “When Machines Talk, Businesses Listen”, within ten years, the number of machines that can be connected should exceed sixty billion units. The Company believes that its expertise in integrating cashless payments, its scalable network data capacity, its proven ability to handle high transaction volume, and its high quality and reliable data management capabilities make it well suited for the growing opportunities in the M2M market.

POS Technology and NFC Equipped Mobile Phone Payment Improvements

Consumer Interest in Mobile Payment. NFC, or Near Field Communication, is a short range wireless connectivity technology that uses electromagnetic radio fields to enable communication between devices when there is a physical touch, or when they are within close proximity to one another. We believe that POS contactless terminals that are enabled to accept NFC payments and digital wallet applications, such as Google Wallet, Chase Wallet, Apple Pay, the recently introduced Android Pay, and others, stand to benefit from these evolving trends in mobile payment. Digital wallet is essentially a digital service, accessed via the web or a mobile phone application that serves as a substitute for the traditional credit or debit card. Providers can also market directly to targeted consumers with coupons and loyalty programs.

With over 70% of the Company’s connections contactless enabled to accept NFC payments (in addition to magnetic stripe cards) as of June 30, 2015, we believe that we are well-positioned to benefit from this emerging space.

OUR TECHNOLOGY-BASED SOLUTION

Our solutions have been designed to be turnkey and includes the ePort Connect service, POS electronic payment devices, certified payment software able to process traditional magnetic stripe credit and debit cards, contactless credit and debit cards, and NFC equipped mobile phones that allow consumers to make payments with their cell phones. We believe that our ability to bundle our products and services, as well as the ability to tailor and customize them to individual customer needs, makes it easy and efficient for our customers to adopt and deploy our technology, and results in a service unmatched in the small-ticket, unattended retail market today.

The Product. The Company offers its customers several different devices or software to connect their distributed assets. These range from our QuickConnect™ Web service, more fully described below under the section “OUR PRODUCTS”, and encrypted magnetic stripe card readers to our ePort® hardware that can be attached to the door of a stand-alone terminal.

The Network. Our network is designed to transmit payment information from our customers’ terminals for processing and sales and diagnostic data for storage and reporting to our customers. Also, the network, through server-based software applications, provides remote management information, and enables control of the networked device’s functionality. Through our network we have the ability to upload software and update devices remotely enabling us to manage the devices easily and efficiently (e.g., change protocol functionality, provide software upgrades, and change terminal display messages).

The Connectivity Mediums. The client devices (described above) are interconnected for the transfer of our customers’ data through our ePort Connect network that provides multiple connectivity options such as phone line, ethernet, and wireless. Increased wireless connectivity options, coverage and reliability have allowed us to service a greater number of geographically dispersed customer locations. Additionally, we make it easy for our customers to deploy wireless solutions by acting as a single point of contact. We have contracted with Verizon Wireless and in the United States and Rogers Wireless in Canada in order to supply our customers with wireless network coverage.

Data Security. We are listed on the VISA Global Registry of Service Providers, meaning that VISA has reviewed and accepted our Report on Compliance (RoC) from an authorized Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) assessor as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider. Our entry on this is renewed annually, and our current entry is valid through January 31, 2016. The VISA listing can be found online at http://www.visa.com/splisting/searchGrsp.do

OUR SERVICES

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, license and transaction fees generated by our ePort Connect service represented 75% of the Company’s revenues. Our ePort Connect solution provides customers with all of the following services, under one cohesive service umbrella:

We enter into a processing and licensing agreement, or ePort Connect Services Agreement, with our customers pursuant to which we act as a provider of cashless financial services for the customer’s distributed assets, and the customer agrees to pay us an activation fee, monthly service fees, and transaction processing fees. Our agreements are generally cancelable by the customer upon thirty to sixty days’ notice to us from the time of shipment. It typically takes thirty to sixty days for a new connection to begin contributing to the Company’s license and transaction fee revenues.

The Company counts its ePort connections upon shipment of an active terminal to a customer under contract, at which time activation on its network is performed by the Company, and the terminal is capable of conducting business via the Company’s network and related services. An ePort connection does not necessarily mean that the unit is actually installed by the customer on a machine, or that the unit has begun processing transactions, or that the Company has begun receiving monthly service fees in connection with the unit. Rather, at the time of shipment of the ePort, the customer becomes obligated to pay the one-time activation fee (if applicable), and is obligated to pay monthly service fees and lease payments (if applicable) in accordance with the terms of the customer’s contract with the Company.

OUR PRODUCTS

ePort is the Company’s core device, which is currently being utilized in self-service, unattended markets such as vending, amusement and arcade, and various other kiosk applications. Our ePort product facilitates cashless payments by capturing payment information and transmitting it to our network for authorization with the payment system (e.g., credit card processors). Additional capabilities of our ePort consist of control/access management by authorized users, collection of audit information (e.g., date and time of sale and sales amount), diagnostic information of the host equipment, and transmission of this data back to our network for web-based reporting, or to a compatible remote management system. Our ePort products are available in several distinctive modular configurations, and as hardware, software or as an API Web service, offering our customers flexibility to install a POS solution that best fits their needs and customer demands.

Other forms of our ePort technology include:

SPECIFIC MARKETS WE SERVE

Our current customers are primarily in the self-serve, small ticket retail markets including beverage and food vending and kiosk, commercial laundry, car wash, tolls, amusement and gaming, and office coffee. While these industry sectors represent only a small fraction of our total market potential, as described below, these are the areas where we have gained the most traction to date. In addition to being our current primary markets, we believe these sectors serve as a proof-of-concept for other unattended POS industry applications.

Vending. According to Vending Times’ 2012 Census of the Industry, annual U.S. sales in the vending industry sector were estimated to be approximately $43 billion in 2011 transacted by over 6 million machines. The Company believes these machines represent a significant market opportunity for electronic payment conversion when compared to the Company’s existing ePort Connect service base and the overall low rate of industry adoption to date. For example, in another study conducted by Automatic Merchandiser (State of the Vending Industry, June 2013) that included a representative 5.4 million machines, cashless adoption was projected at only 7% in 2012, up from 4% in 2011. The increase was attributed to higher product price points, increased acceptance of debit and credit in retail for smaller purchases, Gen X and Y/millennials joining the workforce to become vending consumers and the growing research about how cashless payment systems can increase sales. With the continued shift to electronic payments and the advancement in mobile and POS technology, we believe that the traditional beverage and food vending industry will continue to look to cashless payments and telemetry systems to improve their business results.

Kiosk. According to IHL Consulting Group’s August 2012 North American Self-Service Kiosks Market Study, which defines, for purposes of their study, a kiosk as a self-standing, technology-based, unmanned device deployed across six retail and hospitality environments, approximately $926 billion was going to be transacted through self-service kiosks in 2013, with compound annual growth for the subsequent three years of seven percent (7%). We believe that kiosks are becoming increasingly popular as credit, debit or contactless payment options enable kiosks to sell an increased variety of items. In addition, the study points to the increasing trend toward self-sufficiency, where time is the most important commodity of the consumer. As merchants continue to seek new ways to reach their customers through kiosk applications, we believe the need for a reliable cashless payment provider experienced with machine integration, PCI compliance and cashless payment services designed specifically for the unattended market will be of increasing value in this market. Our existing kiosk customers integrate with our cashless payment services via our QuickConnect Web service using one of our encrypted readers or ePort POS technologies.

Laundry. Our primary targets in laundry consist of the coin-operated commercial laundry and multi-housing laundry markets. According to the Coin Laundry Association, the U.S. commercial laundry industry was comprised of 30,000-35,000 laundromats in 2015 that our partner, Setomatic Systems, estimated translates to roughly 2.5 million commercial washers and dryers. The Coin Laundry Association estimated gross revenue in the laundromat market at nearly $5 billion annually.

Mobile Merchant. New mobile-based payment acceptance technology has made a transformational impact on an entire base of merchants that previously had almost no access to electronic-based payments. Goldman Sachs (Equity Research Report, June 19, 2012) sees the arrival of mobile technology at the micro/small merchant level addressing an estimated 13 million U.S.-based micro merchants that are likely to benefit from the ability to accept electronic payment from mobile devices. The Company believes that its mobile-based acceptance product and existing turnkey service platform align well with the market’s need for integrated, mobile payment solutions.

OUR COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS

We believe that we benefit from a number of advantages gained through our over twenty-year history in our industry. They include:

OUR GROWTH OPPORTUNITY

Our primary objective is to continue to enhance our position as a leading provider of technology that enables electronic payment transactions and value-added services primarily at small-ticket, self-service retail locations such as vending, kiosks, commercial laundry, and other similar markets. The Company believes its service-approach business model can create a high-margin stream of recurring revenues that could create a foundation for long-term value and continued growth. Key elements of our strategy are to:

Drive Growth in Connections

Leverage Existing Customers/Partners. We have a solid base of key customers across multiple markets, particularly in vending, that have currently deployed our solutions and services to just a small portion of their deployed base. As a result, they are a key component of our plan to drive future sales. We have worked to build these relationships, drive future deployments, and develop customized network interfaces. Our customers have seen the benefits of our products and services first-hand and we believe they represent the largest opportunity to scale connections to our service.

Expand Distribution and Sales Reach. We are intently focused on driving profitable growth through efficient sales channels. Added sales resources and new distribution relationships have led to approximately 2,300 new ePort Connect customers as well as increased penetration in markets such as amusement and arcade, and commercial laundry in fiscal year 2015.

Further Penetrate Attractive Adjacent Markets. We plan to continue to introduce our turnkey solutions and services to various adjacent markets such as the broad-based kiosk market and other similar markets by leveraging our expertise in cashless payment integration combined with the capacity and uniqueness of our ePort Connect solution.

