CoreCard Corp - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this Form 10-K may contain forward-looking statements relating to Intelligent Systems Corporation (“ISC”). All statements, trend analyses and other information contained in the following discussion relative to markets for our products and trends in revenue, gross margins and anticipated expense levels, as well as other statements including words such as “may”, “will”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, ”strategy” and “likely”, and other similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Prospective investors and current shareholders are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. A number of the factors that we believe could impact our future operations are discussed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 of this Form 10-K. ISC undertakes no obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results except as required by law.

ITEM 1.      BUSINESS

Overview

Intelligent Systems Corporation, a Georgia corporation, and its predecessor companies have operated since 1973 and its securities have been publicly traded since 1981. In this report, sometimes we use the terms “company”, “us”, “ours”, “we”, “Registrant” and similar words to refer to Intelligent Systems Corporation and subsidiaries. Our executive offices are located at 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia 30093 and our telephone number is (770) 381-2900. Our Internet address is www.intelsys.com. We publish our Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reports on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file them with or furnish them to the SEC, and shareholders may access and download these reports free of charge.

We are primarily engaged in the business of providing technology solutions and processing services to the financial technology and services market, commonly referred to as the FinTech industry. Our FinTech operations are conducted through our wholly owned CoreCard Software, Inc. (“CoreCard”) subsidiary and its affiliate companies in Romania and India, as well as the corporate office which provides significant administrative, human resources and executive management support to CoreCard. We also have two other wholly owned subsidiaries, CoreCard SRL in Romania and ISC Software in India, that perform software development and testing as well as processing operations support for CoreCard.

For further information about trends and risks likely to impact our business, please refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 of this Form 10-K.

CoreCard Software, Inc. – We conduct our business primarily through CoreCard. CoreCard SRL and ISC Software in Romania and India, respectively, perform software development, software testing, business analysis, operations and support for CoreCard but have not to date sold products or services directly to third parties. Accordingly, this discussion describes the CoreCard business involving the three entities as a single business unit. CoreCard designs, develops, and markets a comprehensive suite of software solutions to program managers, accounts receivable businesses, financial institutions, retailers and processors to manage their credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, private label cards, fleet cards, loyalty programs, and accounts receivable and loan transactions. CoreCard utilizes the same core software solution in its processing operations as it sells to licensees, although licensees typically request a variety of customizations which may or may not deviate from the core software solution offering.

The CoreCard® software solutions allow companies to offer various types of debit and credit cards as well as installment and revolving loans, to set up and maintain account data, to record advances and payments, to assess fees, interest and other charges, to resolve disputes and chargebacks, to manage collections of accounts receivable, to generate reports and to settle transactions with financial institutions and network associations.

The CoreCard® proprietary software applications are based on CoreCard’s core financial transaction processing platform (CoreENGINE™) and address the unique requirements of customers and program managers that issue or process:

The CoreCard® software solutions allow customers to optimize their card account management systems, improve customer retention, lower operating costs and create greater market differentiation. The CoreCard® solutions are feature-rich, have web interfaces including a standard library of APIs and contain financial transaction processing solutions that allow customers to automate, streamline and optimize business processes associated with the set-up, administration, management and settlement of credit, prepaid and loan accounts, to process transactions, and to generate reports and statements for these accounts. In addition, because the CoreCard products are designed to run on lower cost, scalable PC-based servers, rather than expensive legacy mainframe computers, customers may benefit from lower overall costs since the solution provides scalability by adding additional servers as card volume grows. The CoreCard product functionality includes embedded multi-lingual, multi-currency support, web-based interface, real-time processing, complex rules-based authorizations, account hierarchies, documented APIs for easy integration to the backend functionality and robust fee libraries. These features support customer-defined pricing and payment terms and allow CoreCard’s customers to create new and innovative card programs to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and improve customer retention.

We believe CoreCard is unique among software companies because it offers a full array of card and account management software solutions, available either for in-house license or outsourced processing by CoreCard’s processing business (“Processing Services”) at the customer’s option. CoreCard also provides customers with a unique option to license the same CoreCard software that is used in the CoreCard processing environment and transfer it in-house for customer controlled processing at a later date.

