IDEANOMICS, INC. - Quarter Report: 2019 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________

Commission File Number: 001-35561

IDEANOMICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

55 Broadway, 19^th Floor

New York, NY 10006

(Address of principal executive offices)

212-206-1216

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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 whether the registrant has submitted electronically 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 such files).

Yes x      No ¨

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

Emerging growth company ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

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

Yes ¨      No x

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 108,561,959 shares as of May 1, 2019.

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

OF IDEANOMICS, INC.

FOR THE PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

References

Except as otherwise indicated by the context, references in this report to the following:

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

IDEANOMICS, INC.

INDEX TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

IDEANOMICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

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

IDEANOMICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)

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

IDEANOMICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) (Unaudited)

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

IDEANOMICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY (Unaudited)

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

IDEANOMICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY (Unaudited)

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

IDEANOMICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)

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

IDEANOMICS, INC.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1.     Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Ideanomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDEX) is a Nevada corporation that primarily operates in the United States and Asia. The Company comprised of (i) our Legacy YOD business with primary operations in the PRC, and (ii) our Wecast Service business, a global financial technology (“Fintech”) advisory and Platform-as-a-Service company with the intent of offering customized services based on best-in-class blockchain, AI and other technologies to mature and emerging businesses across various industries. To do so, we are building a technology ecosystem through license agreements, joint ventures and strategic acquisitions, which we refer to as our “Fintech Ecosystem”. In parallel, through strategic acquisitions, equity investments and joint ventures, we are building a network of businesses, operating across industry verticals which we refer to as our “Industry Ventures”. We believe these industry verticals have significant potential to recognize benefits from blockchain and AI technologies that may, for example, enhance operations, address cost inefficiencies, improve documentation and standardization, unlock asset value and improve customer engagement. Our core business strategy is to promote the use, development and advancement of blockchain- and AI-based technologies, and our positioning in the fintech industry overall, by bringing technology leaders together with industry leaders and creating synergies between the businesses in our expanding Fintech Ecosystem and the businesses in our Industry Ventures.

Various aspects of the development of our Fintech Ecosystem and our Industry Ventures are still in the planning and testing phase and are generally not operational or revenue generating.

Basis of Presentation

In this Form 10-Q, unless the context otherwise requires, the use of the terms "we," "us", "our" and the “Company” refers to Ideanomics, Inc, its consolidated subsidiaries and variable interest entities (“VIEs”).

On April 24, 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of 100% equity ownership in Shanghai Guang Ming Investment Management (“Guang Ming”), a PRC limited liability company. One of the two selling shareholders is a related party, an affiliate of Dr. Wu. Guang Ming holds a special fund management license. The acquisition will help the Company develop a fund management platform. Under Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 805-50-05-5 and ASC 805-50-30-5, the transaction was accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control, in a manner similar to a pooling of interest, using historical costs. As a result of the reorganization, the net assets of Guang Ming were transferred to the Company, and the accompanying consolidated financial statements as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2018 have been prepared as if the current corporate structure had been in place at the beginning of periods presented in which the common control existed.

In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present a fair statements of the financial position as of March 31, 2019, results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, have been made. All significant intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated on consolidation. However, the results of operations included in such financial statements may not necessary be indicative of annual results.

We use the same accounting policies in preparing quarterly and annual financial statements. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2019 (“2018 Annual Report”).

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, as well as the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to the bad debt allowance, variable considerations, fair values of financial instruments, intangible assets (including digital tokens) and goodwill, useful lives of intangible assets and property and equipment, asset retirement obligations, income taxes, and contingent liabilities, among others. We base our estimates on assumptions, both historical and forward looking, that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

Fair Value Measurements

Accounting standards require the categorization of financial assets and liabilities, based on the inputs to the valuation technique, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The various levels of the fair value hierarchy are described as follows:

The fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

The Company reviews the valuation techniques used to determine if the fair value measurements are still appropriate on an annual basis, and evaluate and adjust the unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurements based on current market conditions and third party information.

Our financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, other current liabilities and convertible notes. The fair values of these assets approximate carrying values because of the short-term nature of these instruments. If these instruments were measured at fair value in the financial statements, they would be classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.

Our financial assets that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis include goodwill and other intangible assets, asset retirement obligations, and adjustment in carrying value of equity securities for which the measurement alternative of cost less impairment plus or minus observable price changes is used. There were no material impairments and no material adjustments to equity securities using the measurement alternative for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018.

Digital Tokens

Digital tokens consist of GTB tokens received in connection with the services agreement and assets purchase agreement with GT Dollar Pte. Ltd. (“GTD”), our minority shareholder (Note 3 and 13 (b)). Given that there is limited precedent regarding the classification and measurement of cryptocurrencies and other digital tokens under current GAAP, the Company has determined to account for these tokens as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other until further guidance is issued by the FASB.

Indefinite-lived intangible assets are recorded at cost and are not subject to amortization, but shall be tested for impairment annually and more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired. If, at the time of an impairment test, the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss in an amount equal to the excess is recognized. The fair value of GTB tokens was a Level 2 measurement (see Note 3) based upon the consideration agreed by GTD and the Company with a discount considering volatility, risk and limitations at contract inception.

Reclassifications of a General Nature

Certain amounts in the prior periods presented have been reclassified to conform to the current period financial statement presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on previously reported net income. Note 2 provides information about our adoption of new accounting standards for leases.

Note 2.     New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

We adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), as of January 1, 2019, using a modified retrospective transition method and as a result, the consolidated balance sheet prior to January 1, 2019 was not restated, continues to be reported under ASC Topic 840, Leases, or ASC 840. For all leases at the lease commencement date, a right-of-use asset and a lease liability are recognized. The right-of-use asset represents the right to use the leased asset for the lease term. The lease liability represents the present value of the lease payments under the lease.