Capitalize on Opportunities in International Markets. We are currently focused on the U.S. and Canadian markets for our ePort devices and related ePort Connect service but may seek to establish a presence in electronic payment markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In order to do so, however, we would have to invest in additional sales and marketing and research and development resources targeted towards these regions. At this time, the Company believes the most efficient route to these markets will be achieved by optimizing and coordinating opportunities with its global partners and customers. Our energy management devices have been shipped to customers located in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Expanding the Value of our Service

Capitalize on the emerging NFC and growing mobile payments trends. With over 70% of our connected base contactless enabled to accept NFC payments (including mobile wallets), the Company believes that continued increases in consumer preferences towards contactless payments, including mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Android Pay, represent a significant opportunity for the Company to further drive adoption. According to a market research study conducted in June 2015, almost one in six US consumers (15%) had used a mobile wallet in the past six months, up from 9% in the same period in 2013, and an additional 22% are likely to adopt mobile wallet functionality in the coming six months (The Future of the Mobile Wallet - Chadwick Martin Bailey). As consumers continue to adopt these new methods of cashless payments, it is our belief that adoption will continue to accelerate at a rapid pace and result in more rapid adoption of cashless solutions like USA Technologies’ ePort in the markets that we serve. 

Continuous Innovation. We are continuously enhancing our solutions and services in order to satisfy our customers and the end-consumers relying on our products at the POS locations. Our product innovation team is always working to enhance the design, size, and speed of data transmission, as well as security and compatibility with other electronic payment solution providers’ technologies. We believe our continued innovation will lead to further adoption of USAT’s solutions and services in the unattended POS payments market.

Comprehensive Service and Support. In addition to its industry-leading ePort cashless payments system, USA Technologies seeks to provide its customers with a comprehensive, value-added ePort Connect service that is designed to encourage optimal ROI through business planning and performance optimization; business metrics through the company’s KnowledgeBase of data; a loyalty and rewards program for consumer engagement; marketing strategy and executional support; sales data and machine alerts; DEX data transmission; and the ability to extend cashless payments capabilities and the full suite of services across multiple aspects of an operators’ business including micro-markets, online payments, mobile payments and dining/retail POS.

Leverage Intellectual Property. Through June 30, 2015, we have been granted 89 patents which contain various claims, including claims relating to payment processing, networking and energy management devices. In addition, we own numerous trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. We will continue to explore ways to leverage this intellectual property in order to add value for our customers, attain an increased share of the market, and possibly generate licensing revenues.

SALES AND MARKETING

The Company’s sales strategy includes both direct sales and channel development, depending on the particular dynamics of each of our markets. Our marketing strategy is diversified and includes media relations, direct mail, conferences, and client referrals. As of August 31, 2015, the Company was marketing and selling its products through its full and part-time sales staff consisting of nineteen people.

Direct Sales

Our direct sales efforts are currently primarily focused on the beverage and food vending industry, although we continue to further develop our presence in our ancillary market segments.

Indirect Sales/ Distribution

As part of our strategy to expand our sales reach while optimizing resources, we also have agreements with select resellers in the car wash, amusement and arcade, and vending markets. We also have a strategic marketing relationship in the commercial laundry market that makes the Company the exclusive service provider to Setomatic Systems’ POS offering, SpyderWash. We have also entered into agreements with resellers and distributors in connection with our energy management products.

Marketing

Our marketing strategy includes advertising and outreach initiatives designed to build brand awareness, make clear USAT’s competitive strengths, and prove the value of our services to our target markets-both for existing and prospective customers. Activities include creating company and product presence on the web including www.usatech.com and www.energymisers.com, digital advertising, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and social media; the use of direct mail and email campaigns; educational and instructional online training sessions; advertising in vertically-oriented trade publications; participating in industry tradeshows and events; and working closely with customers and key strategic partners on co-marketing opportunities and new, innovative solutions that drive customer and consumer adoption of our services.

IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS

Verizon Wireless

In April 2011, we signed an agreement with Verizon for access to their digital wireless wide area network for the transport of data, including credit card transactions and inventory management data. The initial term of the agreement was three years, which was extended until April 2016. At the end of the term, the agreement automatically renews for successive one month periods unless terminated by either party upon thirty days’ notice.

On September 21, 2011, the Company and Verizon entered into a Joint Marketing Addendum (the “Verizon Agreement”) which amended the agreement described above. Pursuant to the Verizon Agreement, the Company and Verizon would work together to help identify business opportunities for the Company’s products and services. Verizon may introduce the Company to existing or potential Verizon customers that Verizon believes are potential purchasers of the Company’s products or services, and may attend sales calls with the Company made to these customers. The Company and Verizon would collaborate on marketing and communications materials that would be used by each of them to educate and inform customers regarding their joint marketing work. Verizon has the right to list the Company’s products and services in its Data Solutions Guide for use by its sales and marketing employees and in its external website. The Company has agreed to pay to Verizon a one-time referral fee for each customer introduced to the Company by Verizon that becomes a customer of the Company. The Verizon Marketing Agreement is terminable by either party upon 45 days’ notice.

VISA

As of November 14, 2014, we entered into a three-year agreement with Visa U.S.A. Inc. (“Visa”), pursuant to which Visa has agreed to continue to make available to the Company certain promotional interchange reimbursement fees for small ticket debit and credit card transactions. As previously reported, following implementation of the Durbin Amendment, Visa had significantly increased its interchange fees for small ticket regulated debit card transactions effective October 1, 2011. The promotional interchange reimbursement fees provided by the aforementioned agreement will continue until October 31, 2017.

MasterCard

On January 12, 2015, we entered into a three-year MasterCard Acceptance Agreement (“MasterCard Agreement”) with MasterCard International Incorporated ("MasterCard"), pursuant to which MasterCard has agreed to make available to us reduced interchange rates for small ticket debit card transactions in certain merchant category codes. As previously reported, MasterCard had significantly increased its interchange rates for small ticket regulated debit card transactions effective October 1, 2011, and as a result, the Company ceased accepting MasterCard debit card products in mid-November 2011. Pursuant to the MasterCard Agreement, however, the Company is currently accepting MasterCard debit card products for small ticket debit card transactions in the unattended beverage and food vending merchant category code. The Company and MasterCard entered into a first amendment on April 27, 2015, pursuant to which the condition under, or the transactions to, which the MasterCard custom pricing would be available, was amended. The reduced interchange rates became effective on April 20, 2015.

Chase Paymentech

The Company has entered into a five-year Third Party Payment Processor Agreement, dated April 24, 2015 with Paymentech, LLC, through its member, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“Chase Paymentech”), pursuant to which Chase Paymentech will act as the provider of credit and debit card transaction processing services (including authorization, conveyance and settlement of transactions) to the Company and its customers. The Agreement provides that Chase Paymentech will act as the exclusive provider of transaction processing services to the Company and its customers for at least 250,000,000 transactions per year. The Agreement provides that Chase Paymentech may modify the pricing for its services upon 30-days’ notice, and in connection with certain such increases, the Company has the right to terminate the Agreement upon 120-days’ notice.

Compass/Foodbuy

As per its website, Compass is a $13 billion organization with locations worldwide, is the leader in vending, food service management and support services, is the largest national vending operating company, has over 500,000 associates, and is one of the leading owners and operators of vending machines in the United States. Compass is a division of UK-based Compass Group PLC.

On June 30, 2009, we entered into a Master Purchase Agreement (“MPA”) with Foodbuy, LLC (“Foodbuy”), the procurement company for Compass Group USA, Inc. (“Compass”) and other customers. The MPA provides, among other things, that for a period of thirty-six months, Foodbuy on behalf of Compass shall utilize USAT as the sole credit or debit card vending system hardware and related software and connect services provider for not less than seventy-five percent of the vending machines of Compass utilizing cashless payments solutions. The MPA also provides that for a period of thirty-six months from the effective date of the agreement, USAT shall be a preferred supplier and provider to Foodbuy and its customers, including Compass, of USAT’s products and services. The MPA automatically renews for successive one-year periods unless terminated by either party upon sixty days’ notice prior to the end of any such one year renewal period. In addition, on July 1, 2009, USAT and Compass, in conjunction with the MPA described above, also entered into a three year ePort Connect Services Agreement pursuant to which USAT will provide Compass with all card processing, data, network, communications and financial services, and DEX telemetry data services required in connection with all Compass vending machines utilizing ePorts. The agreement automatically renews for successive one year periods unless terminated by either party upon sixty days’ notice prior to the end of any such one year renewal period. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, Compass, represented approximately 20% of our total revenues.

AMI Entertainment

On August 22, 2011, we entered into an exclusive three-year agreement with AMI Entertainment (“AMI”) as their exclusive processor of credit and debit cards and other electronic payments in connection with equipment operated on AMI’s network in the U.S. and Canada. The agreement is subject to renewal for one year periods thereafter, subject to notice of non-renewal by either party; the agreement renewed for one year in August 2015. AMI manufactures various types of amusement, entertainment and music equipment for sale to third party users.

Setomatic Systems

In April 2013, we entered into an three-year exclusive agreement with Setomatic Systems (“Setomatic”), a privately owned and operated developer and manufacturer of both open and closed loop card payment systems, drop coin meters and electronic timers for the commercial laundry industry. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company, through our ePort Connect® service, will act as the exclusive service provider for all credit/debit card processing for all new customers of Setomatic’s SpyderWash, a credit/debit card acceptance product. Similarly, the Company will market its ePort Connect service in the United States laundry market exclusively through Setomatic.

QUICK START PROGRAM

In order to reduce customers’ upfront capital costs associated with the ePort hardware, the Company makes available to its customers the Quick Start program, pursuant to which the customer would enter into a five-year non-cancelable lease with either the Company or a third-party leasing company for the devices. At the end of the lease period, the customer would have the option to purchase the device for a nominal fee.

From its introduction in September 2014 and through approximately mid-March 2015, the Company entered into these leases directly with its customers. In the third and fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, however, the Company signed vendor agreements with two leasing companies, whereby our customers could enter into leases directly with the leasing companies.