We continue to add resources to expand upon our infrastructure investment to support CoreCard’s Processing Services line of business. CoreCard processes prepaid cards and credit cards (private label and open loop/network) for a number of customers and anticipates steadily growing this business further in 2020. CoreCard has multiple secure processing data centers at third party locations, is certified as compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards and has an SSAE-18 SOC 1 independent audit report that can be relied on by its prepaid and credit processing customers. In addition, CoreCard expects in 2020, its first SSAE-18 SOC 2 independent audit report which can be relied upon by all customers. It has obtained certification from Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Star and Pulse.

CoreCard added a significant new license customer in 2018, which represented 60% of our consolidated revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019. We expect future professional services, maintenance, and license revenue from this customer in 2020 and future years, however the amount and timing will be dependent on various factors not in our control such as the number of accounts on file and the level of customization needed by the customer.

CoreCard has relationships with several financial institutions that are important for network certification, referrals for processing or program managers, and sponsoring prospective card programs.

CoreCard has Program Manager capabilities in addition to processing services, which has allowed us to gain additional experience adding the potential for increased revenue, although we do not expect any significant revenue impact as a Program Manager near term.

CoreCard’s principal target markets include consumer revolving credit portfolios, accounts receivable businesses, prepaid card issuers, retail and private-label issuers (large and small), small third-party processors, and small, mid-size and large financial institutions in the United States. It has customers in international markets as well. CoreCard competes with third-party card processors that allow customers to outsource their account transaction processing rather than acquire software to manage their transactions in-house. CoreCard competes with several larger and more established software processors. Many of CoreCard’s competitors, especially certain processors, have significantly more financial, marketing and development resources than does CoreCard and have large, established customer bases often tied to long-term contracts. CoreCard believes it can compete successfully in its selected markets by providing to its licensed software customers and processing customers a robust technology platform, lower overall cost per account fees, greater system flexibility, and more customer-driven marketing options. Additonally, the size and flexibility of CoreCard makes it possible to get to market more quickly with customized, flexible programs. Under our Processing Services option, customers can contract with CoreCard to provide processing services for their accounts using CoreCard software configured to the customer’s preferences, with an option to license the same software and bring it in-house when and if the customer decides to become its own processor in the future. We believe this transition path for customers is unique in the industry.

The CoreCard® software platform and modules include CoreENGINE™, CoreISSUE™, CoreFraud™, CoreCOLLECT™, CoreAPP™, CoreMONEY™ and CoreAcquire™. Using a proprietary, base transaction processing platform called CoreENGINE, the CoreCard application modules have been further enhanced to meet the specific requirements of different market segments; for instance, CoreISSUE is available in different versions tailored to the requirements for issuing prepaid cards, fleet cards, bank cards or private label cards/accounts as well as accounts receivable management. In addition, CoreCard configures and/or customizes its robust base modules with additional or specific functionality to meet each customer’s requirements. The company has developed and licensed such products to customers in the prepaid, fleet, private label, retail and credit markets. As is typical of most software companies, CoreCard expects to continually enhance and upgrade its existing software solutions and to develop additional modules to meet changing customer and market requirements. To date, CoreCard has focused its extensive development and limited sales activities on building a base of customers in each of its target markets, as well as putting in place the infrastructure and processes to be able to scale the business successfully, particularly for the Processing Services business.

Historically, most of the company’s sales have resulted from prospects contacting CoreCard based on an online search. CoreCard typically sells its products directly to customers, often in competitive situations, with relatively long sales and implementation cycles.

We have several revenue streams. We receive software license fees that vary depending upon the number of licensed users, number of accounts on the system, and the number of software modules licensed. We also derive service revenue from implementation, customization, and annual maintenance and support contracts for our licensed software. Processing customers pay an implementation and setup fee plus monthly service fees, primarily based on number of accounts, under a contract with a term of generally three or more years. Depending on factors such as contract terms, customer implementation and testing schedule, and extent of customization or configuration required and whether we are licensing or processing, the timing of revenue recognition on contracts may lead to considerable fluctuation in revenue and profitability. There are often delays in implementation cycles, especially for processing customers, due to third party approvals or processes that are outside of CoreCard’s control and thus it is not possible to predict with certainty when we will be able to begin recognizing revenue on new contracts.