The lease liability is based on the present value of the remaining minimum lease payments, determined under ASC 840, discounted using our incremental borrowing rate at the effective date of January 1, 2019, using the original lease term as the tenor. As permitted under the transition guidance, we elected several practical expedients that permit us to not reassess (1) whether a contract is or contains a lease, (2) the classification of existing leases, and (3) whether previously capitalized costs continue to qualify as initial indirect costs. The application of the practical expedients did not have a significant impact on the measurement of the operating lease liability. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of operating right of use assets and the related lease liabilities of approximately $3.6 million and $3.7 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. The difference between the additional lease assets and lease liabilities was immaterial. The standard did not materially impact our consolidated operating results and had no impact on cash flows. Please see Note 9.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which largely aligns the measurement and classification guidance for share-based payments to nonemployees with the guidance for share-based payments to employees. The ASU also clarifies that any share-based payment issued to a customer should be evaluated under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The ASU requires a modified retrospective transition approach. We adopted ASU 2018-07 as of January 1, 2019 and there is no impact to our consolidated financial statement because we did not have such payments in 2019.

In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-11, (Part I) Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features, (Part II) Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception. The new standard applies to issuers of financial instruments with down-round features. A down-round provision is a term in an equity-linked financial instrument (i.e. a freestanding warrant contract or an equity conversion feature embedded within a host debt or equity contract) that triggers a downward adjustment to the instrument’s strike price (or conversion price) if equity shares are issued at a lower price (or equity-linked financial instruments are issued at a lower strike price) than the instrument’s then-current strike price. The purpose of the feature is typically to protect the instrument’s counterparty from future issuances of equity shares at a more favorable price. The ASU amends (1) the classification of such instruments as liabilities or equity by revising the certain guidance relative to evaluating if they must be accounted for as derivative instruments and (2) the guidance on recognition and measurement of freestanding equity-classified instruments. For the Company, this ASU was effective January 1, 2019. Please see Note 11.

Standards Issued and Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13 (ASU 2016-13) "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss model which requires the use of forward-looking information to calculate credit loss estimates. It also eliminates the concept of other-than-temporary impairment and requires credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. These changes will result in earlier recognition of credit losses. We will adopt ASU 2016-13 effective January 1, 2020. We are currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated financial statements. The effect will largely depend on the composition and credit quality of our investment portfolio and the economic conditions at the time of adoption.

Note 3.     Revenue

The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

The majority of the Company’s revenue is derived from Wecast Service. The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by revenue source, geography (based on our business locations) and timing of revenue recognition.

Wecast service revenue 

Wecast Services is mainly engaged in the logistics management, including sales of crude oil, consumer electronics, and digital consulting services such as assets management and marketing services.

Logistics management revenue:

Revenue from the sales of crude oil and consumer electronics is recognized when the customer obtains control of the Company’s crude oil and consumer electronics, which occurs at a point in time, usually upon shipment or upon acceptance. The contracts are generally short-term contracts where the time between order confirmation and satisfaction of all performance obligations is less than one year.

The most significant judgment is determining whether we are the principal or agent for the sales of crude oil and consumer electronics. We report revenues from these transactions on a gross basis where we are the principal considering the following principal versus agent indicators:

Digital asset management service with GTD:

On March 14, 2019, the Company entered into a service agreement with one of our minority shareholders, GTD to provide digital asset management services including consulting, advisory and management services which will be delivered in two phases. There are two performance obligations: (1) the development of a master plan for GTD’s assets for 7,083,333 GTB tokens agreed by both parties; and (2) exclusive marketing and business development management services for a fee as percentage (0.25%) of the total market value of GTB tokens; based on a 10-day average of the 10 business days leading up to the end of a respective calendar month, and paid on the first day of each new calendar month.

The Company recognizes revenue for the master plan development services over the contract period (expected to be completed in six months), based on the progress of the services provided towards completed satisfaction. Based on ASC 606-10-32, at contract inception, the Company considered the following factors to estimate the fair value of GTB token (noncash consideration): a) it only trades in one exchange, which operations have been less than one year; b) its historical volatility is high; c) the Company’s intention to hold the majority of GTB tokens, as part of our digital asset management services; and d) associated risks discussed in Note 18 (f). Therefore, the fair value of 7,083,333 GTB tokens using Level 2 measurement was approximately $40.7 million with a 76% discount to the fixed contract price  agreed upon by both parties when signed the contract. We considered similar token exchanges in Singapore and considered the volatility of the quoted prices and determined a discount of 76%. We recognized $26.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and recognized deferred revenue in the amount of $14.1 million as of March 31, 2019.

The Company considers the payments for marketing and business development management services as performance based consideration, in accordance with ASC 606 on constraining estimates of variable consideration, including the following factors:

 For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company only provided the development service and recognized revenue of $26.6 million.

Legacy YOD revenue

Since 2017, we run our legacy YOD segment with limited resources. No revenue was recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018.

Arrangements with multiple performance obligations

Our contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations. For such arrangements, we allocate revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. We generally determine standalone selling prices based on the observable prices charged to customers or adjusted market assessment or using expected cost plus margin when one is available. Adjusted market assessment price is determined based on overall pricing objectives taking into consideration market conditions and entity specific factors.

Variable consideration

Certain customers may receive discounts, which are accounted for as variable consideration. We estimate these amounts based on the expected amount to be provided to customers and reduce revenues recognized. Our revenue reserves, consisting of various discounts and allowances, which are components of variable consideration as discussed above, are considered an area of significant judgment. Additionally, our digital asset management service revenue, as discussed above, is calculated as a percentage (0.25%) of the total market value of GTB tokens. For these areas of significant judgment, actual amounts may ultimately differ from our estimates and are adjusted in the period in which they become known.

Deferred revenues

We record deferred revenues when cash payments are received or due in advance of our performance, including amounts which are refundable. The increase in the deferred revenue balance for the three months ended March 31, 2019 is primarily driven by cash payments and GTB tokens received or due in advance of satisfying our performance obligations.

Our payment terms vary by the type and location of our customer and the products or services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is not significant. For certain products or services and customer types, we require payment before the products or services are delivered to the customer.

Practical expedients and exemptions

We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less.

Note 4.     VIE Structure and Arrangements

We consolidate VIEs in which we hold a variable interest and are the primary beneficiary through contractual agreements. We are the primary beneficiary because we have the power to direct activities that most significantly affect their economic performance and have the obligation to absorb the majority of their losses or benefits. The results of operations and financial position of these VIEs are included in our consolidated financial statements.

For these consolidated VIEs, their assets are not available to us and their creditors do not have recourse to us. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, assets (mainly long-term investments) that can only be used to settle obligations of these VIEs were approximately $3.6 million and $3.5 million, respectively, and the Company is the major creditor for the VIEs.

In order to operate our Legacy YOD business in PRC and to comply with PRC laws and regulations that prohibit or restrict foreign ownership of companies that provides value-added telecommunication services, the Company entered into a series of contractual agreements with two VIEs: Beijing Sinotop Scope Technology Co., Ltd (“Sinotop Beijing”) and Tianjin Sevenstarflix Network Technology Limited (“SSF”). These contractual agreements will be expired in March 2030 and April 2036, respectively and may not be terminated by the VIEs, except with the consent of, or a material breach by us. Currently, the Company is still evaluating the overall operating strategy for YOD legacy business and does not have plan to provide any funding to these two VIEs. Please refer to Note 18(a) for associated regulatory risks.

Based on the contracts we entered with VIEs’ shareholders, we consider that there is no asset of the VIEs that can be used only to settle obligation of the Company, except for the registered capital of VIEs amounting to RMB 38.2 million (approximately $5.7 million).

Note 5.     Acquisitions

On February 19, 2019, the Company completed the acquisition of certain assets from SolidOpinion in exchange for 4,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The assets include cash ($2.5 million) and an intellectual property (“IP”) which is complementary to the IP of Grapevine. The parties agreed that 450,000 of such shares of common stock (“Escrow Shares”) will be held in escrow until February 19, 2020 in connection with SolidOpinion’s indemnity obligations pursuant to the agreement. SolidOpinion have the rights to vote and receive the dividends paid with respect to the Escrow Shares. 

On March 5, 2019, the Company entered into the following acquisition agreements:

The transactions are conditioned upon the Company’s completion of its due diligence, customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. We paid $620,000 in March 2019 as an investment deposit and recorded in prepayments on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2019.

Note 6.     Property and Equipment, net

The following is a breakdown of property and equipment:

The Company recorded depreciation expense of approximately $16,609 and $7,584, which is included in its operating expense for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The Company capitalized direct costs and interest cost incurred on funds used to construct Fintech Village and the capitalized cost is recorded as part of construction in progress. Capitalized cost was approximately $586,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 mainly related to the legal and architect costs.

Note 7.     Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill

There were no acquisitions that closed during the first three months of 2019 and there is no change in the carrying amount of goodwill.

Intangible Assets

Information regarding amortizing and indefinite lived intangible assets consisted of the following:

Amortization expense relating to intangible assets was $227,568 and $2,621 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The following table outlines the expected amortization expense for the following years:

Note 8.     Long-term Investments

Long-term investments consisted of Non-marketable Equity Investment and Equity Method Investment as below:

Non-marketable equity investment 

Our non-marketable equity investments are investments in privately held companies without readily determinable fair values are carried at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer.

The Company reviews its equity securities without readily determinable fair values on a regular basis to determine if the investment is impaired. For purposes of this assessment, the Company considers the investee’s cash position, earnings and revenue outlook, liquidity and management ownership, among other factors, in its review. If management’s assessment indicates that an impairment exists, the Company estimates the fair value of the equity investment and recognizes in current earnings an impairment loss that is equal to the difference between the fair value of the equity investment and its carrying amount. There is no impairment for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

Equity method investments

The Company’s investment in companies accounted for using the equity method of accounting consist of the following:

All the investments above are privately held companies; therefore, quoted market prices are not available. We have not received any dividends since initial investments.

Starting from October 2016, we have 50% interest in Wecast Internet Limited (“Wecast Internet”) and initial investment was invested RMB 1,000,000 (approximately $149,750). Wecast Internet is in the process of liquidation and the remaining carrying value is immaterial.

The Company held 39% equity ownership in Hua Cheng, a company established to provide integrated value-added service solutions for the delivery of VOD and enhanced content for cable providers.

The Company held 30% equity ownership in Shandong Media, a print based media business, for Legacy YOD business. The accumulated operating loss of Shandong Media reduced the Company’s investment in Shandong Media to zero. The Company has no obligation to fund future operating losses.

In 2018, we signed a joint venture agreement with two unrelated parties, to establish BDCG located in the United States for providing block chain services for financial or energy industries by utilizing AI and big data technology in the United States. On April 24, 2018, the Company acquired 20% equity ownership in BDCG from one noncontrolling party with cash consideration of a total consideration of $9.8 million which consists of $2 million in cash and $7.8 million paid in the form of the Company’s capital stock (valued at $2.60 per share and equal to 3 million shares of the Company’s common stock), increasing the Company’s ownership to 60%. The remaining 40% of BDCG are held by Seasail ventures limited (“Seasail”). The accounting treatment of the joint venture is based on the equity method due to variable substantive participating rights (in accordance with ASC 810-10-25-11) granted to Seasail. The new entity is currently in the process of ramping up its operations. In April 2019, the company rebranded the name of the BDCG joint venture to Intelligenta. As part of the rebranding, Intelligenta’s strategy will now include credit services, corporation services, index services and products, and capital market services and products.

As of March 31, 2019, the Company held 36.92% equity ownership in DBOT. DBOT is an approved and licensed FINRA- and SEC-regulated electronic trading platform with operations in Delaware. One of our subsidiaries is powered by DBOT’s platform, trading system and technology.

In April, 2019, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement to acquire additional shares in DBOT for 4,427,870 shares of the Company’s common stock at $2.11 per share, thereby becoming the majority and controlling shareholder in DBOT.

Note 9.     Leases

We lease certain office space and equipment from third parties. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet and we recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases beginning in 2019 and later, at the inception of a contract we assess whether the contract is, or contains, a lease. Our assessment is based on: (1) whether the contract involves the use of a distinct identified asset, (2) whether we obtain the right to substantially all the economic benefit from the use of the asset throughout the period, and (3) whether we have the right to direct the use of the asset. At inception of a lease, we allocate the consideration in the contract to each lease component based on its relative stand-alone price to determine the lease payments. Leases entered into prior to January 1, 2019, are accounted for under ASC 840 and were not reassessed. We account for lease components (e.g., fixed payments including rent, real estate taxes and insurance costs) separately from the nonlease components (e.g.,common-area maintenance costs).

Most leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term from one year or more. The exercise of lease renewal options is at our sole discretion. Our leases do not include options to purchase the leased property. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements are limited by the expected lease term. Certain of our lease agreements include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. All our leases are operating lease. We have elected not to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that have a term of 12 months or less. The effect of short-term leases and initial direct costs on our right-of-use asset and lease liability was not material.

As of March 31, 2019, our operating lease right of use assets and operating lease liability are approximately $6.8 million and $7.0 million, respectively. The operating lease expenses including in Selling, general and administrative expense are approximately $428,000 and $216,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The weighted-average remaining lease term is 3.8 years and the average discount rate is 7.25%.

Maturity of operating lease liability is as follows:

Note 10.     Supplemental Financial Statement Information

Other Current Assets

“Other current assets” were approximately $3.8 million and $3.6 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. Component of "Other current assets" that was more than 5 percent of total current assets: other receivable from third parties in our subsidiaries located in PRC in the amount of $3.5 million and $3.3 million respectively.

Other Current Liabilities

“Other current liabilities” were approximately $5.5 million and $5.3 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. Components of "Other current liabilities" that were more than 5 percent of total current liabilities were other payable to third parties in the amount of $4.8 million and $4.6 million respectively.

Note 11.     Convertible Note

The following is the summary of outstanding convertible notes as of March 31, 2019:

On June 28, 2018, the Company entered into a convertible note purchase agreement with Advantech Capital Investment II Limited (“Advantech”) in the aggregate principal amount of $12,000,000 (the Notes). The Notes bear interest at a rate of 8%, mature on June 28, 2021, and are convertible into approximately 6,593,406 shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $ 1.82 per share. The difference between the conversion price and the fair market value of the common stock on the commitment date (transaction date) resulted in a beneficial conversion feature recorded of approximately $1.4 million. Total interest expense recognized relating to the beneficial conversion feature was $114,000 and $0.0 during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The agreement also requires the Company to comply with certain covenants, including restrictions on the use of the proceeds and other convertible note offering. As of March 31, 2019, the Company was in compliance with all ratios and covenants.

Issuance of Senior Secured Convertible Debenture

On February 22, 2019, the Company executed a security purchase agreement with ID Venturas 7, LLC (“IDV”), whereby the Company issued $2,050,000 of senior secured convertible note. The note bears interest at a rate of 10% per year payable either in cash or in kind at the option of the Company on a quarterly basis and matures on August 22, 2020. In addition, IDV is entitled to the following: (i) the convertible note is senior secured; (ii) convertible at $1.84 per share of Company common stock at the option of IDV (approximately 1,114,130 shares), subject to adjustments if subsequent equity shares have a lower conversion price, (ii) 1,166,113 shares of common stock of the Company and (iii) a warrant exercisable for 150% of the number of shares of common stock which the Note is convertible into (approximately 1,671,196 shares) at an exercise price of $1.84 per share and will expire 5 years after issuance.

The Company received aggregate gross proceeds of $2 million, net of $50,000 for the issuance expenses paid by IDV. Total funds received were allocated to convertible note, common stocks and warrants based on their relative fair values in accordance with ASC 470-20-30. The value of the convertible note and common stocks was based on the closing price on February 22, 2019. The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, with the following assumptions: expected life of 5 years, expected dividend rate of 0%, volatility of 111.83% and an interest rate of 2.48%.  The relative fair value of the warrants was recorded as additional paid-in capital and reduced the carrying amount of the convertible note. The Company recognized a beneficial conversion feature discount on convertible note at its intrinsic value, which was the fair value of the common stock at the commitment date for convertible note, less the effective conversion price. The Company recognized approximately $600,000 of beneficial conversion feature as an increase in additional paid in capital and reduced (discount on) the carrying amount of the convertible note in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

The discounts on the convertible note for the warrants and beneficial conversion feature are being amortized to interest expense, using the effective interest method over the term of the convertible note. As of March 31, 2019, the unamortized discount on the convertible note is approximately $1,724,000. Total interest expense recognized relating to the discount was approximately $326,000 during the period ended March 31, 2019.

Interest on the convertible note is payable quarterly starting from April 1, 2019. The convertible note is redeemable at the option of the Company in whole at an initial redemption price of the principal amount of the convertible note plus additional warrants and accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption.

The security purchase agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants. The convertible note is collateralized by the Company’s equity interest in Grapevine, which had a carrying amount of $2.6 million as of March 31, 2019. The Company has the right to request for the removal of the guarantee and collateral by issuance of additional 250,000 shares of common stock. In addition, IDV has registration rights that require the Company to file and register the common stock issued or issuable upon conversion of the convertible note or the exercise of the warrants, within 180 days following the closing of the transaction.

The Company is also subject to penalty fee at 8% per annum for late payments of interests and compensation for the loss of IDV on failure to timely deliver conversion shares upon conversion.

Note 12.     Stockholders’ Equity

Convertible Preferred Stock

Our board of directors has authorized 50 million shares of convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value, issuable in series.

As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, 7,000,000 shares of Series A preferred stock were issued and outstanding and is convertible, at any time at the option of the holder, into 933,333 shares of common stock (subject to customary adjustments). The Series A preferred stock shall be entitled to ten vote per common stock on an as-converted basis and only entitled to receive dividends when and if declared by the board. On liquidation, both series of preferred stock are entitled to a liquidation preference of $0.50 per share. The shares are not redeemable except on liquidation or if there is a change in control of the Company or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company. The conversion price of the Series A may only be adjusted for standard anti-dilution, such as stock splits and similar events. The Series A preferred stocks are considered to be equity instruments and therefore the embedded conversion options have not been separated. Because the preferred stocks have conditions for their redemption that may be outside the control of the Company, they have been classified outside of Shareholders’ Equity, in the mezzanine section of our balance sheet.

Common Stock

Our board of directors has authorized 1,500 million shares of common stock, $0.001 par value.

Note 13.     Related Party Transactions

$3.0 Million Convertible Note with Mr. Shane McMahon (“Mr. McMahon”)

On May 10, 2012, Mr. McMahon, our Vice Chairman, made a loan to the Company in the amount of $3,000,000. In consideration for the loan, the Company issued a convertible note to Mr. McMahon in the aggregate principal amount of $3,000,000 (the “Note”) at a 4% interest rate computed on the basis of a 365-day year. We entered several amendments with respect to the effective conversion price (changed from $1.75 to $1.5), convertible stocks (changed from of Series E Preferred Stock to Common Stock) and extension of the maturity date to December 31, 2019. 

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded interest expense of $29,589 and $30,000 related to the Note. Interest payable was $169,644 and $140,055 as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

$2.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note with Sun Seven Stars Investment Group Limited (“SSSIG”)

On February 8, 2019, the Company entered into a convertible promissory note agreement with SSSIG, an affiliate of Mr. Wu, in the aggregate principal amount of $2,500,000. The convertible promissory note bear interest at a rate of 4%, matures on February 8, 2020, and are convertible into the shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $1.83 per share anytime at the option of SSSIG.

As of March 31, 2019, the Company received $1.1 million from SSSIG. The Company has not received the remaining $1.4 million as of the date of this report. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recorded interest expense of $10,617 related to the note.

Disposal of Assets in exchange of GTB tokens

In March 2019, the Company completed the sale of the following assets (with total carrying amount of approximately $20.4 million) to GTD, a minority shareholder based in Singapore, in exchange for 1,250,000 GTB tokens. The Company considers the arrangement is a nonmonetary transaction and the fair values of GTB tokens are not reasonably determinable due to the reasons described in Note 3. Therefore, GTB tokens received are recorded at the carrying amount of the assets exchanged and the Company did not recognize any gain or loss based on ASC 845-10-30.

Digital asset management services

Please refer to Note 3. 

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, we purchased crude oil in the amount of approximately $162.3 million from two suppliers that a minority shareholder of the Company has significant influence upon because this minority shareholder has significant influence on both our Singapore joint venture and these two suppliers. The Company has recorded the purchase on a separate line item referenced as “Cost of revenue from related parties” in its financial statements. There is no outstanding balances due (in Accounts Payable) as of March 31, 2019. No such related party transactions occurred for the same period in 2019.

On February 20, 2019, the Company accepted the resignation of former Chief Executive Officer, former Chief Investment Officer and former Chief Strategy Officer and agreed to pay approximately $837,000 in total for salary, severance and expenses. The Company paid $637,000 in the first quarter of year 2019 and recorded $200,000 in other current liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2019.

Note 14.     Share-Based Payments

As of March 31, 2019, the Company had 1,646,431 options, 87,586 restricted shares and 1,671,196 warrants outstanding.

The Company awards common stock and stock options to employees and directors as compensation for their services, and accounts for its stock option awards to employees and directors pursuant to the provisions of ASC 718, Stock Compensation. The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes Merton valuation model. The Company recognizes the fair value of each option as compensation expense ratably using the straight-line attribution method over the service period, which is generally the vesting period.

Effective as of December 3, 2010 and amended on August 3, 2018, our Board of Directors approved the 2010 Stock Incentive Plan (“the 2010 Plan”) pursuant to which options or other similar securities may be granted. As of March 31, 2019, the maximum aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be issued under the 2010 Plan is 31,500,000 shares. As of March 31, 2019, options available for issuance are 27,575,499 shares.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, total share-based payments expense was approximately $224,000 and $121,000, respectively.

Stock option activity for the three months ended March 31, 2019 is summarized as follows:

As of March 31, 2019, approximately $12,448 of total unrecognized compensation expense related to non-vested share options is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 0.61 years. The total fair value of shares vested for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was $6,312 and $312,688 respectively.  Cash received from options exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was approximately $0.0 and $2,632.

In connection with the Company’s financings, the Warner Brother Agreement and the service agreements, the Company issued warrants to service providers to purchase common stock of the Company. The warrants issued to Warner Brother were expired without exercise on January 31, 2019. The Company issued warrants to IDV in connection with senior secured convertible note (See Note 11) and the weighted average exercise price was $1.84 and the weighted average remaining life was 5 years.

On September 24, 2018, the Company entered into an employment agreements with three executives. As part of their employment agreements, they are entitled to warrants for an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $5.375 per share (the “Exercise Price”), which is a 25% premium to the $4.30 per share closing market price of the Company’s common stock on September 7, 2018, the date upon which the terms of the employment agreements were mutually agreed. In February 2019, the rights to receive warrants were terminated due to the resignation of three executives.

In January 2019, the Company granted 129,840 restricted shares to each of two then independent directors under the “2010 Plan” which was approved by the Board of Directors for year 2018 independent board compensation plan. The restricted shares were all vested immediately since commencement date. The aggregated grant date fair value of all those restricted shares was $161,001.

A summary of the unvested restricted shares is as follows:

 As of March 31, 2019, there was $106,600 of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted shares. This amount is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.01 years.

Note 15.     Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share

Basic earnings (loss) per common share attributable to our shareholders is calculated by dividing the net earnings (loss) attributable to our shareholders by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares during the period.

Diluted earnings (loss) per share is calculated by taking net earnings (loss), divided by the diluted weighted average common shares outstanding. The calculations of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the three months ended, 2019 and 2018 are as follows:

Diluted net loss per share equals basic net loss per share because the effect of securities convertible into common shares is anti-dilutive. The following table includes the number of shares that may be dilutive potential common shares in the future. The holders of these shares do not have a contractual obligation to share in our earnings (losses) and thus these shares were not included in the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share because the effect was antidilutive.

Note 16.     Income Taxes 

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $86,405 which consisted of a $4,750,449 expense related to current operations and a $4,836,854 benefit from a reduction in the beginning of the year deferred tax valuation allowance. This resulted in an effective tax rate of (1%). The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 differs from the U.S. statutory tax rate primarily due to the effect of taxes on foreign earnings, non-deductible expenses and the reduction in the beginning of the year deferred tax valuation allowance. 

There was no identified unrecognized tax benefit as of March 31, 2018 and 2019. 

Note 17.     Contingencies and Commitments

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. As of March 31, 2019, there are no such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

Note 18.     Concentration, Credit and Other Risks

The PRC market in which the Company operates poses certain macro-economic and regulatory risks and uncertainties. These uncertainties extend to the ability of the Company to conduct wireless telecommunication services through contractual arrangements in the PRC since the industry remains highly regulated. The Company conducts legacy YOD business in China through a series of contractual arrangements (See Note 4). The Company believes that these contractual arrangements are in compliance with PRC law and are legally enforceable. If Sinotop Beijing, SSF or their respective legal shareholders fail to perform the obligations under the contractual arrangements or any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, We can enforce its rights under the VIE contracts through PRC law and courts. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve uncertainties. If we had direct ownership of Sinotop Beijing and SSF, it would be able to exercise its rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of Sinotop Beijing or SSF, which in turn could effect changes at the management level, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations. However, under the current contractual arrangements, the Company relies on Sinotop Beijing, SSF and their respective legal shareholders to perform their contractual obligations to exercise effective control. The Company also gives no assurance that PRC government authorities will not take a view in the future that is contrary to the opinion of the Company. If the current ownership structure of the Company and its contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their equity holders were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, the Company's ability to conduct its business could be affected and the Company may be required to restructure its ownership structure and operations in the PRC to comply with the changes in the PRC laws which may result in deconsolidation of the VIEs.

In addition, the telecommunications, information and media industries remain highly regulated. Restrictions are currently in place and are unclear with respect to which segments of these industries foreign owned entities, like YOD WFOE, may operate. The PRC government may issue from time to time new laws or new interpretations on existing laws to regulate areas such as telecommunications, information and media, some of which are not published on a timely basis or may have retroactive effect. For example, there is substantial uncertainty regarding the Draft Foreign Investment Law, including, among others, what the actual content of the law will be as well as the adoption and effective date of the final form of the law. Administrative and court proceedings in China may also be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. While such uncertainty exists, the Company cannot assure that the new laws, when it is adopted and becomes effective, and potential related administrative proceedings will not have a material and adverse effect on the Company's ability to control the affiliated entities through the contractual arrangements. Regulatory risk also encompasses the interpretation by the tax authorities of current tax laws, and the Company’s legal structure and scope of operations in the PRC, which could be subject to further restrictions resulting in limitations on the Company’s ability to conduct business in the PRC.

Wecast Services is currently primarily engaged with consumer electronics e-commerce and smart supply chain management operations. The Company’s ending customers are located across the world.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, one customer individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s third parties revenue. Two customers individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s net accounts receivables as of March 31, 2018, respectively.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, one customer individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s revenue. Two customers individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s net accounts receivables as of March 31, 2019, respectively.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, one supplier individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s cost of revenues. One supplier individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s accounts payable and amount due to related parties as of March 31, 2018.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, two suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s accounts payable as of March 31, 2019.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk primarily consist of cash and accounts receivable. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company’s cash was held by financial institutions (located in the PRC, Hong Kong, the United States and Singapore) that management believes have acceptable credit. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and are mainly derived from revenues from Wecast Services. The risk with respect to accounts receivable is mitigated by regular credit evaluations that the Company performs on its distribution partners and its ongoing monitoring of outstanding balances.

We have certain operating transactions are denominated in RMB and a portion of the Company’s assets and liabilities is denominated in RMB. RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. The value of the RMB is subject to changes in the central government policies and to international economic and political developments. In the PRC, certain foreign exchange transactions are required by laws to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”). Remittances in currencies other than RMB by the Company in China must be processed through PBOC or other China foreign exchange regulatory bodies which require certain supporting documentation in order to complete the remittance.

Cash consist of cash on hand and demand deposits at banks, which are unrestricted as to withdrawal.

Time deposits, which mature within one year as of the balance sheet date, represent interest-bearing certificates of deposit with an initial term of greater than three months when purchased. Time deposits which mature over one year as of the balance sheet date are included in non-current assets.

Cash and time deposits maintained at banks consist of the following:

As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, there were no deposits insured. To limit exposure to credit risk relating to bank deposits, the Company primarily places bank deposits only with large financial institutions in the PRC, HK SAR, USA, Singapore and Cayman with acceptable credit rating.

As of March 31, 2019, the Company holds 8,333,333 GTB tokens. The risks related to our holdings of GTB tokens including:

Note 19.     Defined Contribution Plan

For our U.S. employees, during 2011, the Company began sponsoring a 401(k) defined contribution plan ("401(k) Plan") that provides for a 100% employer matching contribution of the first 3% and a 50% employer matching contribution of each additional percent contributed by an employee up to 5% of each employee’s pay. Employees become fully vested in employer matching contributions after six months of employment. Company 401(k) matching contributions were approximately $0.0 and $14,486 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Full time employees in the PRC participate in a government-mandated defined contribution plan pursuant to which certain pension benefits, medical care, unemployment insurance, employee housing fund and other welfare benefits are provided to employees. PRC labor regulations require the Company to make contributions based on certain percentages of the employees’ basic salaries. Other than such contributions, there is no further obligation under these plans. The total contribution for such PRC employee benefits was $77,199 and $211,704 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Note 20.     Segments and Geographic Areas

The Company’s chief operating decision maker has been identified as the chief executive officer, who reviews consolidated results when making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance of the Company.

We operate our business in two operating segments: Legacy YOD and Wecast Service. Segment disclosures are on a performance basis consistent with internal management reporting. The Company does not allocate expenses below segment gross profit since these segments share the same executive team, office space, occupancy expenses, information technology infrastructures, human resources and finance department.

Information about segments during the periods presented were as follows:

Note 21.     Going Concern and Management’s Plans

As of March 31, 2019, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $2.0 million and the Company has incurred losses since its inception and must continue to rely on proceeds from debt and equity issuances to pay for ongoing operating expenses in order to execute its business plan.

Management has taken several actions below to ensure that the Company will continue as a going concern through May 31, 2020, including reductions in YOD legacy segment related expenses and discretionary expenditures.

As part of the Company’s strategy, management raised these recent capital to cover short and medium term cash needs, while it plans to unlock revenue from its new fintech advisory services business in 2019.  Therefore, the Company does not plan to take additional outside investments in the near term, unless there is a delay in product expectations and sales. 

Although the Company may attempt to raise funds by issuing debt or equity instruments, in the future additional financing may not be available to the Company on terms acceptable to the Company or at all or such resources may not be received in a timely manner. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, the Company may be required to scale back or to discontinue certain operations, scale back or discontinue the development of new business lines, reduce headcount, sell assets, file for bankruptcy, reorganize, merge with another entity, or cease operations.

These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern and, accordingly, do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. If the Company is in fact unable to continue as a going concern, the shareholders may lose their entire investment in the Company.

Note 22.     Subsequent Events

The Company evaluated subsequent events through May 2, 2019, the date the unaudited consolidated financial statements were issued. With the exception of the matter discussed in Notes 8 (v), there were no material subsequent events that required recognition or additional disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking” statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "continue", or other similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss our future expectations, contain projections of our future results of operations or financial condition or state other "forward-looking" information. We believe that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our investors. However, these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from the expectations that are expressed, implied or forecasted in any such forward-looking statements. There may be events in the future that we are unable to accurately predict or control, including weather conditions and other natural disasters which may affect demand for our products, and the product-development and marketing efforts of our competitors. Examples of these events are more fully described in the Company’s 2018 Annual Report under Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Unless required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. However, readers should carefully review the reports and documents the Company files from time to time with the SEC, particularly its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes thereto and the other financial information appearing elsewhere in this report. In addition to historical information, the following discussion contains certain forward-looking information. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” above for certain information concerning those forward-looking statements.

The MD&A is organized in the following sections:

Overview

Ideanomics is a holding company comprised of (i) our Legacy YOD business with primary operations in the PRC, and (ii) our Wecast Service business, a global financial technology (“Fintech”) advisory and Platform-as-a-Service company with the intent of offering customized services based on best-in-class blockchain, AI and other technologies to mature and emerging businesses across various industries. To do so, we are building a technology ecosystem through license agreements, joint ventures and strategic acquisitions, which we refer to as our “Fintech Ecosystem”. In parallel, through strategic acquisitions, equity investments and joint ventures, we are building a network of businesses, operating across industry verticals which we refer to as our “Industry Ventures”. We believe these industry verticals have significant potential to recognize benefits from blockchain and AI technologies that may, for example, enhance operations, address cost inefficiencies, improve documentation and standardization, unlock asset value and improve customer engagement. Our core business strategy is to promote the use, development and advancement of blockchain- and AI-based technologies, and our positioning in the fintech industry overall, by bringing technology leaders together with industry leaders and creating synergies between the businesses in our expanding Fintech Ecosystem and the businesses in our Industry Ventures. .

The Company is in a transition period from the Legacy YOD business to our new fintech services business, including the build out of the human capital needed to transform the business and the infrastructure needed to build out the U.S. operations. As part of our transition strategy, we are identifying promising technologies and use cases for operations as a next-generation fintech company. As we further develop our FinTech services business and this business continues to mature, we have been gradually phasing out of our logistics management and financing business for strategic reasons, as further described below. During the fourth quarter of 2018 we began experiencing market demand for non-logistics management revenue generating opportunities and have begun focusing our efforts on these new market FinTech services opportunities, while phasing out of the oil trading and electronics trading businesses. These new FinTech services market opportunities are in line with our FinTech Ecosystem and Industry Ventures strategy. We intend to continue to capitalize on our efforts and learning from logistics management business so that we can leverage the applications of our technologies and FinTech Ecosystem across this business and as part of our Industry Ventures strategy. Various other aspects of the development of our Fintech Ecosystem and our Industry Ventures, as described below, are still in the planning and testing phase and are generally not operational or revenue generating.

Principal Factors Affecting Our Financial Performance

Our business is expected to be impacted by both macroeconomic and Ideanomics-specific factors. The following factors have been part of the transformation of the Company which affected the results of our operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019:

Our business strategy and the primary goal for entering certain industries, such as logistics management for crude oil trading and electronics, was to learn about the needs of buyers and sellers in industries and to promote the use, development and advancement of blockchain- and AI-based technologies.

In parallel, and for strategic reasons, after the fourth quarter of 2018, we also chose to focus our resources and efforts on other non-logistics management revenue generating opportunities that we identified in the market. These new market opportunities also involve the use of our technologies in our FinTech Ecosystem and their application across Industry Ventures. We intend to continue to capitalize on our efforts and learning from overall logistics management business, but it is not intended to be our core business. Therefore, for comparability purposes, the financial results may not be comparable as we phase out of the logistics management business going forward. 