There has been a shift by our customers from acquiring our product via JumpStart, which accounted for 65% of our gross connections in fiscal year 2014, to QuickStart or a straight purchase, which was approximately 89% of gross connections for fiscal 2015. The shift to a straight purchase, along with our ability to increase cash collections under QuickStart sales by utilizing leasing companies, has improved cash provided by operating activities.

Due to the success of the QuickStart program as measured by customer utilization of the program and the positive impact on the Company’s cash flows from operating activities when a leasing company is utilized, the Company intends to expand this program by entering into additional vendor agreements with leasing companies and/or expanding its relationship with the two incumbent leasing companies.

JUMP START PROGRAM

Pursuant to the JumpStart Program, customers acquire the ePort cashless device at no upfront cost by paying a higher monthly service fee, avoiding the need to make a major upfront capital investment. The Company would continue to own the ePort device utilized by its customer. At the time of the shipment of the ePort device, the customer is obligated to pay to the Company a one-time activation fee, and is later obligated to pay monthly ePort Connect service fees in accordance with the terms of the customer’s contract with the Company, in addition to transaction processing fees generated from the device. In fiscal 2015, the Company added approximately 11% of its gross connections through JumpStart.

MANUFACTURING

The Company utilizes independent third party companies for the manufacturing of its products. Our internal manufacturing process mainly consists of quality assurance of materials and testing of finished goods received from our contract manufacturers. We have not entered into a long-term contract with our contract manufacturers, nor have we agreed to commit to purchase certain quantities of materials or finished goods from our manufacturers beyond those submitted under routine purchase orders, typically covering short-term forecasts.

COMPETITION

We are a leading provider of cashless payments systems for the small-ticket, unattended market and believe we have the largest installed base of unattended POS electronic payment systems in the beverage and food vending industry. Factors that we consider to be our competitive advantages are described above under “OUR COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS.” Our competitors are increasingly and actively marketing  products and services that compete with our products and services in the vending space including manufacturers who may include in their new vending machines their own (or another third party’s) cashless payment systems and services. These major competitors include Crane Payment Innovations and Cantaloupe Systems, Inc.. While we believe our products and services are superior to our competitors’, many of our competitors are much larger enterprises and have substantially greater revenues. In addition to these competitors, there are also numerous credit card processors that offer card processing services to traditional retail establishments that could decide to offer similar services to the industries that we serve.

In the cashless laundry market, our joint solution with Setomatic Systems competes with hardware manufacturers, who provide joint solutions to their customers in partnership with payment processors, and with at least one competitor who provides an integrated hardware and payment processing solution.

CUSTOMER CONCENTRATIONS

Customer concentrations for the years ended June 30, 2015, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:

TRADEMARKS, PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, AND PATENTS

The Company owns US federal registrations for the following trademarks and service marks: Blue Light Sequence®, Business Express®, CM2iQ®, Creating Value Through Innovation®, EnergyMiser®, ePort®, ePort Connect®, ePort Edge®, ePort GO®, ePort Mobile®, eSuds®, Intelligent Vending®, Public PC®, SnackMiser®, TransAct®, USA Technologies® USALive®, VendingMiser®, and VM2iQ®. The Company owns pending applications for US federal registration of the following trademarks and service marks: Horizontal Blue Light Sequence™and USA Technologies.

Much of the technology developed or to be developed by the Company is subject to trade secret protection. To reduce the risk of loss of trade secret protection through disclosure, the Company has entered into confidentiality agreements with its key employees. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in maintaining such trade secret protection, that they will be recognized as trade secrets by a court of law, or that others will not capitalize on certain aspects of the Company’s technology.

Through June 30, 2015, 89 patents have been granted to the Company, including 76 United States patents and 13 foreign patents, and 6 United States and 6 international patent applications are pending. Of the 89 patents, 73 are still in force.

The Company filed for re-examination of U.S. Patent No. 7,131,575 (Reexamination Control No. 90/008,437) and for reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 6,505,095 (Reexamination Control No. 90/008,448). On January 6, 2009, the U.S. Patent Office issued an Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate in connection with U.S. Patent No. 7,131,575 confirming patentability without any amendment to the claims. On August 11, 2009, the U.S. Patent Office issued an Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate in connection with U.S. Patent No. 6,505,095 which, among other things, approved amendments to certain of the prior claims and approved twelve new claims, for a total of 43 claims.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research and development expenses, which are included in selling, general and administrative expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, were approximately $1,457,000, $1,018,000, and $901,000 for the years ended June 30, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively.

EMPLOYEES

On August 31, 2015, the Company had 64 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees. 

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Risks Relating to Our Business

We have a history of losses since inception and if we continue to incur losses, the price of our shares can be expected to fall.

We experienced losses from inception through June 30, 2012, with net income for the years ended June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2014. However, we experienced losses for the 2015 fiscal year, and continued profitability is not assured. From our inception through June 30, 2015, our cumulative losses from operations are approximately $172 million. Until the Company’s products and services can generate sufficient annual revenues, the Company will be required to use its cash and cash equivalents on hand, its line of credit, and may raise capital to meet its cash flow requirements including the issuance of Common Stock or debt financing. For the year ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, we incurred a net loss of $1,089,482 and earned a net income of $27,530,652 which includes a benefit for income taxes of $27,255,398, respectively. If we incur losses in the future, the price of our common stock can be expected to fall.

The occurrence of unusual or unanticipated non-operational expenses may require us to divert our cash resources from achieving our business plan, adversely affecting our financial performance and resulting in the decline of our stock price.

Our fiscal year 2016 business plan assumes that no material unusual or unanticipated non-operational expenses would be incurred by us. In the event we would incur any such expenses, we would anticipate diverting our cash resources from our JumpStart program in order to fund any such expenses. Any such occurrence may cause our anticipated connections, revenues, gross profits, adjusted EBITDA, and other financial metrics for the 2016 fiscal year and beyond to be materially adversely affected. In such event, the price of our common stock could be expected to fall.

The inability of our customers to utilize third party leasing companies under our QuickStart program would materially adversely affect our cash generated from operating activities and/or attaining our business plan.

The use of third party leasing companies by our customers under our QuickStart program positively affects our net cash provided by operating activities because we receive the purchase price from the leasing company at the time of the sale. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such third party leasing companies. To the extent that third party leasing companies would not be available, we would lease the equipment directly to our customers. In such event, our net cash from operating activities would be adversely affected and we may be required to incur additional equity or debt financing to fund operations. In the alternative, we would not be able to attain our business plan, including anticipated connections and revenues.

We may require additional financing or find it necessary to raise capital to sustain our operations and without it we may not be able to achieve our business plan.

At June 30, 2015, we had net working capital of $6,293,137. We had net cash provided by operating activities of $(1,697,742), $7,085,400, and $6,038,952 for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. Although we believe that we have adequate existing resources (used in) to provide for our funding requirements through at least July 1, 2016, there can be no assurances that we will be able to continue to generate sufficient funds thereafter. Unless we maintain or grow our current level of operations, we may need additional funds to continue these operations. We may also need additional capital to update our technology or respond to unusual or unanticipated non-operational events. Should the financing we require to sustain our working capital needs be unavailable or prohibitively expensive when we require it, the consequences could be a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects.

Our future operating results may fluctuate.

Our future operating results will depend significantly on our ability to continue to drive revenues from license and transaction fees and our ability to develop and commercialize new products and services. Our operating results may fluctuate based upon many factors, including:

Our products may fail to gain substantial increased market acceptance. As a result, we may not generate sufficient revenues or profit margins to achieve our financial objectives or growth plans.

There can be no assurances that demand for our products will be sufficient to enable us to generate sufficient revenue or become profitable on a sustainable basis. Likewise, no assurance can be given that we will be able to have a sufficient number of ePorts® connected to our network or sell or lease equipment utilizing our network to enough locations to achieve significant revenues. Alternatively, the locations which utilize the network may not be successful locations and our revenues would be adversely affected. We may lose locations utilizing our products to competitors, or may not be able to install our products at competitors’ locations, or may not obtain future locations which would be obtained by our competitors. In addition, there can be no assurance that our products could evolve or be improved to meet the future needs of the marketplace. In any such event we may not be able to achieve our growth plans, including anticipated connections and revenue growth.

We may be required to incur further debt to meet future capital requirements of our business. Should we be required to incur additional debt, the restrictions imposed by the terms of such debt could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to respond to changes in our business.

If we incur additional debt, we may be subject to the following risks:

We cannot assure you that our leverage and such restrictions will not materially and adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities. In addition, we cannot assure you that additional financing will be available when required or, if available, will be on terms satisfactory to us.

The loss of one or more of our key customers could significantly reduce our revenues, results of operations, and net income.

We have derived, and believe we may continue to derive, a significant portion of our revenues from one large customer or a limited number of large customers. Customer concentrations for the years ended June 30, 2015, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:

Our customers may buy less of our products or services depending on their own technological developments, end-user demand for our products and internal budget cycles. A major customer in one year may not purchase any of our products or services in another year, which may negatively affect our financial performance. If we are required to sell products to any of our large customers at reduced prices or unfavorable terms, our results of operations and revenue could be materially adversely affected. Further, there is no assurance that our customers will continue to utilize our transaction processing and related services as our customer agreements are generally cancelable by the customer on thirty to sixty days’ notice.

We depend on our key personnel and if they would leave us, our business could be adversely affected.

We are dependent on key management personnel, particularly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen P. Herbert and our Chief Services Officer, David DeMedio. The loss of services of Mr. Herbert or Mr. DeMedio or other officers could dramatically affect our business prospects. Our executive officers and certain of our officers and employees are particularly valuable to us because:

We have entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Herbert that expires on January 1, 2016 and with Mr. DeMedio which expires on June 30, 2016, each of which contains confidentiality and non-compete agreements.