CoreCard’s licensed software products are used by its customers to manage and process various credit, debit and prepaid card programs and there are a number of federal and state regulations governing the issuance of and the processing of financial transactions associated with such cards. CoreCard’s customers are required to comply with such regulations and, to the extent that customers depend on their licensed CoreCard software to manage and process their card accounts, the CoreCard software features and functionality must allow customers to comply with the various governmental regulations. CoreCard continually evaluates applicable regulations and regularly upgrades and enhances its software to help its customers meet their obligations to comply with current and anticipated governmental regulations. As part of CoreCard’s processing business, CoreCard provides compliance-related services, including data and network security, customer identification screening and regular reporting, which enable its customers to be in compliance with applicable governmental regulations including but not limited to the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering regulations with final responsibility for compliance resting with the customer. Depending on the extent of changes and new governmental regulations, CoreCard will regularly incur additional costs to modify its software and services to be compliant. CoreCard has no costs related to compliance with environmental laws.

Our business is not considered seasonal although the use of certain of our products may grow with higher end-of-year spending patterns and possibly cause a small revenue increase during this period.

Non-consolidated Companies

We are primarily engaged in the FinTech industry through CoreCard’s operations; however, from time to time, we have invested in entrepreneurial companies that we believe are bringing new applications or technologies to business markets and may continue to do so. Typically, these companies are privately held, early stage companies in technology-related fields. From time to time, we may increase our investment in a company or write down the value of an investment if we determine that it is impaired or there may be a liquidation event in which we participate. Typically, the timing and amounts of such events are not predictable. Please refer to Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

Research and Development

We spent $5.5 million and $3.4 million in the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, on company sponsored research and development. All of our consolidated research and development expense is related to our FinTech business. We maintain a workforce of over 500 employees in our offshore operations in India and Romania for software development and testing, as well as operations support for processing services. We continuously add new features and functionality to our financial technology software in response to market requirements and trends and expect to continue to do so.

Patents, Trademarks and Trade Secrets

We have one U.S. patent covering aspects of CoreCard’s core software platform. It may be possible for competitors to duplicate certain aspects of our products and processes even though we regard such aspects as proprietary. We have registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and several foreign jurisdictions various trademarks and service marks for our products. We believe that an active trade secret, trade name, trademark, and copyright protection program is one element in developing and maintaining brand recognition and protecting our intellectual property. We presently market our products under trademarks and service marks such as CoreCard®, CoreENGINE™, CoreISSUE™, CoreCOLLECT™, CoreMONEY™ and others.

Personnel

As of February 15, 2020, we had approximately 530 full-time equivalent employees (including our subsidiaries in the United States and foreign countries). Of these, over 500 are involved in CoreCard’s software development, testing and operations, and 6 in corporate functions. Our employees are not represented by a labor union, we have not had any work stoppages or strikes and we believe our employee relations are good.

Financial Information About Geographic Areas

See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Except for the risk associated with fluctuations in currency, we do not believe there are any specific risks attendant to our foreign operations that are significantly different than the general business risks discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report.

ITEM 1B.     UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None

ITEM 2.      PROPERTIES

We have a lease covering approximately 15,000 square feet in Norcross, Georgia to house our product development, sales, service and administration operations for our domestic operations. Our Norcross lease was renewed March 31, 2018 for a three year term. We also lease a small office in Timisoara, Romania. We own a 6,350 square foot office facility in Bhopal, India, to house the software development and testing activities of our offshore subsidiaries; we lease approximately 4,700 square feet of additional office space in the same facility in Bhopal, India; and we lease approximately 5,500 square feet in Mumbai, India to house additional staff for our offshore software development activities. We plan to procure additional office space in India and North America to support our continual hiring efforts.

ITEM 3.      LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On or about July 9, 2019, a securities class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Case No. 1:19-cv-03949) by Michael Skrzeczkoski, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, against the company, and certain current and former directors and officers. The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain of our press releases and SEC filings were misleading as a result of the failure to disclose alleged related party transactions affecting revenue recognition and the absence of disclosure regarding certain allegations against former director Parker H. Petit in connection with his former position with MiMedx, Inc. The complaint seeks to recover attorney’s fees and costs and unspecified damages on behalf of purchasers who acquired our stock during the period from January 23, 2019, through May 29, 2019, and purportedly suffered financial harm as a result of the alleged misleading statements. On September 26, 2019, the Court appointed Edgardo Canez as lead plaintiff (“Lead Plaintiff”) on behalf of the putative class. On November 18, 2019, Lead Plaintiff, individually and on behalf of a putative class of persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded company securities from May 23, 2014 through May 29, 2019, filed an amended class action complaint against the company, and certain current and former directors and officers (the “Amended Complaint”). The Amended Complaint alleges similar allegations in violation of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act as the previously filed complaint. The Amended Complaint seeks to recover attorney’s fees and costs and unspecified damages. On January 2, 2020, Defendants submitted a motion to dismiss and on March 3, 2020, briefing on the motion to dismiss was completed. The motion to dismiss is currently pending. We dispute these claims and intend to defend the matter vigorously.