In connection with this transformation, we are in the process of considerable changes, which include assembling a new management team in the United States and overseas, reconfiguring our business structure to reflect our blockchain-based fintech strategy, continuing to further enhance our controls, procedures, and oversight during this transformation, and expanding our mission and business lines for continued growth. It is uncertain whether these efforts will prove beneficial or whether we will be able to develop the necessary business models, infrastructure and systems to support our businesses. To succeed, among other things, we will need to have or hire the right talent to execute our business strategy. Market acceptance of new product and service offerings will be dependent in part on our ability to include functionality and usability that address customer requirements, and optimally price our products and services to meet customer demand and cover our costs.

As we transition to becoming an AI- and blockchain-enabled fintech company, we will continue to face intense competition: these new technologies are constantly evolving, and our competitors may introduce new platforms and solutions that are superior to ours. In addition, our competitors may be able to adapt more quickly to new technologies or may be able to devote greater resources to the development, marketing and sale of their products than we can.

Our results of operations may fluctuate from period to period based on our entry into new transactions to expand our Fintech Ecosystem and Industry Ventures. There could be an increase in value in the Wecast Services segment as a result of increases in value from our investment in DBOT or other unconsolidated entities. In addition, while we intend to contribute cash and other assets to our joint ventures, we do not intend for our holding company to conduct significant research and development activities. We intend research and development activities to be conducted by our technology partners and licensors. These fluctuations in growth or costs and in our joint ventures and partnerships may contribute to significant fluctuations in the results of our operations.

The Company has moved into a fintech advisory services and Platform-as-a-Service model. Our technology in this area of our ecosystem is new and constantly evolving and thus it has taken longer than anticipated to implement these technologies. Innovation is an integral part of our ecosystem and, while we strive to be first to market, it is also important to be best in class.

We are currently evaluating various assets and investments previously done as part of the Legacy YOD business, and their ability to contribute to the business strategy of our new fintech advisory and services business, to our cash flows, and the overall recoverability of these assets.

Information about segments

Wecast Services Segment  

Within the Wecast Services segment, we are engaged in (1) the trading of consumer electronics starting from January 2018, which is operated out of Hong Kong through our subsidiary, Amer and crude oil trading business commenced in October 2018  when we formed our Singapore joint venture, SSE; and (2) digital asset management services. We have engaged in the crude oil trading (i.e. the sale of crude oil) and consumer electronics businesses with the primary goal of learning about the needs of buyers and sellers in industries that rely heavily on the shipment of goods in order to (i) inform our understanding of the features a blockchain platform would need to serve the logistics management and finance market, (ii) identify inefficiencies in this market and (iii) generate data to support the potential future application of AI solutions. As we further develop our FinTech services business and this business continues to mature, we have been gradually phasing out of our logistics management and financing business for strategic reasons.

Legacy YOD Segment

Since 2017, we run our legacy YOD segment with limited resources. No revenue was recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018.

Our Unconsolidated Equity Investments

For the investments where we may exercise significant influence, but not control, are classified as long-term equity investments and accounted for using the equity method. Under the equity method, the investment is initially recorded at cost and adjusted for our share of undistributed earnings or losses of the investee. Investment losses are recognized until the investment is written down to nil, provided that we do not guarantee the investee’s obligations or we are committed to provide additional funding. Please refer to Note 8 of the notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information.

Taxation

United States

Ideanomics, Inc., M.Y. Products, LLC, Grapevine Logic, Inc. and Red Rock Global Capital Ltd. are United States companies subject to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. The $86,405 income tax benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2019 includes an expense of $4,836,854 on Ideanomics, Inc.’s pre-tax income offset by a equivalent benefit resulting from the reduction of the beginning of the year Ideanomics, Inc. deferred tax valuation allowance and an $86,405 income tax benefit resulting from losses of Grapevine Logic, Inc. offsetting deferred tax liabilities that were recognized on the acquisition of Grapevine Logic, Inc. No provision for income taxes has been provided for M.Y. Products, LLC or Red Rock Global Capital Ltd. as neither of the companies had taxable profit since inception.

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2018 includes provision for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) under which taxes on foreign income are imposed on the excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of certain foreign subsidiaries. TCJA also enacted the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) under which taxes are imposed on certain base eroding payments to related foreign companies, subject to certain requirements.

There are substantial uncertainties in the interpretation of BEAT and GILTI and while certain formal guidance has been issued by the U.S. tax authorities, there are still aspects of the TCJA that remain unclear and additional clarification is expected in 2019. Future guidance may result in changes to the interpretations and assumptions the company made and actions it may have to take, which may impact amounts recorded with respect to international provisions of the TCJA.

Based on current year financial results, the company has determined that there is no GILTI nor BEAT tax liability.

In addition, the TCJA now entitles US companies that own 10% or more of a foreign corporation a 100% dividends-received deduction for the foreign-source portion of dividends paid by such foreign corporation. Also, net operating losses (NOLs) arising after December 31, 2018 are deductible only to the extent of 80% of the taxpayer’s taxable income, and may be carried forward indefinitely but generally not allowed to be carried back.

Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands

Under current laws of the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, the company is not subject to tax on its income or capital gains. In addition, dividend payments are not subject to withholding tax in the Cayman Islands or British Virgin Islands.

Hong Kong

The company’s subsidiaries incorporated in Hong Kong are subject to Profits Tax of 16.5%. No provision for Hong Kong Profits Tax has been made as NOL carryovers offset current taxable income.

The People’s Republic of China

Under the PRC’s Enterprise Income Tax Law, the company’s Chinese subsidiaries and VIEs are subject to an EIT of 25.0%.

The company’s future effective income tax rate depends on various factors, such as tax legislation, geographic composition of its pre-tax income and non-tax deductible expenses incurred. The company’s management regularly monitors these legislative developments to determine if there are changes in the statutory income tax rate. 

Consolidated Results of Operations

Comparison of Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018