We also may be unable to retain other existing senior management, sales personnel, and development and engineering personnel critical to our ability to execute our business plan, which could result in harm to key customer relationships, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated recruitment and training costs.

Our dependence on proprietary technology and limited ability to protect our intellectual property may adversely affect our ability to compete.

Challenge to our ownership of our intellectual property could materially damage our business prospects. Our technology may infringe upon the proprietary rights of others. Our ability to execute our business plan is dependent, in part, on our ability to obtain patent protection for our proprietary products, maintain trade secret protection and operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others.

Through June 30, 2015, we had 12 pending United States and foreign patent applications, and will consider filing applications for additional patents covering aspects of our future developments, although there can be no assurance that we will do so. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will maintain or prosecute these applications. The United States Government and other countries have granted us 89 patents as of June 30, 2015. There can be no assurance that:

If any of our products or services is found to have infringed any patent, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain licenses to continue to manufacture, use, sell, and license such product or service or that we will not have to pay damages and/or be enjoined as a result of such infringement. Even if a patent application is granted for any of our products, there can be no assurance that the patented technology will be a commercial success or result in any profits to us.

If we are unable to adequately protect our proprietary technology or fail to enforce or prosecute our patents against others, third parties may be able to compete more effectively against us, which could result in the loss of customers and our business being adversely affected. Patent and proprietary rights litigation entails substantial legal and other costs, and diverts Company resources as well as the attention of our management. There can be no assurance we will have the necessary financial resources to appropriately defend or prosecute our intellectual property rights in connection with any such litigation.

Competition from others could prevent the Company from increasing revenue and achieving its growth plans.

While we are a leading provider and believe we have the largest installed base of unattended POS electronic payment systems in the small ticket, beverage and food vending industry, our competitors are increasingly and actively marketing products and services that compete with our products and services in this vending space. The competition includes manufacturers who may include in their new vending machines their own (or another third party’s) cashless payment systems and services other than our systems and services. While we believe our products and services are superior to our competitors, many of our competitors are much larger enterprises and have substantially greater revenues. In addition to these competitors, there are also numerous credit card processors that offer card processing services to traditional retail establishments that could decide to offer similar services to the industries that we serve. Competition from other companies, including those that are well established and have substantially greater resources, may reduce our profitability or reduce our business opportunities. Competition may result in lower profit margins on our products or may reduce potential profits or result in a loss of some or all of our customer base. To the extent that our competitors are able to offer more attractive technology, our ability to compete could be adversely affected.

The termination of any of our relationships with third parties upon whom we rely for supplies and services that are critical to our products could adversely affect our business and delay achievement of our business plan.

We depend on arrangements with third parties for a variety of component parts used in our products. We have contracted with various suppliers to assist us to develop and manufacture our ePort® products. For other components, we do not have supply contracts with any of our third-party suppliers and we purchase components as needed from time to time. We have contracted with a third-party data system recovery vendor to host our network in a secure, 24/7 environment to ensure the reliability of our network services. We also have contracted with multiple land-based telecommunications providers to ensure the reliability of our land-based network. If these business relationships are terminated, the implementation of our business plan may be delayed until an alternative supplier or service provider can be retained. If we are unable to find another source or one that is comparable, the content and quality of our products could suffer and our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed.

A disruption in the manufacturing capabilities of our third-party manufacturers, suppliers or distributors would negatively impact our ability to meet customer requirements.

We depend upon third-party manufacturers, suppliers and distributors to deliver components free from defects, competitive in functionality and cost, and in compliance with our specifications and delivery schedules. Since we generally do not maintain large inventories of our products or components, any termination of, or significant disruption in, our manufacturing capability or our relationship with our third-party manufacturers or suppliers may prevent us from filling customer orders in a timely manner.

We have occasionally experienced, and may in the future experience, delays in delivery of products and delivery of products of inferior quality from third-party manufacturers. Although alternate manufacturers and suppliers are generally available to produce our products and product components, the number of manufacturers or suppliers of some of our products and components is limited, and a qualified replacement manufacturer or supplier could take several months. In addition, our use of third-party manufacturers reduces our direct control over product quality, manufacturing timing, yields and costs. Disruption of the manufacture or supply of our products and components, or a third-party manufacturer’s or supplier’s failure to remain competitive in functionality, quality or price, could delay or interrupt our ability to manufacture or deliver our products to customers on a timely basis, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

Substantially all of the network service contracts with our customers are terminable for any or no reason upon thirty to sixty days’ advance notice.

Substantially all of our customers may terminate their network service contracts with us for any or no reason upon providing us with thirty or sixty days’ advance notice. Accordingly, consistent demand for and satisfaction with our products by our customers is critical to our financial condition and future success. Problems, defects, or dissatisfaction with our products or services or competition in the marketplace could cause us to lose a substantial number of our customers with minimal notice. If a substantial number of our customers were to exercise their termination rights, it would result in a material adverse effect to our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our reliance on our wireless telecommunication service provider exposes us to a number of risks over which we have no control, including risks with respect to increased prices and termination of essential services.

The operation of our wireless networked devices depends upon the capacity, reliability and security of services provided to us by our wireless telecommunication services providers, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. We have no control over the operation, quality or maintenance of these services or whether the vendor will improve its services or continue to provide services that are essential to our business. In addition, subject to our existing contracts with them, our wireless telecommunication services providers may increase their prices, which would increase our costs. If our wireless telecommunication services providers were to cease to provide essential services or to significantly increase prices, we could be required to find alternative vendors for these services. With a limited number of vendors, we could experience significant delays in obtaining new or replacement services, which could lead to slowdowns or failures of our network. In addition, we may have to replace our existing ePort® devices that are already installed in the marketplace and which are utilizing the existing vendor’s services. This could significantly harm our reputation and could cause us to lose customers and revenues.

We may accumulate excess or obsolete inventory that could result in unanticipated price reductions and write downs and adversely affect our financial results.

Managing the proper inventory levels for components and finished products is challenging. In formulating our product offerings, we have focused our efforts on providing products with greater capability and functionality, which requires us to develop and incorporate the most current technologies in our products. This approach tends to increase the risk of obsolescence for products and components we hold in inventory and may compound the difficulties posed by other factors that affect our inventory levels, including the following:

If we accumulate excess or obsolete inventory, price reductions and inventory write-downs may result, which could adversely affect our results of operation and financial condition.

We may not be able to adapt to changing technology and our customers’ technology needs.

We face rapidly changing technology and frequent new service offerings that can render existing services obsolete or unmarketable. Our future depends, in part, on our ability to enhance existing services and to develop, introduce and market, on a timely and cost effective basis, new services that keep pace with technological developments and customer requirements. Developing new products and technologies is a complex, uncertain process requiring innovation and accurate anticipation of technological and market trends. When changes to the product line are announced, we will be challenged to manage possible shortened life cycles for existing products and continue to sell existing products. Our inability to respond effectively to any of these challenges may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial success.

Security is vital to our customers and therefore breaches in the security of transactions involving our products or services could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.

Protection against fraud is of key importance to purchasers and end-users of our products. We incorporate security features, such as encryption software and secure hardware, into our products to protect against fraud in electronic payment transactions and to ensure the privacy and integrity of consumer data. We design and test our products to industry security standards and our products and methodologies are under periodic review and improvement. We also maintain the highest level PCI validation standard as mandated by the card industry and engage third party auditors not only to ensure that we meet the highest industry standards, but also to advise us on improving our security methods. Nevertheless, our products and services and third party products and services that are utilized by us may be vulnerable to breaches in security due to defects in our security mechanisms, the operating system and applications in our hardware platform. Security vulnerabilities could jeopardize the security of information transmitted or stored using our products. The security of the information in our products is compromised, our reputation and marketplace acceptance of our products will be adversely affected, which would adversely affect our results of operations, and subject us to potential liability. If our security applications are breached and sensitive data is lost or stolen, we could incur significant costs to not only assess and repair any damage to our systems, but also to reimburse customers for losses that occur from the fraudulent use of the data. We may also be subject to fines and penalties from the credit card associations in the event of the loss of confidential card information.

Our products and services may be vulnerable to security breach.

Credit card issuers have promulgated credit card security guidelines as part of their ongoing efforts to battle identity theft and credit card fraud. We continue to work with credit card issuers to assure that our products and services comply with these rules. There can be no assurances, however, that our products and services or third party products and services utilized by us are invulnerable to unauthorized access or hacking. When there is unauthorized access to credit card data that results in financial loss, there is the potential that parties could seek damages from us, and our business reputation may be materially adversely affected.

If we fail to adhere to the standards of the Visa and MasterCard credit card associations, our registrations with these associations could be terminated and we could be required to stop providing payment processing services for Visa and MasterCard.

Substantially all of the transactions handled by our network involve Visa or MasterCard. If we fail to comply with the applicable requirements of the Visa and MasterCard credit card associations, Visa or MasterCard could suspend or terminate our registration with them. The termination of our registration with them or any changes in the Visa or MasterCard rules that would impair our registration with them could require us to stop providing payment processing services through our network. In such event, our business plan and/or competitive advantages in the market place could be materially adversely affected.

We rely on other card payment processors; if they fail or no longer agree to provide their services, our customer relationships could be adversely affected and we could lose business.

We rely on agreements with other large payment processing organizations, primarily Chase Paymentech, to enable us to provide card authorization, data capture, settlement and merchant accounting services and access to various reporting tools for the customers we serve. The termination by our card processing providers of their arrangements with us or their failure to perform their services efficiently and effectively may adversely affect our relationships with the customers whose accounts we serve and may cause those customers to terminate their processing agreements with us.