On or about February 14, 2020, two purported shareholders, derivatively and on behalf of the Company, filed substantially similar shareholder derivative actions in the Eastern District of New York against certain current and former directors and officers (the “Individual Defendants”), and the Company as a nominal defendant. The complaints assert claims against Messrs. Strange, Moise, Petit, Fuzzell and Chandler for a violation of Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act by issuing purportedly misleading statements in the Company’s 2017 and 2018 Proxies, and against the Individual Defendants for breaches of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment arising out of, among other things, purportedly undisclosed related party transactions and other relationships as well as certain allegations against former director Parker H. Petit in connection with his former position with MiMedx, Inc and other companies. The relief sought in the complaints includes changes to the Company’s corporate governance procedures, unspecified damages, equitable relief, restitution, and attorney’s fees and costs.

For information regarding our accounting for legal contingencies, see Note 7 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K

ITEM 4.     Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Information

Our common stock is listed and traded on the NYSE American (“NYSE”) under the symbol INS. We had 180 shareholders of record as of February 15, 2020. This number does not include beneficial owners of our common stock whose shares are held in the names of various dealers, clearing agencies, banks, brokers and other fiduciaries. The company has not paid regular dividends in the past and does not intend to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

See Item 12 for information regarding securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

There have been no sales of unregistered securities by the company during the period covered by this Form 10-K.

Repurchases of Securities

The company did not repurchase any of its shares of common stock during 2019.

ITEM 7.     MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND Results OF OPERATIONS

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We consider certain accounting policies related to revenue recognition and valuation of investments to be critical policies due to the estimation processes involved in each. For a detailed description on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Revenue Recognition – Product revenue consists of fees from software licenses. Service revenue consists of fees for processing services; professional services for software customization, consulting, and training; reimbursable expenses; and software maintenance and customer support.

Our software license arrangements generally fall into one of the following four categories:

At contract inception, we assess the products and services promised in our contracts with customers and identify a performance obligation for each promise to transfer to the customer a product or service (or bundle of products or services) that is distinct. If a product or service is separately identifiable from other items in the bundled package and if a customer can benefit from it on its own or with other resources that are readily available to the customer. To identify our performance obligations, we consider all of the products or services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices. We recognize revenue when or as we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring control of a product or service to a customer. Our revenue recognition policies for each of the situations described above are discussed below.

Our software licenses generally have significant stand-alone functionality to the customer upon delivery and are considered to be functional intellectual property. Additionally, the purpose in granting these software licenses to a customer is typically to provide the customer a right to use our intellectual property. Our software licenses are generally considered distinct performance obligations, and revenue allocated to the software license is typically recognized at a point in time upon delivery of the license. Initial implementation fees do not meet the criteria for separate accounting because the software usually requires significant modification or customization that is essential to its functionality. We recognize revenue related to implementations over the life of the customer once the implementation is complete.

We account for the PCS element contained in the initial contract based on relative standalone selling price, which is annual renewal fees for such services, and PCS is recognized ratably on a straight-line basis over the period specified in the contract as we generally satisfy these performance obligations evenly using a time-elapsed output method over the contract term given there is no discernible pattern of performance. Upon renewal of the PCS contract by the customer, we recognize revenues ratably on a straight-line basis over the period specified in the PCS contract. All of our software customers purchase software maintenance and support contracts and renew such contracts annually.

Certain initial software contracts contain specified future service elements for scheduled completion following the implementation, and related recognition, of the initial license. In these instances, after the initial license recognition, where distinct future performance obligations are identified in the contract and we could reliably measure the completion of each identified performance obligation, we have recognized revenue at the time the individual performance obligation was completed. 

Purchases of additional licenses for tier upgrades or additional modules are generally recognized as license revenue in the period in which the purchase is made for perpetual licenses or ratably over the remaining contract term for non-perpetual licenses.

Services provided under standalone contracts that are optional to the customer and are outside of the scope of the initial contract are single element services contracts. These standalone services contracts are not essential to the functionality of the software contained in the initial contract and generally do not include acceptance clauses or refund rights as may be included in the initial software contracts, as described above. Revenues from these services contracts, which are generally performed within a relatively short period of time, are recognized when the services are complete or in some cases as the services are provided. These revenues generally re-occur as contracts are renewed. Payment terms for professional services may be based on an upfront fixed fee with the remainder due upon completion or on a time and materials basis.

For contracts for licensed software which include an initial fee plus recurring monthly fees for software usage, maintenance and support, we recognize the total fees ratably on a straight-line basis over the estimated life of the contract as services revenue.

Revenues from processing services are typically volume- or activity-based depending on factors such as the number of accounts processed, number of accounts on the system, number of hours of services or computer resources used. For processing services which include an initial fee plus recurring monthly fees for services, we recognize the initial fees ratably on a straight-line basis over the estimated life of the contract as services revenue. The payment terms may include tiered pricing structures with the base tier representing a minimum monthly usage fee. For processing services revenues, we stand ready to provide continuous access to our processing platforms and perform an unspecified quantity of outsourced and transaction-processing services for a specified term or terms. Accordingly, processing services are generally viewed as a stand-ready performance obligation comprised of a series of distinct daily services. We typically satisfy our processing services performance obligations over time as the services are provided.

Technology or service components from third parties are frequently embedded in or combined with our products or service offerings. We are often responsible for billing the client in these arrangements and transmitting the applicable fees to the third party. We determine whether we are responsible for providing the actual product or service as a principal, or for arranging for the solution or service to be provided by the third party as an agent. Judgment is applied to determine whether we are the principal or the agent by evaluating whether we have control of the product or service prior to it being transferred to the customer. The principal versus agent assessment is performed at the performance obligation level. Indicators that we consider in determining if we have control include whether we are primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified product or service to the customer, whether we have inventory risk and discretion in establishing the price the customer ultimately pays for the product or service. Depending upon the level of our contractual responsibilities and obligations for delivering solutions to end customers, we have arrangements where we are the principal and recognize the gross amount billed to the customer and other arrangements where we are the agent and recognize the net amount retained.

Revenue is recorded net of applicable sales tax.

Deferred revenue consists of advance payments by software customers for annual or quarterly PCS, advance payments from customers for software licenses and professional services not yet delivered, and initial implementation payments for processing services or bundled license and support services in multi-year contracts. Deferred revenue is classified as long-term until such time that it becomes likely that the services or products will be provided within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

Valuation of Investments – We hold minority interests in non-publicly traded companies whose values are difficult to determine and are based on management’s estimate of realizability of the value of the investment. Future adverse changes in market conditions, poor operating results, lack of progress of the investee company or its inability to raise capital to support its business plan could result in investment losses or an inability to recover the current carrying value of the investment. Our policy with respect to minority interests is to record an impairment charge when we conclude an investment has experienced a decline in value that is other than temporary. At least quarterly, we review our investments to determine any impairment in their carrying value and we write-down any impaired asset at quarter-end to our best estimate of its current realizable value. In the second quarter of 2018, we recorded an impairment charge of $250,000 to reduce the carrying value of an investee company.

Executive Summary

Our consolidated operations consist of our CoreCard Software subsidiary and its affiliate companies in Romania and India, as well as the corporate office which provides significant administrative, human resources and executive management support to CoreCard.

We provide technology solutions and processing services to the financial services market, commonly referred to as the FinTech industry. We derive our product revenue from licensing our comprehensive suite of financial transaction management software to accounts receivable businesses, financial institutions, retailers and processors to manage their credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, private label cards, fleet cards, loyalty programs, and accounts receivable and loan transactions. Our service revenue consists of fees for software maintenance and support for licensed software products, fees for processing services that we provide to companies that outsource their financial transaction processing functions to us, and professional services primarily for software customizations provided to both license and processing customers.

Our results vary in part depending on the size and number of software licenses recognized as well as the value and number of professional services contracts recognized in a particular period. As we continue to grow our Processing Services business, we continue to gain economies of scale on the investment we have made in the infrastructure, resources, processes and software features developed over the past number of years to support this growing side of our business. We are adding new processing customers at a faster pace than we are adding new license customers, resulting in steady growth in the processing revenue stream. However, we are also experiencing growth in our license revenue and associated professional services due to the addition of a large new customer in 2018. In total, this customer represented 60 percent of our consolidated revenues for 2019. We expect future professional services, maintenance, and license revenue from this customer in 2020 and future years; however, the amount and timing will be dependent on various factors not in our control such as the number of accounts on file and the level of customization needed by the customer. License revenue from this customer, similar to other license arrangements, is tiered based on the number of active accounts on the system. Once the customer achieves each tier level they receive a perpetual license up to that number of accounts; inactive accounts do not count toward the license tier. The customer receives an unlimited perpetual license at a maximum tier level that allows them to utilize the software for any number of active accounts. They currently use the software for a single institution and additional license fees apply if multiple institutions are added. Support and maintenance fees are charged based on the tier level achieved and increase at new tier levels.

While we typically receive revenue based on the number of active accounts on file rather than transaction volume, the recently declared pandemic related to the coronavirus could adversely impact our future results if the ability of our customers to continue to add new accounts is negatively impacted by the decrease in economic activity caused by the virus. As noted above, we receive license revenue when our customers achieve new active account tiers. The impact of slower growth or declines in active accounts would result in lower than expected license revenue which would then result in lower than expected maintenance revenue. Similarly, we typically receive processing revenue based on the number of active accounts our customers have on our system. If our customers fail to add new accounts or experience declines in active accounts due to inactivity, we could experience lower than expected growth in processing revenue or lower processing revenue. We could also experience delays or declines in professional services revenue and new customer sign-ups and implementations if customers or potential customers delay or cancel their plans due to the economic slowdown caused by the virus. Additionally, our operations could be impacted, and we could experience higher costs if, despite our mitigation and prevention efforts, the virus spread prevents affected employees from performing key duties.

The infrastructure of our multi customer environment is scalable for the future. A significant portion of our expense is related to personnel, including approximately 500 employees located in India and Romania. In 2017, we opened a second office in India, located near Mumbai, to enable us to attract the level of talent required for our software development and testing. Our ability to hire and train employees on our processes and software impacts our ability to onboard new customers and deliver professional services for software customizations. In addition, we have certain corporate office expenses associated with being a public company that impact our operating results.

Our revenue fluctuates from period to period and our results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in future periods. It is difficult to predict the level of consolidated revenue on a quarterly basis for a number of reasons, including the following:

We continue to maintain a strong cash position. We intend to use cash balances to support the domestic and international operations associated with our CoreCard business and to expand our operations in the FinTech industry through financing the growth of CoreCard and, if appropriate opportunities become available, through acquisitions of businesses in this industry. Additionally, in November 2018, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of $5 million. We did not make any share repurchases in 2018 or 2019.

Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this Annual Report.

Revenue – Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $34,303,000 which represents a 71 percent increase over 2018.

Cost of Revenue – Total cost of revenue was 34 percent of total revenue for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, compared to 42 percent for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. The decrease in cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue is primarily driven by increased product sales with low associated costs. Cost of revenue includes costs to provide annual maintenance and support services to our installed base of licensed customers, costs to provide professional services, and costs to provide our financial transaction processing services. The cost and gross margins on such revenues can vary considerably from period to period depending on the customer mix, customer requirements and project complexity as well as the mix of our U.S. and offshore employees working on the various aspects of services provided. In addition, we continue to devote the resources necessary to support our growing processing business, including direct costs for regulatory compliance, infrastructure, network certifications, and customer support. However, we are continuing to experience economies of scale in our processing environment and did experience a decrease year over year for our cost of financial transaction processing services as a percentage of transaction processing services revenue. This may be subject to change in the future if new regulations or processing standards are implemented causing us to incur additional costs to comply.

Operating Expenses – For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, total operating expenses from consolidated operations were higher than in the corresponding period in 2018, primarily as the result of increased research and development expenses as well as higher general and administrative expenses. Research and development expenses were $5,516,000 in 2019 compared to $3,353,000 in 2018. The increase was primarily due to payroll and related expense for additional offshore technical personnel and recognition-based bonus payments and accruals. General and administrative expenses were higher in 2019 than in 2018, due to higher legal costs associated with on-going litigation and higher advisory expenses related to continuing contract negotiations and strategic initiatives of the Board, as well as higher personnel-related expense at CoreCard and the corporate offices in 2019. Marketing expenses decreased in 2019 as compared to the 2018 as we continued to place less focus on marketing initiatives for CoreCard in 2019. Our client base increased in 2019 and 2018 with minimal marketing efforts as we continue to have prospects contact us via online searches; however, we will continue to re-evaluate our marketing expenditures as needed to competitively position the Processing Services business.

Investment Income (Loss) – In 2019, we recorded investment income of $34,000 comprised of realized gains on the sale of marketable securities. In 2018, we recorded $363,000 of investment losses, which was comprised of a $250,000 impairment loss on our minority equity ownership in one of our investee companies, a privately held technology company and program manager in the FinTech industry, and $113,000 of unrealized losses on marketable securities.

Other Income, net – Other income, net was $99,000 in 2019 and $469,000 in 2018. The decrease results from losses on equity method investments, 2018 interest income of $171,000 related to finance charges on the sale of equipment purchased for a new license customer that did not recur in 2019, partially offset by higher interest rates on higher cash balances.

Income Taxes – We recorded $2,546,000 in 2019 for income tax expense, an effective tax rate of 18.8%, compared to tax expense of $4,000 in 2018, an effective tax rate of 0.1%. The increase in the effective tax rate is due to the utilization of net operating loss carry forwards in 2018, offset by an excess tax benefit related to the exercise of stock options. We expect our future effective tax rate to be within the range of 23-25%.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our cash balance at December 31, 2019 was $26,415,000 compared to $18,919,000 at December 31, 2018. During the year ended December 31, 2019, cash provided by operations was $10,585,000 compared to cash provided by operations of $6,656,000 for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase is primarily due to higher operating income and lower net working capital balances.

We advanced $2,000,000 on various Promissory Notes, as described in more detail in Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. We used $1,676,000 of cash to acquire computer equipment and related software primarily to enhance our existing processing environment in the U.S. as well for computer equipment for the technical resources added in our India office during 2019.

We do not expect to pay any regular or special dividends in the foreseeable future. We expect to have sufficient liquidity from cash on hand as well as projected customer payments to support our operations and capital equipment purchases in the foreseeable future. Currently we expect to use cash in excess of what is required for our current operations for opportunities we believe will expand our FinTech business, as exemplified in transactions described in Notes 3 and 5, although there can be no assurance that appropriate opportunities will arise. Additionally, in November 2018, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of $5 million. We did not make any share repurchases in 2018 or 2019.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not currently have any off-balance sheet arrangements that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.

Factors That May Affect Future Operations

Future operations are subject to risks and uncertainties that may negatively impact our future results of operations or projected cash requirements. It is difficult to predict future quarterly and annual results with certainty.

Among the numerous factors that may affect our consolidated results of operations or financial condition are the following:

Recent Accounting Pronouncements – Refer to Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

ITEM 8.     FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following Consolidated Financial Statements and related report of independent registered public accounting firm are included in this report and are incorporated by reference in Part II, Item 8 hereof. See Index to Financial Statements on page F-1 hereof.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC

Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

None.

Item 9A.     Controls and PRocedures

(a)     Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. As of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the company’s management, including the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective at that reasonable assurance level.

(b)     Changes in internal control over financial reporting

We regularly review our system of internal control over financial reporting and make changes to our processes and systems to improve controls and increase efficiency, while ensuring that we maintain an effective internal control environment.

There were no significant changes in the company’s internal control over financial reporting or in other factors identified in connection with this evaluation that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal control over financial reporting.

(c)     Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting

The management of Intelligent Systems Corporation is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a – 15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company maintains accounting and internal control systems which are intended to provide reasonable assurance that the assets are safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition, transactions are executed in accordance with management’s authorization and accounting records are reliable for preparing financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that involves human diligence and compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns resulting from human failures. Internal control over financial reporting also can be circumvented by collusion or improper management override. Because of such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to reduce, though not eliminate, risk.

The company’s management evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019. In making this evaluation, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (“COSO”) of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control – Integrated Framework. Based on our evaluation management believes that, as of December 31, 2019, the company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective based on those criteria. The effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 has been audited by Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC, the company’s independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which appears in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K on page F-2.

PART III

Please refer to the subsection entitled “Proposal 1 - The Election of Three Directors - Nominees” and “Proposal 1 – The Election of Three Directors – Executive Officers” in our Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Proxy Statement”) for information about the individuals nominated as directors and about the directors and executive officers of the company. This information is incorporated into this Item 10 by reference. Information regarding compliance by directors and executive officers of the company and owners of more than 10 percent of our common stock with the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is contained under the caption “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in the Proxy Statement. This information is incorporated into this Item 10 by reference. Information regarding the company’s Audit Committee and its composition is contained under the caption “Proposal 1 – The Election of One Director - Nominee” and “Proposal 1 – The Election of One Director – Meetings and Committees of the Board of Directors” in the Proxy Statement. This information is incorporated into this Item 10 by reference.

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the company’s Board of Directors.

We have a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers, and employees. The Code of Ethics is posted on our website at www.intelsys.com. We also disclose on our website, within the time required by the rules of the SEC, any waivers of, or amendments to, the Code of Ethics for the benefit of an executive officer.

ITEM 11.     EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Please refer to the subsection entitled “Proposal 1 - The Election of Three Directors - Executive Compensation” in the Proxy Statement for information about management compensation. This information is incorporated into this Item 11 by reference.

The following table sets forth the amount of securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2019.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

Effective August 22, 2000, the company adopted the Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (the “Director Plan”). The Director Plan expired in 2010 and was replaced by the 2011 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (the “2011 Director Plan”), with essentially the same terms and conditions as the expired Director Plan. Up to 200,000 shares of common stock were authorized for issuance under the Director Plan and 2011 Director Plan to non-employee directors with each director receiving an initial grant of 5,000 options followed by annual grants of 4,000 options on the date of each subsequent Annual Meeting. In the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, 12,000 options were granted in each year, respectively, under the 2011 Director Plan, and in 2018 4,000 options expired unexercised. In 2019, under the Directors Plans, 82,000 options were exercised and 6,000 options were canceled. The company instituted the 2003 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2003 Plan”) in March 2003 and the 2003 Plan expired in 2013. The 2003 Plan authorized the issuance of up to 450,000 options to purchase shares of common stock to officers and key employees. In 2015, shareholders approved the Intelligent Systems Corporation Stock Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) that provides for the issuance of up to 750,000 shares of common stock to employees and key consultants and advisors. In 2019, 30,000 shares were granted and no grants were made in 2018 under the 2015 Plan. In 2019, 25,000 options were exercised and in 2018, 20,000 options were exercised under the 2015 Plan. Stock options are granted under the company’s equity compensation plans at fair market value on the date of grant and vest ratably over two or three year periods after the date of grant.

Please refer to the subsection entitled “Voting – Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in the Proxy Statement for information about the ownership of our common stock by certain persons. This information is incorporated into this Item 12 by reference.

ITEM 13.     CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The lease on our headquarters and primary facility at 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia is held by ISC Properties, LLC, an entity controlled by J. Leland Strange, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Strange holds a 100% ownership interest in ISC Properties, LLC. We paid ISC Properties, LLC $210,000 in both years ending December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Please refer to the subsection entitled “Proposal 1 - The Election of Three Directors - Nominee” in the Proxy Statement referred to in Item 10 for information regarding the independence of the company’s directors. This information is incorporated into this Item 13 by reference.

ITEM 14.     Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Please refer to the subsection entitled “Independent Registered Public Accountants” in the Proxy Statement for information about the fees paid to and services performed by our independent public accountants. This information is incorporated into this Item 14 by reference.

PART IV

ITEM 15.      EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

We are filing the following exhibits with this report or incorporating them by reference to earlier filings. Shareholders may request a copy of any exhibit by contacting Matthew A. White, Secretary, Intelligent Systems Corporation, 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia 30093; telephone (770) 381-2900. There is a charge of $.50 per page to cover expenses of copying and mailing.

Exhibit 10.3(a) is incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s 2015 Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A.

Exhibit 10.3(b) is incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s 2011 Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Annual Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS CORPORATION

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following consolidated financial statements of the Registrant and its subsidiaries are submitted herewith in response to Item 8:

Financial Statements:

Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC

3550 Engineering Drive, Suite 250

Peachtree Corners, Georgia 30092

404-214-1301 FAX 404-214-1302

atlanta@nicholscauley.com

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Intelligent Systems Corporation

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Intelligent Systems Corporation and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). We also have audited Intelligent Systems Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that responds to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. A Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Nichols, Cauley and Associates, LLC

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.

Atlanta, Georgia

March 16, 2020

Intelligent Systems Corporation

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Intelligent Systems Corporation

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Intelligent Systems Corporation

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(in thousands, except share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Intelligent Systems Corporation

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.