We are subject to laws and regulations that affect the products, services and markets in which we operate. Failure by us to comply with these laws or regulations would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

We are, among other things, subject to banking regulations and credit card association regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in the suspension of our business, the limitation, suspension or termination of service, and/or the imposition of fines that could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. Additionally, changes to legal rules and regulations, or interpretation or enforcement thereof, could have a negative financial effect on us or our product offerings. To the extent this occurs, we could be subject to additional technical, contractual or other requirements as a condition of our continuing to conduct our payment processing business. These requirements could cause us to incur additional costs, which could be significant, or to lose revenues to the extent we do not comply with these requirements.

New legislation could be enacted regulating the basis upon which interchange rates are charged for debit or credit card transactions, which could increase the debit or credit card interchange fees charged by bankcard networks. An example of such legislation is the so-called “Durbin Amendment,” to the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The Durbin Amendment regulates the basis upon which interchange rates for debit card transactions are made to ensure that interchange rates are “reasonable and proportionate to costs.” Pursuant to regulations that were promulgated by the Federal Reserve, Visa and MasterCard have significantly increased their interchange fees for small ticket debit card transactions.

As of November 14, 2014, we entered into a three-year agreement with Visa U.S.A. Inc. (“Visa”), pursuant to which Visa has agreed to continue to make available to the Company certain promotional interchange reimbursement fees for small ticket debit and credit card transactions. Similarly, MasterCard International Incorporated ("MasterCard") has agreed to make available to us reduced interchange rates for small ticket debit card transactions pursuant to a three-year MasterCard Acceptance Agreement dated January 12, 2015, as amended by a First Amendment thereto dated April 27, 2015. If the foregoing agreements with Visa and MasterCard are not extended, our financial results would be materially adversely affected unless we are able to pass these significant additional charges to our customers.

Increases in card association and debit network interchange fees could increase our operating costs or otherwise adversely affect our operations. If we do not pass along to our customers any future increases in credit or debit card interchange fees, assessments and transaction fees, our gross profits would be reduced.

We are obligated to pay interchange fees and other network fees set by the bankcard networks to the card issuing bank and the bankcard networks for each transaction we process through our network. From time to time, card associations and debit networks increase the organization and/or processing fees, known as interchange fees that they charge. Under our processing agreements with our customers, we are permitted to pass along these fee increases to our customers through corresponding increases in our processing fees. Passing along such increases could result in some of our customers canceling their contracts with us. Consequently, it is possible that competitive pressures will result in our Company absorbing some or all of the increases in the future, which would increase our operating costs, reduce our gross profit and adversely affect our business.

During the term of the Visa Agreement, the Company does not anticipate accepting any debit cards with interchange fees that are higher than the rates provided under the Visa Agreement. The Company will continue to accept Visa- and MasterCard- branded debit cards in addition to all major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express at its current processing rates. If the Visa or MasterCard Agreements are not extended, our financial results would be materially adversely affected unless we are able to pass these significant additional charges to our customers.

The ability to recruit, retain and develop qualified personnel is critical to the Company’s success and growth.

For the Company to successfully compete and grow, it must retain, recruit and develop the necessary personnel who can provide the needed expertise required in its business. In addition, the Company must develop its personnel to provide succession plans capable of maintaining continuity in the midst of the inevitable unpredictability of human capital. However, the market for qualified personnel is competitive and the Company may not succeed in recruiting additional personnel or may fail to effectively replace current personnel who depart with qualified or effective successors. The Company’s effort to retain and develop personnel may also result in significant additional expenses. The Company cannot assure that key personnel, including executive officers, will continue to be employed or that it will be able to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. Failure to retain or attract key personnel could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future and therefore investors should not anticipate cash dividends on their investment.

The holders of our common stock and series A convertible preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends when, and if, declared by our board of directors. Our board of directors does not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but instead intends to retain any and all earnings to finance the growth of the business. To date, we have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock or our series A convertible preferred stock and there can be no assurance that cash dividends will ever be paid on our common stock.

In addition, our articles of incorporation prohibit the declaration of any dividends on our common stock unless and until all unpaid and accumulated dividends on the series A convertible preferred stock have been declared and paid. Through September 15, 2015, the unpaid and cumulative dividends on the series A convertible preferred stock are $13,257,454. As of June 30, 2015, each share of series A convertible preferred stock was convertible into 0.1940 of a share of common stock at the option of the holder and is subject to further adjustment as provided in our Articles of Incorporation. The unpaid and cumulative dividends on the series A convertible preferred stock are convertible into shares of our common stock at the rate of $1,000 per share at the option of the holder. During the year ended June 30, 2015, none of our series A convertible preferred stock and no cumulative preferred dividends were converted into shares of common stock.

Our articles of incorporation also provide that the preferred stock has a liquidation preference over the common stock in the amount of $10 per share plus accrued and unpaid dividends. As of June 30, 2015, the liquidation preference was $17,354,908.

Upon certain fundamental transactions involving the Company, such as a merger or sale of substantially all of our assets, we may be required to distribute the liquidation preference then due to the holders of our series A preferred stock as well as cash payments to certain of our warrant holders which would reduce the amount of the distributions otherwise to be made to the holders of our common stock in connection with such transactions.

Our articles of incorporation provide that upon a merger or sale of substantially all of our assets or upon the disposition of more than 50% of our voting power, the holders of at least 60% of the preferred stock may elect to have such transaction treated as a liquidation and be entitled to receive their liquidation preference. Upon our liquidation, the holders of our preferred stock are entitled to receive a liquidation preference prior to any distribution to the holders of common stock which as of June 30, 2015 is equal to $17,354,908.

The terms of the warrants that were issued in March 2011 to acquire up to 3,900,000 shares of common stock at $2.6058 per share which expire in September 2016 provide that upon a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the warrant) the holder shall have the right to have the warrant purchased by the Company for cash at its Black Scholes Value (as defined in the warrant). The term Fundamental Transaction includes a merger, sale of substantially all of our assets, or if any person shall acquire 50% or more of the voting power of our shares. The Black Scholes Value (as defined in the warrant) payable for the 3,900,000 warrants as of June 30, 2015 was approximately $5.3 million.

We may issue additional shares of our common stock, which could depress the market price of our common stock and dilute your ownership.

As of September 15, 2015, we had issued and outstanding warrants to purchase 4,298,000 shares of our common stock. The shares underlying 4,253,000 of these warrants have been registered and may be freely sold. Market sales of large amounts of our common stock, or the potential for those sales even if they do not actually occur, may have the effect of depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, if our future financing needs require us to issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible into common stock, the supply of common stock available for resale could be increased which could stimulate trading activity and cause the market price of our common stock to drop, even if our business is doing well. Furthermore, the issuance of any additional shares of our common stock including those pursuant to the exercise of warrants by the holders thereof, or securities convertible into our common stock could be substantially dilutive to holders of our common stock.

Our stock price may be volatile.

The trading price of our common stock is expected to be subject to significant fluctuations in response to various factors including, but not limited to, the following:

The securities market in recent years has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations, as well as general economic conditions, may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The substantial market overhang of our shares may tend to depress the market price of our shares.

As of September 15, 2015, the Company has 4,253,000 of our shares underlying warrants exercisable at $2.6058 per share at any time before September 18, 2016 which are required to be registered by us for resale under applicable securities laws. Sales in the public market of a substantial number of the shares underlying these warrants, or the perception that these sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In addition, the sale of these shares could impair our ability to raise capital, should we wish to do so, through the sale of additional common stock. We are unable to estimate the number of shares that may be sold because this will depend on the market price for our common stock, the personal circumstances of the sellers and other factors.

Director and officer liability is limited.

As permitted by Pennsylvania law, our by-laws limit the liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of a director’s fiduciary duty except for liability in certain instances. As a result of our by-law provisions and Pennsylvania law, shareholders may have limited rights to recover against directors for breach of fiduciary duty. In addition, our by-laws and indemnification agreements entered into by the Company with each of the officers and directors provide that we shall indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Our publicly-filed reports are reviewed by the SEC from time to time and any significant changes required as a result of any such review may result in material liability to us, and have a material adverse impact on the trading price of our common stock.

The reports of publicly-traded companies are subject to review by the SEC from time to time for the purpose of assisting companies in complying with applicable disclosure requirements and to enhance the overall effectiveness of companies’ public filings, and comprehensive reviews of such reports are now required at least every three years under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. SEC reviews may be initiated at any time. While we believe that our previously filed SEC reports comply, and we intend that all future reports will comply in all material respects with the published SEC rules and regulations, we could be required to modify or reformulate information contained in prior filings as a result of an SEC review. Any modification or reformulation of information contained in such reports could be significant and result in material liability to us and have a material adverse impact on the trading price of our common stock.

Item 2. Properties.

The Company conducts its operations from various facilities under operating leases. The Company leases 17,249 square feet of space located in Malvern, Pennsylvania for its principal executive office and for general administrative functions, sales activities, product development, and customer support. The lease term expires on April 30, 2016. As of June 30, 2015, the Company’s rent payment for this facility is approximately $32,000 per month.

The Company also leases 11,250 square feet of space in Malvern, Pennsylvania for its product warehousing and shipping under a lease agreement, which expires on February 28, 2016. As of June 30, 2015, the Company’s rent payment is approximately $5,000 per month.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

On January 26, 2015, Universal Clearing Solutions, LLC (“Universal Clearing”), a former non-vending customer of the Company, filed a complaint against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. On April 10, 2015, Universal Clearing filed an amended complaint, and on June 19, 2015, Universal Clearing filed a second amended complaint, which alleged causes of action against the Company for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and defamation. The allegations in the complaint relate to an agreement entered into between the Company and Universal Clearing pursuant to which Universal Clearing could board certain sub-merchants on the Company’s service. The complaint seeks monetary damages allegedly incurred by Universal Clearing as a result of, among other things, the Company’s refusal to board on its service certain sub-merchants of Universal Clearing. On July 24, 2015, the Company filed an answer to the defamation count of the complaint denying the allegations, and filed a motion to dismiss the remaining counts. The court has not yet ruled on the Company’s motion to dismiss.

On July 24, 2015, the Company filed a counterclaim against Universal Clearing seeking damages of approximately $680,000 which were incurred by the Company in connection with chargebacks relating to Universal Clearing’s sub-merchants which had been boarded on the Company’s service. The counterclaim alleges that Universal Clearing is responsible under the agreement for these chargebacks, and Universal Clearing misrepresented to the Company the business practices and other matters relating to these sub-merchants. On August 17, 2015, Universal Clearing filed an answer to the counterclaim denying that it was responsible for the chargebacks or had made any misrepresentations.

On August 7, 2015, the Company filed a third party complaint in the pending action against Steven Juliver, the manager of Universal Clearing, as well as against Universal Tranware, LLC, and Secureswype, LLC, entities affiliated with Universal Clearing. The third party complaint sets forth causes of action for fraud and breach of contract, and seeks to recover from these defendants the chargebacks relating to Universal Clearing’s sub-merchants described above. On September 14, 2015, the third party defendants filed a motion to dismiss the third party complaint. The court has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss.

The Company does not believe that the claims set forth in the second amended complaint have merit and intends to vigorously defend this matter. The Company does not believe that this action would have a material adverse effect on its financial statements, results of operations or cash flows. The Company also intends to pursue its claims for damages set forth in the counterclaim and third party complaint.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

The common stock of the Company trades on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol USAT. The high and low bid prices on The NASDAQ Global Market for the common stock were as follows:

On September 15, 2015, there were 614 record holders of the common stock and 306 record holders of the preferred stock.

The holders of the common stock are entitled to receive such dividends as the Board of Directors of the Company may from time to time declare out of funds legally available for payment of dividends. Through the date hereof, no cash dividends have been declared on the Company’s common stock or preferred stock. No dividend may be paid on the common stock until all accumulated and unpaid dividends on the preferred stock have been paid. As of September 15, 2015, such accumulated unpaid dividends amounted to $13,257,454. The preferred stock is also entitled to a liquidation preference over the common stock which as of June 30, 2015 equaled $17,354,908.

As of June 30, 2015, equity securities authorized for issuance by the Company with respect to compensation plans were as follows:

(1) Represents 1,250,000 shares of common stock issuable under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as approved by shareholders on June 18, 2015, and 241,119 shares of common stock issuable under the Company’s 2013 Stock Incentive Plan as approved by shareholders on June 21, 2013 for use in compensating employees, officers and directors.

As of September 15, 2015, shares of common stock reserved for future issuance were as follows:

PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The following graph shows a comparison of the 5-year cumulative total shareholder return for our common stock with The NASDAQ Composite Index and the S&P 500 Information Technology Index for small cap companies in the United States. The graph assumes a $100 investment on June 30, 2010 in our common stock and in the NASDAQ Composite Index and the S&P 500 Information Technology Index, including reinvestment of dividends.

COMPARISON OF 5-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Among USA Technologies, Inc., The NASDAQ Composite Index and The S&P 500 Information Technology Index

The information in the performance graph is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into such a filing. The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance. 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

The following selected financial data for the five years ended June 30, 2015 are derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of USA Technologies, Inc. The data should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, related notes, and other financial information.

The following unaudited quarterly financial operations data for the years ended June 30, 2015 and June 30, 2014 is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of USA Technologies, Inc. and its interim reports for the quarters therein. The data should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, related notes, and other financial information.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

USA Technologies, Inc. provides wireless networking, cashless transactions, asset monitoring, and other value-added services principally to the small ticket, unattended Point of Sale (“POS”) market. Our ePort® technology can be installed and/or embedded into everyday devices such as vending machines, a variety of kiosks, amusement, commercial laundry, kiosk and smartphones via our ePort Mobile™ solution. Our associated service, ePort Connect®, is a PCI-compliant, comprehensive service that includes simplified credit/debit card processing and support, consumer engagement services as well as telemetry and machine-to-machine (“M2M”) services, including the ability to remotely monitor, control and report on the results of distributed assets containing our electronic payment solutions. In addition, the Company provides energy management products, such as its VendingMiser® and CoolerMiser™, which reduce energy consumption in vending machines and coolers.

The Company generates revenue in multiple ways. We derive the majority of our revenues from license and transaction fees related to our ePort Connect service. Connections to our service stem from the sale or lease of our POS electronic payment devices or certified payment software or the servicing of similar third-party installed POS terminals. The majority of ePort Connect customers pay a monthly fee plus a blended transaction rate on the dollar volume processed by the Company. Customers with higher expected transaction rates might pay a lower or no ePort Connect monthly fee, but a higher blended transaction rate on dollar volume processed by the Company. Connections to the ePort Connect service, therefore, are the most significant driver of the Company’s revenues, particularly revenues from license and transaction fees.

The Company also generates equipment revenue through the direct sale, lease, or rental of ePort® technology as well as our stand-alone, non-networked energy management products.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

GENERAL

Revenue from the sale or QuickStart lease of equipment is recognized on the terms of freight-on-board shipping point. Activation fee revenue, if applicable, is recognized when the Company’s cashless payment device is initially activated for use on the Company network. Transaction processing revenue is recognized upon the usage of the Company’s cashless payment and control network. License fees for access to the Company’s devices and network services are recognized on a monthly basis. In all cases, revenue is only recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price is fixed and determinable, and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. The Company estimates an allowance for product returns at the date of sale and license and transaction fee refunds on a monthly basis.

ePort hardware is available to customers under the QuickStart program pursuant to which the customer would enter into a five-year non-cancelable lease with either the Company or a third-party leasing company for the devices. At the end of the lease period, the customer would have the option to purchase the device for a nominal fee.

REVENUE RECOGNITION

Revenue from the sale or QuickStart lease of equipment is recognized on the terms of freight-on-board shipping point. Activation fee revenue is recognized when the Company’s cashless payment device is initially activated for use on the Company network. Transaction processing revenue is recognized upon the usage of the Company’s cashless payment and control network. License fees for access to the Company’s devices and network services are recognized on a monthly basis. In all cases, revenue is only recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price is fixed and determinable, and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. The Company estimates an allowance for product returns at the date of sale and license and transaction fee refunds on a monthly basis.

LONG LIVED ASSETS

In accordance with ASC 360, “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets”, the Company reviews its definite lived long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets exceeds its net realizable value, the asset will be written down to its fair value. In the period when the plan of sale criteria of ASC 360 are met, definite lived long-lived assets are reported as held for sale, depreciation and amortization cease, and the assets are reported at the lower of carrying value or fair value less costs to sell.

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over fair value of the net assets purchased in acquisitions. The Company accounts for goodwill in accordance with ASC 350, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other”. Under ASC 350, goodwill is not amortized to earnings, but instead is subject to periodic testing for impairment. Testing for impairment is to be done at least annually and at other times if events or circumstances arise that indicate that impairment may have occurred. The Company has selected April 1 as its annual test date.

The Company trademarks with an indefinite economic life are not being amortized. The trademarks, not subject to amortization, are related to the EnergyMiser asset group and consist of four trademarks. The Company tests indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment using a two-step process. The first step screens for potential impairment, while the second step measures the amount of impairment. The Company uses a relief from royalty analysis to complete the first step in this process. Testing for impairment is to be done at least annually and at other times if events or circumstances arise that indicate that impairment may have occurred. The Company has selected April 1 as its annual test date for its indefinite-lived intangible assets.

Patents and trademarks, with an estimated economic life, are carried at cost less accumulated amortization, which is calculated on a straight-line basis over their estimated economic life. The Company reviews intangibles, subject to amortization, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2015 COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2014

Results for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 continued to demonstrate growth toward achieving our long-term goals. Highlights of year over year improvements include:

Revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 were $58,077,474, consisting of $43,633,462 of license and transactions fees and $14,444,012 of equipment sales, compared to $42,344,964 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, consisting of $35,638,121 of license and transaction fees and $6,706,843 of equipment sales. The increase in total revenue of $15,732,510, or 37%, was equally attributable to the increase in equipment sales of $7,737,169 or 115% and the increase in license and transaction fees of $7,995,341, or 22%, from the prior year.

Revenue from license and transaction fees, which represented 75% of total revenue for fiscal 2015, is primarily attributable to monthly ePort Connect® service fees and transaction processing fees. Highlights for fiscal 2015 include:

The increase in license and transaction fees was due to the growth in ePort Connect service fees and transaction dollars that stems from the increased number of connections to our ePort Connect service.

Pursuant to its agreements with customers, in addition to ePort Connect service fees, the Company earns transaction processing fees equal to a percentage of the dollar volume processed by the Company. During the year ended June 30, 2015, the Company processed approximately 216.6 million transactions totaling approximately $388.9 million compared to approximately 168.5 million transactions totaling approximately $293.8 million during the year ended June 30, 2014, an increase of approximately 29% in the number of transactions and approximately 32% in the value of transactions processed.

New customers added to our ePort® Connect service during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 totaled 2,300, bringing the total number of customers to approximately 9,600 as of June 30, 2015. The Company added approximately 2,250 new customers in the year ended June 30, 2014. By comparison, the Company had approximately 7,300 customers as of June 30, 2014, representing a 32% increase during the past twelve months. The Company views the total installed base of machines managed by its customers that have yet to transition to cashless payment, as a key strategic opportunity for future growth in connections. We count a customer as a new customer upon the signing of their ePort Connect service agreement. When a reseller sells our ePort, we count a customer as a new customer upon the signing of the applicable services agreement with the customer.

The $7,737,169 increase in equipment sales was a result of an increase of approximately $8,159,507 related to ePort® products, offset by decreases of approximately $433,130 in Energy Miser products. The increase in ePort products is directly attributable to selling more units, versus renting units via the JumpStart program, during the current fiscal year due to the reintroduction of the QuickStart program in September 2014. The decrease in Energy Miser products is directly attributable to selling fewer units during the current fiscal year.

Cost of sales consisted of cost of services for license and transaction fees of $29,429,385 and $23,018,001 and equipment costs of $11,825,455 and $4,254,127, for the years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The increase in total cost of sales of $13,982,712, or 51%, was due to an increase in cost of equipment sales of $7,571,328 due to selling more units during the period under the QuickStart program. In fiscal 2014, the JumpStart program accounted for a significant percentage of the Company’s net new connections. Under this program, the cost of the device is depreciated to cost of services for license and transaction fees over the expected rental period. There was also an increase in cost of services of $6,411,384 that stemmed from the greater number of connections to the Company’s ePort Connect service and increases in transaction dollars processed by those connections.

Gross profit (“GP”) for the year ended June 30, 2015 was $16,822,634 compared to GP of $15,072,836 for the previous fiscal year, an increase of $1,749,798, or 12%, of which $14,204,077 is attributable to license and transaction fees GP and $2,618,557 of equipment sales GP. Overall gross profit margins decreased from 36% to 29% due to a decrease in license and transaction fees margins to 33%, from 35% in the prior fiscal year and by a decrease in equipment sales margins to 18%, from 37% in the prior fiscal year.

License and transaction fees margins decreased due to the impact of certain JumpStart connections added during the third and fourth quarters of 2014 fiscal year with fee grace periods extending into fiscal year 2015 under sales incentives, as well as approximately $1,716,000 of net rent expense during the year ended June 30, 2015 related to the Sale Leaseback transactions, which is approximately $535,000 higher than the depreciation the Company would have recorded on the ePorts during the same period had the Sale Leaseback transactions not occurred. Also contributing to the decrease of license and transaction fee margins was a charge of approximately $410,000 connection with a customer billing dispute.

The decrease in equipment revenue margins is attributable to sales under the QuickStart program, which has generally lower margins than what is recognized under a rental, or JumpStart. In addition, there were approximately $878,000 less in activation fees recorded during fiscal 2015 versus fiscal 2014, which are a higher margin revenue source, and to date have not been part of the QuickStart program.

The $166,000 increase in equipment sales GP includes one-time recoveries of $747,000 and $152,000 in the years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The $747,000 relates to recoveries arising from a customer agreement; and, the $152,000 was a reversal of a prior charge for equipment rebates. Excluding these one-time items, equipment sales GP decreased $429,000 from the prior year, which was mostly attributable to having $878,000 less GP from ePort activation fees, which are a higher margin revenue source and which to date are not part of the QuickStart Program and $215,000 less GP related to fewer energy miser offset by a higher dollar volume of gross profit from the large increase in equipment revenue dollars as compared to a year ago.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses of $16,451,255 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, increased by $2,415,239 or 17%, from the prior fiscal year. Approximately $1,130,000, or 47% of the increase, were non-cash expenses. The overall increase in SG&A is attributable to increases of approximately $1,100,000 in bad debt estimates, $588,000 in employee and director compensation and benefits expenses, $552,000 in consulting and professional services, and by a net increase of $175,000 for various other expenses.

Other income and expense for the year ended June 30, 2015, primarily consisted of a $393,144 non-cash charge for the change in the fair value of the Company’s warrant liabilities. The primary factor affecting the change in fair value is the increase in the Black-Scholes value of the warrants from June 30, 2014 to June 30, 2015, which factored in the increase in the Company’s stock price as well as a decrease in its volatility used for this calculation during that period.

The fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 resulted in net loss of $1,089,482 compared to net income of $27,530,652 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014. Included in net income for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 is a benefit from a reduction in income tax valuation allowances of $26,713,897. After preferred dividends of $664,452 for each fiscal year, net (loss)/income applicable to common shareholders was $(1,753,934) and $26,866,200 for the fiscal years ended 2015 and 2014, respectively. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, net loss per common share (basic and diluted) were $0.05, compared to net earnings per common share (basic and diluted) of $0.78.

Non-GAAP net loss was $470,262 for the year ended June 30, 2015, compared to non-GAAP net income of $188,804 for the year ended June 30, 2014. Management believes that non-GAAP net income is an important measure of USAT’s business. Management uses the aforementioned non-GAAP measures to monitor and evaluate ongoing operating results and trends and to gain an understanding of our comparative operating performance. We believe that non-GAAP financial measures serve as useful metrics for our management and investors because they enable a better understanding of the long-term performance of our core business and facilitate comparisons of our operating results over multiple periods, and when taken together with the corresponding GAAP (United States’ Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) financial measures and our reconciliations, enhance investors’ overall understanding of our current and future financial performance.

A reconciliation of net income to Non-GAAP net income for the years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 is as follows:

As used herein, non-GAAP net income (loss) represents GAAP net income (loss) excluding costs or benefits relating to any adjustment for fair value of warrant liabilities and non-cash portions of the Company’s income tax benefit (provision). Non-GAAP net earnings (loss) per common share - diluted is calculated by dividing non-GAAP net income (loss) applicable to common shares by the number of diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, the Company had Adjusted EBITDA of $6,258,993. Reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 is as follows:

As used herein, Adjusted EBITDA represents net income (loss) before interest income, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, change in fair value of warrant liabilities and stock-based compensation expense. We have excluded the non-operating item, change in fair value of warrant liabilities, because it represents a non-cash gain or charge that is not related to the Company’s operations. We have excluded the non-cash expense, stock-based compensation, as it does not reflect the cash-based operations of the Company. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure which is not required by or defined under GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). The presentation of this financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial measures prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, including the net income or net loss of the Company or net cash used in operating activities. Management recognizes that non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the items associated with the Company’s net income or net loss as determined in accordance with GAAP, and are not a substitute for or a measure of the Company’s profitability or net earnings. Adjusted EBITDA is presented because we believe it is useful to investors as a measure of comparative operating performance and liquidity, and because it is less susceptible to variances in actual performance resulting from depreciation and amortization and non-cash charges for changes in fair value of warrant liabilities and stock-based compensation expense.

FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2014 COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2013

Results for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 continued to demonstrate growth and improvements in the Company’s operations as compared to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. Highlights of year over year improvements include:

Revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 were $42,344,964, consisting of $35,638,121 of license and transactions fees and $6,706,843 of equipment sales, compared to $35,940,244 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, consisting of $30,044,429 of license and transaction fees and $5,895,815 of equipment sales. The increase in total revenue of $6,404,720, or 18%, was primarily due to an increase in license and transaction fees of $5,593,692, or 19%, from the prior year, and an increase in equipment sales of $811,028 or 14%, from the prior year.

Revenue from license and transaction fees, which represented 84% of total revenue for fiscal 2014, is primarily attributable to monthly ePort Connect® service fees and transaction processing fees. Highlights for fiscal 2014 include:

The increase in license and transaction fees was due to the growth in ePort Connect service fees and transaction dollars that stems from the increased number of connections to our ePort Connect service. As of June 30, 2014, the Company had approximately 266,000 connections to the ePort Connect service compared to approximately 214,000 connections to the ePort Connect service as of June 30, 2013. During the year ended June 30, 2014, the Company added approximately 52,000 net connections to our network compared to approximately 50,000 net connections added during the year ended June 30, 2013.

Pursuant to its agreements with customers, in addition to ePort Connect service fees, the Company earns transaction processing fees equal to a percentage of the dollar volume processed by the Company. During the year ended June 30, 2014, the Company processed approximately 169 million transactions totaling approximately $294 million compared to approximately 129 million transactions totaling approximately $219 million during the year ended June 30, 2013, an increase of approximately 31% in the number of transactions and approximately 34% in the value of transactions processed.

New customers added to our ePort® Connect service during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 totaled 2,250, bringing the total number of customers to approximately 7,300 as of June 30, 2014. The Company added approximately 1,750 new customers in the year ended June 30, 2013. By comparison, the Company had approximately 5,050 customers as of June 30, 2013, representing a 45% increase during the past twelve months. The Company views the total installed base of machines managed by its customers that have yet to transition to cashless payment, as a key strategic opportunity for future growth in connections. We count a customer as a new customer upon the signing of their ePort Connect service agreement. When a reseller sells our ePort, we count a customer as a new customer upon the signing of the applicable services agreement with the customer.

The $811,028 increase in equipment sales was a result of an increase of approximately $1,058,000 related to ePort® products, offset by decreases of approximately $174,000 in Energy Miser products and approximately $73,000 in other products. The $1,058,000 increase in ePort products is directly attributable to selling more units and an increase in activation fees during the current fiscal year. The $174,000 decrease in Energy Miser products is directly attributable to selling fewer units during the current fiscal year.

Cost of sales consisted of cost of services for license and transaction fee related costs of $23,018,001 and $18,219,945 and equipment costs of $4,254,127 and $3,623,686, for the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The increase in total cost of sales of $5,428,497, or 25%, was due to an increase in cost of services of $4,798,056 that stemmed from the greater number of connections to the Company’s ePort Connect service and increases in transaction dollars processed by those connections. Also, there was an increase in cost of equipment sales of $630,441 due to selling more units during the period.

Gross profit (“GP”) for the year ended June 30, 2014 was $15,072,836 compared to GP of $14,096,613 for the previous fiscal year, an increase of $976,223, or 7%, of which $12,620,120 is attributable to license and transaction fees GP and $2,452,716 of equipment sales GP. Overall gross profit margins decreased from 39% to 36% due to a decrease in license and transaction fees margins to 35%, from 39% in the prior fiscal year and by a decrease in equipment sales margins to 37%, from 39% in the prior fiscal year. Lower license and transaction fee margins are largely attributable to approximately 24,000 deactivations that occurred during the fiscal year primarily attributable to one customer as well as the impact of certain new JumpStart connections associated with grace periods under sales incentives. For the new connections associated with the grace periods, the Company incurred costs without receiving the associated monthly service fees.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses of $14,036,016 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, increased by $1,967,450 or 16%, from the prior fiscal year. The overall increase is comprised of approximately a $1,207,000 increase in employee and director compensation and benefit expenses; $329,000 in professional services, $224,000 increase in sales and marketing expenses; and, smaller, numerous, net increases in several other expenses totaling $207,000. The increase in employee and director compensation and benefits expenses predominantly related to expanding our base of employees, sales commissions and bonuses for record connections added in fiscal 2014 as well as bonus accruals related to performance-based compensation arrangements.

Other income and expense for the year ended June 30, 2014, primarily consisted of a reduction of $26.7 million of the valuation allowance we had on our deferred tax assets as the Company believes that it is more likely than not it will be able to utilize net operating loss carryforwards to offset future taxable earnings. Also included is $65,429 of non-cash gain for the change in the fair value of the Company’s warrant liabilities. The primary factor affecting the change in fair value is the decrease in the Black-Scholes value of the warrants from June 30, 2013 to June 30, 2014, which factored in the increase in the Company’s stock price as well as a decrease in its volatility during that period.

The fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 resulted in net income of $27,530,652 compared to net income of $854,123 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, an improvement of $26,676,529 between fiscal years. Included in net income for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 is a benefit from reduction income tax valuation allowances of $26,713,897. After preferred dividends of $664,452 for each fiscal year, net income applicable to common shareholders was $26,866,200 and $189,671 for the fiscal years ended 2014 and 2013, respectively. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, net earnings per common share (basic and diluted) were $0.78, compared to net earnings per common share (basic and diluted) of $0.01.

Non-GAAP net income was $751,326 for the year ended June 30, 2014, compared to non-GAAP net income of $914,195 for the year ended June 30, 2013. Management believes that non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income is an important measure of USAT’s business. Management uses the aforementioned non-GAAP measures to monitor and evaluate ongoing operating results and trends and to gain an understanding of our comparative operating performance. We believe that non-GAAP financial measures serve as useful metrics for our management and investors because they enable a better understanding of the long-term performance of our core business and facilitate comparisons of our operating results over multiple periods, and when taken together with the corresponding GAAP (United States’ Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) financial measures and our reconciliations, enhance investors’ overall understanding of our current and future financial performance.

A reconciliation of net income to Non-GAAP net income for the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 is as follows:

As used herein, non-GAAP net income represents GAAP net income excluding costs relating to the proxy contest, any adjustment for fair value of warrant liabilities and changes in the Company’s valuation allowances for taxes. As used herein, non-GAAP net earnings per common share is calculated by dividing non-GAAP net income applicable to common shares by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, and where diluted shares are required, adds back the preferred dividend since the conversion of preferred shares are accounted for in the diluted share count.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, the Company had Adjusted EBITDA of $6,451,311. Reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 is as follows:

As used herein, Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest income, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, change in fair value of warrant liabilities and stock-based compensation expense. We have excluded the non-operating item, change in fair value of warrant liabilities, because it represents a non-cash charge or gai n that is not related to the Company’s operations. We have excluded the non-cash expense, stock-based compensation, as it does not reflect the cash-based operations of the Company. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure which is not required by or defined under GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). The presentation of this financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial measures prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, including the net income or net loss of the Company or net cash used in operating activities. Management recognizes that non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the items associated with the Company’s net income or net loss as determined in accordance with GAAP, and are not a substitute for or a measure of the Company’s profitability or net earnings. Adjusted EBITDA is presented because we believe it is useful to investors as a measure of comparative operating performance and liquidity, and because it is less susceptible to variances in actual performance resulting from depreciation and amortization and non-cash charges for changes in fair value of warrant liabilities and stock-based compensation expense.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

For the year ended June 30, 2015, net cash used by operating activities was $1,697,742 as a result of a net loss of $1,089,482, offset by non-cash operating activities net benefit of $7,251,674, and net cash used by the change in operating assets and liabilities of $7,859,934. Of the $7,251,674 of non-cash activities, the most significant during fiscal year 2015 was $5,731,356 depreciation expense, of which, $5,119,674 related to depreciation on JumpStart equipment allocated to cost of services. In addition to depreciation expense, other non-cash charges included $715,762 related to the vesting of equity-based compensation for employees and directors, $1,099,528 of bad debt expense, $393,144 expense due to the change in the fair value of warrant liabilities and $395,038 of deferred income taxes. These non-cash charges were offset by an $833,619 non-cash gain from sale-leaseback transactions. The $7,859,934 cash used in the change in the Company’s operating assets and liabilities was the result of increases in finance receivables of $4,113,898 related to the QuickStart program, accounts receivable of $2,517,493, predominately related to sales of hardware sold with credit terms, $1,930,857 in inventory; these uses of cash were partially offset by an increase of $918,761 in accounts payable.

During the fiscal year the Company reintroduced QuickStart, a program whereby our customers are able to purchase our ePort hardware via a five-year, non-cancellable lease. From its introduction in September 2014 and through approximately mid-March 2015, the Company was entering into these leases directly with its customers. Under this scenario, the Company recorded a long-term and short-term receivable for the five-year leases. The $4,113,898 increase in finance receivables is directly due to leases the Company entered into directly with its customers. In the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2015, the Company signed vendor agreements with two leasing companies, whereby our customers would enter into leases directly with the leasing companies. Under this scenario, the Company invoiced the leasing company for the equipment leased by our customer, and recorded as an accounts receivable. Unlike its finance receivables, which the cash would be collected over a five-year period, the accounts receivable due from the leasing company is typically collected within 30 days. Since entering into the vendor agreements, and through June 30, 2015, the majority of QuickStart sales consummated were with the customer entering into the lease directly with the leasing company, which contributed to the $2,517,493 increase in accounts receivable, whereby amounts due from the leasing companies had not yet been collected by June 30, 2015.

There has been a shift by our customers from acquiring our product via JumpStart, which accounted for 60% of our gross connections in fiscal year 2014, and was just 4% in our 2015 fourth quarter, to QuickStart or a straight purchase, which accounted for 89% of our gross connections in fiscal year 2015 and was approximately 54% of gross connections for our fiscal 2015 fourth quarter. This is further illustrated in our cash flow statement whereby the cash used for the purchase of property for rental program reduced from $10,883,473 in fiscal 2014 to just $1,641,993 in fiscal 2015. This shift, as well as our ability to increase the cash collection under QuickStart sales, by utilizing leasing companies (as described above) if available, significantly improves cash flows from operating activities. We believe we will continue to be able to utilize third party leasing companies in our QuickStart program, and therefore do not expect finance receivables to increase in the future. The exception being, for any customer unable to secure third party leasing for which the Company may decide to enter in a lease directly with the customer or if we are unable to procure satisfactory and/or sufficient third party leasing arrangements.

During the year ended June 30, 2015, $3,353,491 of cash was provided by investing activities of which $4,993,879 was received from the sale of rental equipment under sale-leaseback transactions, which were offset by cash used of $1,641,993 related to the purchase of equipment for the JumpStart program.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $645,904 predominately from $2,056,724 of proceeds received by selling finance receivables with recourse and/or the rights to the cash flows from the finance receivables to a third party leasing company, offset by the repayment of $1,000,000 on the Line of Credit and $358,582 of debt.

Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended June 30, 2015 was $6,258,993 compared to $6,451,311 for the prior fiscal year. The Company reports Adjusted EBITDA to reflect the liquidity of operations and a measure of operational cash flow. Adjusted EBITDA excludes significant non-cash charges such as depreciation, fair value warrant liability changes, stock-based compensation from net income and changes to the Company’s valuation allowances for taxes. We believe that, provided there are no unusual or unanticipated material non-operational expenses, achieving positive Adjusted EBITDA is sustainable, and will continue to increase, as our connection base increases.

As a result of the continued growth in connections to our ePort Connect service that has resulted in strong growth in recurring revenue from license and transaction fees and the improvement in GP dollars, as well as the significant reduction in cash used for JumpStart, and the utilization of third party leasing companies in our QuickStart program, the Company generated positive free cash flow (defined as net cash provided by operating activities less cash used for the purchase of rental equipment/JumpStart) for its third and fourth quarters in fiscal year 2015. Free cash flow for the fourth quarter was $2,681,155, and the Company believes it will continue to generate positive free cash flow for the 2016 fiscal year, assuming QuickStart remains a significant component of connections, and third party leasing companies continue to enter into leases directly with our customers.

The Company has three sources of cash available to fund and grow the business as of June 30, 2015: (1) cash and cash equivalents on hand of approximately $11 million; (2) the anticipated cash provided by operating activities from our QuickStart program; and (3) $3 million available under the line of credit with a commercial bank, provided we continue to satisfy the various covenants set forth in the loan agreement. The line of credit matures on August 17, 2017. In addition, the Company believes the capital markets, debt and equity, would be available to provide additional sources of cash, if required.

Therefore, the Company believes its existing cash and cash equivalents and available cash resources as of June 30, 2015, would provide sufficient funds through at least July 1, 2016 in order to meet its cash requirements, including payment of its accrued expenses and payables, any cash resources to be utilized for the JumpStart program, other anticipated capital expenditures, and the repayment of long-term debt. 

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

As of June 30, 2015, the Company had certain contractual obligations due over a period of time as summarized in the following table:

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

The Company’s exposure to market risks for interest rate changes is not significant. Interest rates on its long-term debt are generally fixed. The Company has no exposure to market risks related to Available-for-sale securities. Market risks related to fluctuations of foreign currencies are not significant and the Company has no derivative instruments.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

USA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders

USA Technologies, Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of USA Technologies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended June 30, 2015. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule of USA Technologies, Inc. listed in Item 15(a). These financial statements and schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of USA Technologies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended June 30, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

USA Technologies, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes.

USA Technologies, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

See accompanying notes.

USA Technologies, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity