NETSOL TECHNOLOGIES INC - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2021

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number 0-22773

NETSOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant specified in its charter)

23975 Park Sorrento, Suite 250,

Calabasas, CA 91302

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(818) 222-9195

(Issuer’s telephone number including area code)

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

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

Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 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 ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

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

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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $39,499,442 based upon the closing price of the stock as reported on NASDAQ Capital Market ($3.8 per share) on December 31, 2020, the last business day of the registrant’s second quarter. As of September 16, 2021, there were 11,265,064 shares of common stock outstanding and no shares of its Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

(None)

ANNUAL REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES ACT OF 1934

TABLE OF CONTENTS AND CROSS REFERENCE SHEET

NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to the development of the Company’s products and services and future operation results, including statements regarding the Company that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” variations of such words, and similar expressions, identify forward looking statements, but their absence does not mean that the statement is not forward looking. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect the Company’s actual results include the progress and costs of the development of products and services and the timing of the market acceptance. Forward looking statements may appear throughout this report, including without limitation, the following sections: Item 1 “Business,” and Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these risk and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

As used herein, “NETSOL,” “we”, “our,” and similar terms include NetSol Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

PART 1

ITEM 1 - BUSINESS

GENERAL

NetSol Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq CM: NTWK) is a worldwide provider of IT and enterprise software solutions to the global finance and leasing industry. We believe that our solutions constitute mission critical applications for clients, as they encapsulate end-to-end business processes, facilitating faster processing and increased transactions.

NETSOL’s primary sources of revenues have been licensing, subscriptions, modification, enhancement and support of its suite of financial applications, under the brand name NFS Ascent^® for leading businesses in the global finance and leasing space. With constant innovation being a major part of NETSOL’s DNA, we have enabled NFS Ascent^® deployment on the cloud with several implementations already live and some underway. This shift to the cloud will enable NETSOL’s new customers to opt for a subscription-based pricing model rather than the traditional licensing model.

NETSOL’s clients include blue chip organizations, Dow-Jones 30 Industrials, Fortune 500 manufacturers, financial institutions, global vehicle manufacturers and enterprise technology providers, all of which are serviced by NETSOL’s strategically placed support and delivery locations around the globe.

Founded in 1997, NETSOL is headquartered in Calabasas, California. While the Company follows a global strategy for sales and delivery of its portfolio of solutions and services, it continues to maintain regional offices in the following locations:

OUR BUSINESS

Company Business Model

NETSOL believes that our strong technology solutions offer our customers a return on their investment and allows us to thrive in a hyper competitive and mature global marketplace. Our solutions are bolstered by our people. NETSOL believes that people are the drivers of success; therefore, we invest heavily in our hiring, training and retention of top-notch staff to ensure not only successful selling, but also the ongoing satisfaction of our clients. Taken together, this “selling and attentive servicing” approach creates a distinctive advantage for NETSOL and a unique value for its customers. NETSOL continues to underpin its proven and effective business model which is a combination of careful cost arbitrage, subject matter expertise, domain experience, scalability and proximity with its global and regional customers.

Niche Market Focus

By specializing in leasing and financing solutions, we have gained a strong foothold in several global locations and a market leading position in the captive auto-finance segment. NETSOL has a significantly growing presence in the general asset finance space, including equipment and the big ticket financing industry together with startups and banks.

Subject Matter Expertise

Our dual expertise in enterprise technology implementation and financial application development has helped us emerge as a global player in the finance and leasing industry and secure a broad footprint across the major markets of North America, Asia Pacific and Europe. The Asia Pacific region has particularly benefitted from the organic growth in the fast-developing leasing automation industry, which is still nascent per Western standards.

Domain Experience

NETSOL has a strong presence in the captive auto-finance domain. With a collective experience of over two decades in Asia Pacific and Europe and of nearly four decades in North America, NETSOL is one of the few players in this niche industry with a global presence.

Proximity with Global and Regional Customers

We have offices across the world, located strategically to maintain close contact and proximity with our customers in various key markets. This has not only helped us in strengthening our customer relationships but also in building a deeper understanding of local market dynamics. Simultaneously, we are able to extend services and even support development through a combination of onsite and off-site resources. This approach has allowed us to offer blended rates to our customers by employing a unique and cost-effective global development model.

While our business model is built around the development, implementation and maintenance of our suite of financial applications, we have employed the same facilities and competencies to extend our offerings into related segments, including but not limited to:

Our global operation is broken down into three regions: North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. All of the subsidiaries are seamlessly integrated to function effectively with global delivery capabilities, cross selling to multinational asset finance companies, leveraging a centralized marketing and pre-sales organization and, a network of employees connected across the globe to support local and global customers and partners.

OUR SOLUTIONS

NFS Ascent^®

Covering the complete finance and leasing cycle starting from quotation origination through end of contract transactions, NFS Ascent^® has been designed and developed for a highly flexible setting and is capable of dealing with multinational, multi-company, multi-asset, multi-lingual, multi-distributor and multi-manufacturer environments. The solution fully automates the entire financing/leasing cycle for companies of any size, including those with multi-billion-dollar portfolios. NFS Ascent^® empowers financial institutions to effectively manage their complex lending and leasing portfolios, enabling them to thrive in hyper-competitive global markets.

NFS Ascent^® is built on cutting-edge, modern technology that enables auto, equipment and big-ticket finance companies, alongside banks, to run their retail and wholesale finance business with ease. With comprehensive domain coverage and powerful configuration engines, it is architected to empower finance and leasing companies with a platform that supports their growth in terms of business volume and transactions.

NETSOL’s next generation platform offers a technologically advanced solution for the asset finance and leasing industry. NFS Ascent’s^® architecture and user interfaces were designed based on NETSOL’s collective experience with blue chip organizations and global Fortune 500 companies over the past 40 years combined with modern UX design concepts. The platform’s framework allows auto captive and asset finance companies to rapidly transform legacy driven technology into a state-of-the-art IT and business process environment.

At the core of the NFS Ascent^® platform is a lease accounting and contract processing engine, which allows for an array of interest calculation methods, as well as robust accounting of multi-billion-dollar lease portfolios in compliance with various regulatory standards. NFS Ascent^®, with its distributed and clustered deployment across parallel application and high-volume data servers, enables finance companies to process voluminous data in a hyper speed environment.

Our premier solution has been developed using the latest tools and technologies and its n-tier SOA architecture allows the system to greatly improve a myriad of areas including, but not limited to, scalability, performance, fault tolerance and security. NFS Ascent^® empowers users with:

● Improvement in overall productivity throughout the delivery organization:

● Improvement in talent acquisition and retention:

● Amplified customer satisfaction:

NFS ASCENT^® CONSTITUENT APPLICATIONS

Omni Point of Sale (Omni POS)

A highly agile, easy-to-use, web-based application - also accessible through mobile devices - Ascent’s Omni POS system delivers an intuitive user experience, with features that enable rapid data capture. Information captured at the point of sale can be made available to anyone in an organization at any point in the lifecycle of each transaction.

Contract Management System (CMS)

Ascent’s Contract Management System (CMS) is a powerful, highly agile, functionally rich application for managing and maintaining detailed credit contracts throughout their lifecycle – from pre-activation and activation through customer management, asset financial management, billing and collections, finance and accounting, restructuring and maturity.

Wholesale Finance System (WFS)

The Ascent Wholesale Finance System (WFS) provides a powerful, seamless and efficient system for automating and managing the entire lifecycle of wholesale finance. With floor planning, dealer and inventory financing, it is ideal for a culture of collaboration. Dealers, distributors, partners and anyone in the supply chain are empowered to realize the benefits of financing – and leverage the advantages of real-time business intelligence. The system also supports asset and non-asset-based financing.

Dealer Auditor Access System (DAAS)

DAAS is a web-based solution that can be used in conjunction with WFS or any third-party wholesale finance system. It addresses the needs of dealer, distributor, and auditor access in a wholesale financing arrangement.

NFS Ascent^® deployed on the cloud

Our premier, next generation solution NFS Ascent^® is now also available on the cloud via SaaS/subscription-based pricing. With swift, seamless deployments and easy scalability, it is an extremely adaptive retail and wholesale platform for the global finance and leasing industry. This cloud-version of NFS Ascent^® is offered via flexible, value-driven subscription-based pricing options without the need to pay any upfront license fees.

NFS Digital

NFS Digital is a combination of our core strengths, domain, and technology. Our insight into the evolving landscape along with our valuable experience enables us to define sound digital transformation strategies and compliment them with smart digital solutions so our customers always remain competitive and relevant to the dynamic environment. Our digital transformation solutions are extremely robust and can be used with or without our core, next-gen solution (NFS Ascent^®) to effectively augment and enhance our customer’s ecosystem.

OTOZ INC.

Otoz^TM Digital Auto Retail

Otoz^TM provides a white-labelled SaaS platform to OEMs, auto-captives, dealers and start-ups that helps them launch short and long-term on-demand mobility models (car-share and car subscription) and digital retail in minimum time.

Our white-label, turn-key platform helps dealers to make the move into digital era by offering an end-to-end car buying experience completely online.

Digital auto-retail is not a one-size-fits-all. Otoz^TM will provide a flexible, configurable and scalable turn-key platform that helps define, launch and scale a variety of retail products (finance, lease, buy, etc.). Otoz^TM platform will empower dealers to compete in digital era by addressing a range of customer segments with varied needs.

Otoz^TM Ecosystem

The Otoz^TM powerful API-based architecture allows OEMs, auto-captives and dealerships to integrate with a plethora of providers to offer an end-to-end Omni-channel digital car finance and lease experience.

Out-of-the-box APIs by Otoz^TM help dealers and auto-captives connect with ecosystem partners which are crucial for running their auto retail business. It includes, finance and insurance products, trade-in tools, fraud checks, CRM system, websites (Tier 1 – Tier 3), marketing toolkit, inventory feeds, KYCs, payment processors, vehicle delivery providers etc.

In addition, Otoz^TM is equipped with smart lead generation and product analytics capabilities. It empowers dealers with the capability to convert qualified leads and never lose contact with customers. The product analytics capability allows us to improve the customer journey by addressing friction points, herein improving customer experience and conversions – a win-win scenario for dealers and customers.

Otoz^TM Platform

A fully digital, white label platform for lease, finance, and cash transactions that delivers a frictionless customer experience.

Otoz^TM platform consists of two portals:

Dealer Tool

Customer App

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

The implementation process of our products can span from nine to eighteen months depending upon the methodology, complexity and scope. The implementation process may also include related software services such as configuration, data migration, training, gaps development and any other additional third-party interfaces. Even after implementation, customers seek enhancements and additions to improve their business processes. We charge these efforts in a man-day rate.

Post implementation, our consultants may remain at the client site to assist the customer in smooth operations. After this phase, the regular maintenance and support services phase for the implemented software begins. In addition to the daily rate paid by the customer for each consultant, the customer also pays for all transportation-related expenses, boarding of the consultants, and a living allowance. Our involvement in all the above steps is priced to bring value to our customers and increase our profitability.

Cloud-enabled solutions are offered via seamless and rapid deployments. The swift speed of implementations for our cloud-ready products enables businesses to be more responsive and attain a competitive advantage.

PRICING AND REVENUE STREAMS

The company’s revenue streams are the outcome of the following four main areas:

License fees can range to a multi-million-dollar fee for single or multiple module implementations. License revenue is realized with traditional, non-SaaS-based agreements, whereas SaaS-based agreements do not contain license fees and are offered via flexible, value-driven, subscription-based pricing. There are various attributes which determine the level of complexity, a few of which are: number of contracts; size of the portfolio; business strategy of the customer; internal business processes followed by the customer; number of business users; amount of customization required; complexity of data migration and branch network of the customer.

We recognize revenue from license contracts when the software has been delivered to the customer. Implementation-related services, including configuration, data migration and third-party interfaces are recognized as the services are performed. Post customer support services are then provided on a continued basis. The annual support fee, which typically is an agreed upon percentage of overall monetary value of the license, then becomes an ongoing revenue stream realized on a yearly basis. Revenue from software services includes fixed price and time and materials-based contracts and is recognized as the services are performed.

Additionally, in order to avoid lumpiness in our revenues and to ensure a predictable revenue base over coming years, the business has shifted to a new pricing strategy whereby the business is now offering its cloud-ready products at SaaS/subscription-based pricing models. Rapid deployments coupled with affordable prices/payment schedules is expected to lead the business towards volume-based selling. Moreover, this value-driven pricing plan is intended to decrease the initial buy-in cost for new customers by eliminating heavy license fees and provides an alternative to current customers seeking lower software usage and maintenance costs.

ALLIANCES

Daimler South East Asia Pte. Ltd. (“DSEA”), (through the regional office Daimler Financial Services (“DFS”) Africa Asia Pacific), has established a “Centre of Competence” (“CoC”) in Singapore to facilitate the regional companies in product related matters. The DSEA CoC is powered by highly qualified technical and business personnel. In conjunction with our Asia Pacific region, the CoC supports DFS companies in twelve different countries in Asia and Africa and this list can increase as more DFS companies from other countries opt for NFS Ascent^®. In July 2004, the company entered into a Frame Agreement with DFS for the Asia Pacific and Africa region. This agreement was renewed in 2008, 2010, 2013 and most recently in January 2016. The agreement serves as a guideline for managing the business relationship with DFS and the use of licensed products of the company by DFS and its affiliated companies.

We have strategic partnerships with Microsoft and CGI pertaining to cloud-hosting activities for our cloud-based products. NETSOL hosts its cloud version of Ascent, NFS Ascent^® deployed on the cloud and LeasePak Cloud - SaaS in the high performance and cost-effective Microsoft Azure cloud environment. A quick start implementation program combined with hassle-free Microsoft Azure™ cloud connectivity ensures new clients see a time-to-value faster than ever before.

NETSOL and CGI agreed to promote each other for their respective products and services amongst their respective existing customers across various regions. We also utilize CGI for managed services and cloud hosting-related activities for our engagements with their customers in Europe particularly.

TECHNICAL AFFILIATIONS

We are a Microsoft Certified Silver Partner and an Oracle Certified Partner.

MARKETING AND SELLING

We continue our optimism that we will experience ever increasing opportunities for our product and services offerings in 2021 and beyond. The objective of our marketing program is to create and sustain preference and loyalty for NETSOL. Marketing is performed at the corporate and business unit levels. The corporate marketing department has overall responsibility for communications, advertising, public relations and management of all digital owned and paid mediums including website, social media channels and collaboration with industry partners. In addition, corporate marketing oversees central marketing and communications programs for use by each of the business units.

Our dedicated marketing personnel, within the regions, undertake a variety of marketing activities, including sponsoring focused client events to demonstrate our skills and products and participating in targeted conferences, webinars and holding private briefings with individual companies. We believe that the industry focus of our sales professionals and our business unit marketing personnel enhances their knowledge and expertise in these industries and will generate additional client engagements.

GROWTH PROSPECTS FOR NFS ASCENT^®

Growth prospects for NFS Ascent^® are linked to the constant innovation in the product and its growing customer base across different geographic and product markets. NETSOL is eyeing key international markets for growth in sales. Its sales strategy not only focuses on expansion into new geographic markets, including the Americas, Europe, and further penetration of our leading position in Asia Pacific, but also within existing markets into new verticals with targeting of Tier 2 and Tier 3 prospects as well.

Growth in North America is expected to come from the potential market for replacement of legacy systems as well as acquisition of new customers. NFS Ascent^® is aimed at providing a highly flexible and robust solution based on the latest technology and advanced architecture for North American customers looking to replace their legacy systems. We believe that NFS Ascent^® can provide substantial competitive disruption to the market’s lagging technology provided by incumbent vendors. The existing customer base may also represent latent demand for increased service and support revenues by offering business process optimization, customization and upgrade services. With a market ready product with successful implementation, the prospects for NFS Ascent^® in the region are positive.

Further traction in Europe will come from NFS Ascent^® deployed on the cloud, which will continue to allow the Europe division to support not only larger organizations, but also small and medium sized organizations including startups.

Growth in NETSOL’s traditionally strong base in Asia Pacific is expected through diversification across market segments to include new customers in related banking and commercial lending areas. At the same time, the existing customer base is tapped for increased service and support revenues by offering enhanced features and new solutions to emerging customer needs. In addition, there is a potential for NFS Ascent^® in Asia Pacific in the form of existing customers who are looking for replacement of their current system.

In China, NETSOL is a leader in the leasing and finance enterprise solution domain. With this position, NETSOL continues to enjoy demand for the current NFS™ solution, as well as NFS Ascent^®. NETSOL will continue strengthening its position within existing multinational auto manufacturers, as well as local Chinese captive finance and leasing companies.

THE MARKETS

We provide our services primarily to clients in global commercial industries. In the global commercial area, our service offerings are marketed to clients in a wide array of industries including, automotive, software, banks, higher education and financial services.

The Asian continent, including Australia and New Zealand, from the perspective of marketing, are targeted by the Asia Pacific Region from its Bangkok, Beijing, Jakarta, Lahore, Shanghai and Sydney facilities. The marketing for our core offerings in the Americas and Europe is carried out from our Los Angeles Area and London Metropolitan Area offices, respectively.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

We believe we have developed a strong corporate culture that is critical to our success. Our key values are delivering world-class quality software, client-focused timely delivery, leadership, long-term relationships, creativity, openness and transparency and professional growth. The services provided by NETSOL require proficiency in many fields, such as software engineering, project management, business analysis, technical writing, sales and marketing, and communication and presentation skills.

Due to the growing demand for our core offerings and IT services, retention of technical and management personnel is essential. Our employee turnover was under 20% in 2021 with a goal to maintain the turnover level under 20% during the 2022 fiscal year and onwards. In addition, we are committed to improving key performance indicators such as efficiency, productivity and revenue per employee.

To encourage all employees to build on our core values, we reward teamwork and promote individuals that demonstrate these values. We believe that our growth and success are attributable in large part to the high caliber of our employees and our commitment to maintain the values on which our success has been based. We support gender diversity on a global basis. We are an equal opportunity employer with the largest concentration of female employees in Lahore, Pakistan and our U.S. headquarters.

NETSOL believes it should give back to the community and employees as much as possible. Certain subsidiaries of ours are located in regions where basic services are not readily available. Where possible, NETSOL acts to not only improve the quality of life of its employees, but also the standard of living in these regions. Examples of such programs are as follows:

There is significant competition for employees with the skills required to perform the services we offer. We run an elaborate training program for different cadres of employees to cover technical skills and business domain knowledge, as well as communication, management and leadership skills. We believe that we have been successful in our efforts to attract and retain the highest level of talent available, in part because of the emphasis on core values, training and professional growth. We intend to continue to recruit, hire and promote employees who share our vision.

As of June 30, 2021, we had approximately 1,447 employees; comprised of 77% technical staff and 23% non-IT personnel.

COMPETITION

Neither a single company, nor a small number of companies, dominate the IT market in the space in which we compete. A substantial number of companies offer services that overlap and are competitive with those offered by NETSOL. Some of these are large computer manufacturers and computer consulting firms that have greater financial resources than NETSOL and, in some cases, may have greater capacity to perform services similar to those provided by NETSOL.

We compete chiefly against leading suppliers of IT solutions to the global asset finance and leasing industry, including names such as White Clarke Group, Alfa, Cassiopae, LineData, FIS, International Decision Systems (IDS) and Data Scan.

In the IT-based business services areas, we compete with both smaller local firms and many global IT services providers, including names such as Wipro, InfoSys, Satyam Infoway, HCL and TCS (Tata Consulting).

CUSTOMERS

NETSOL’s solutions and services cater to a broad spectrum of finance and leasing businesses, from automotive captive finance companies to equipment finance and leasing companies to large regional banks.

NETSOL’s customers include world renowned auto manufacturers through their finance arms. NETSOL is a strategic business partner for Daimler and BMW (which consists of a group of many companies in different countries), which accounts for approximately 21.0% and 13.0%, respectively, of our revenue for our fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. Other globally renowned auto captives that are customers of the company include Toyota, Nissan, Ford, and FIAT.

Other customers of the company include equipment finance and leasing companies and banks worldwide such as GAC Sofinco, Paccar, Mololease, SCI, and BMO Harris, etc.

GLOBAL OPERATIONS AND GEOGRAPHIC DATA

NETSOL divides its operations into three regions: the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The regions consist of individual subsidiaries which operate as autonomous companies and are strategically managed on a regional basis.

The Americas

Mr. Peter Minshall joined NetSol Technologies Americas, Inc. (NTA) as Executive Vice President in August 2020 and is responsible for the entire portion of NTA’s business operations. He brings over three decades of international experience in the financial services industry holding various senior leadership roles with Daimler Financial Services. Peter continues to be supported by Doug Jones as Vice President - Operations for NTA. Doug is a visionary, focused, and driven technology leader credited with shaping team performance to deliver best-in-class, leading web-based and embedded software applications for the finance and leasing industry.

Otoz^TM CEO and Co-founder, Mr. Naeem Ghauri, also recently appointed as NETSOL’s President for the parent group NetSol Technologies, Inc., is based out of our Pakistan office in Lahore, Pakistan. Otoz^TM Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Murad Baig is based out of our London office.

Europe

Mr. Asad Ghauri is the President of Asia Pacific (APAC) and Group Managing Director of Europe. Mr. Ghauri has a strong management team in the U.K. comprised of Chris Mobley, Chris Tobey and Johannes Riedl.

Due to the demand for our premier solution NFS Ascent’s^® Wholesale Platform in Europe, we appointed Chris Mobley as Head of NFS Ascent^® Wholesale Operations in Europe. Mobley brings over two decades of industry experience to NETSOL with an accomplished background and domain-specific knowledge and expertise within the wholesale finance space.

At the starting of the previous financial year, NETSOL acquired the remaining stake in Virtual Lease Services (VLS) rebranded as Banking Works. Previously limited to being a UK-based portfolio and risk management servicing partner for business and consumer finance providers, Banking Works will now focus on supporting financial services businesses to achieve their own transformation ambitions. By acquiring the remaining stake, NETSOL became the outright owner of the organization. Banking Works recently announced the appointment of Mark Cawood, an industry veteran, as the company’s new Managing Director. Mark Cawood will pick up the baton passed by Louise Ikonomides, who left Banking Works after over 20 years to pursue new ventures.  While Mr. Cawood is going through the Financial Conduct Authority’s approval process, Diane Roberts, Finance Director, will serve as the interim Managing Director.

Asia Pacific Region

NetSol Technologies, Ltd., (“NetSol PK”) a majority owned subsidiary of the parent company is located in Lahore, Pakistan and is headed by Mr. Salim Ghauri as its CEO. Mr. Ghauri is a Co-founder of NetSol PK and has been with the company since 1996. NetSol is the “Center of Excellence” and a state-of-the-art facility for programming, R&D, global implementations and 24-hour support to our customers worldwide.

NetSol Technologies (Beijing) Co. Ltd. (“NetSol Beijing”) is headed by Amanda Li as President. Ms. Li previously worked as a managing director for Sopra Banking Software where she was instrumental in developing business and driving sales.

The Global Sales Division is headed by Mr. Asad Ghauri as President of Sales from the NetSol PK office. Mr. Ghauri has been with NETSOL since 2000 and has over 20 years of experience in business and IT.

The Asia Pacific region including Australia/New Zealand and the Middle East, is supported and clients are serviced from the APAC region offices located in Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Indonesia, Lahore and Karachi. While Lahore, Pakistan continues to be a nucleus of NETSOL’s delivery and research and development, Bangkok’s expanded sales operation and client relations facility has grown into a back-up to the Lahore facility. With the continued growth of the Chinese market, our Beijing office continues to expand as both a sales and support facility. Finally, the Asia Pacific region maintains and will establish offices through the region as is necessary to support its customers and to explore potential new markets.

Our APAC Region accounted for approximately 72.7% of our revenues in 2021. Information regarding financial data by geographic areas is set forth in Item 7 and Item 8 of this Annual Report on form 10-K. See note 21 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Company relies upon a combination of non-disclosure and other contractual arrangements, as well as common law trade secret, copyright and trademark laws to protect its proprietary rights. The Company enters into confidentiality agreements with its employees, generally requires its consultants and clients to enter into these agreements, and limits access to and distribution of its proprietary information. The NETSOL “N” logo and name, as well as the NFS logo and product name have been copyrighted and trademark registered in Pakistan. The NETSOL “N” logo has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. NFS Ascent^® has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Company intends to trademark and copyright its intellectual property as necessary and in the appropriate jurisdictions.

GOVERNMENTAL APPROVAL AND REGULATION

Current Company operations do not require specific governmental approvals. Like all companies, including those with multinational subsidiaries, we are subject to the laws of the countries in which we maintain subsidiaries and conduct operations. Pakistani law allows a tax exemption on income from exports of IT services and products up to 2025. While foreign based companies may invest in Pakistan, repatriation of their investment, in the form of dividends or other methods, requires approval of the State Bank of Pakistan.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our website is located at www.netsoltech.com, and our investor relations website is located at http://ir.netsoltech.com. The following filings are available through our investor relations website after we file with the SEC: Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our Proxy Statements for our annual meetings of stockholders. These filings are also available for download free of charge on our investor relations website. We also provide a link to the section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov that has all of our public filings, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, all amendments to those reports, our Proxy Statements and other ownership related filings. Further, a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is located at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

We webcast our earnings calls and certain events we participate in or host with members of the investment community on our investor relations website. Additionally, we provide notifications of news or announcements regarding our financial performance, including SEC filings, investor events, press and earnings releases, and blogs as part of our investor relations website. Investors and others can receive notifications of new information posted on our investor relations website by signing up for e-mail alerts. Further corporate governance information, including our committee charters and code of conduct, is also available on our investor relations website at http://ir.netsoltech.com/governance-docs. The content of our websites is not intended to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS

Not Applicable

ITEM 1B – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None

ITEM 2 - PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters are located in Calabasas, California where we lease 5,000 square feet of office space. We own our Lahore Technology Campus which consists of approximately 140,000 square feet of computer and general office space. This includes two adjacent five story buildings having a covered area of approximately 90,000 square feet with the capacity to house approximately 1,000 resources. In addition, we maintain leased office spaces in the UK, China, Australia, Thailand and a shared office in Indonesia. Our NTA office has been consolidated with the corporate headquarters. We believe our existing facilities, both owned and leased, are in good condition and suitable for the conduct of our business.

ITEM 3 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Not applicable.

ITEM 4 – MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5 - MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITY

(a) MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

MARKET INFORMATION - Common stock of NetSol Technologies, Inc. is listed and traded on NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “NTWK”.

The table shows the high and low intra-day prices of the Company’s common stock as reported on the composite tape of the NASDAQ for each quarter during the last two fiscal years.

RECORD HOLDERS - As of September 16, 2021, the number of holders of record of the Company’s common stock was 144.

DIVIDENDS - The Company has not paid dividends on its Common Stock in the past two fiscal years.

SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN

The table shows information related to our equity compensation plans as of June 30, 2021:

As of June 30, 2021, 6,985 shares of common stock have been granted as compensation, but have not yet vested.

(b) RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

None.

(c) ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The repurchases provided in the table below were made through the year ended June 30, 2021:

(1) The Board of Directors approved a repurchase of shares up to $2,000,000 on July 30, 2020. All shares permitted to be purchased under this July 2020 plan were purchased during the plan’s original date and prior to the conclusion of the extension of the plan. On May 21, 2021, the Board of Directors authorized an additional repurchase plan of up to $2,000,000 worth of shares of common stock. The plan was authorized commencing May 21, 2021 through November 20, 2021 subject to an additional six months extension at the discretion of management. As of June 30, 2021, the total number of shares that could be purchased under both plans was 849,256. The actual maximum number of shares will vary depending on the actual price paid per share purchased. The Company purchased a cumulative 669,018 shares of its common stock from the open market for cash proceeds of $2,364,781 at an average price of $3.53 per share during fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 from both repurchase plans.

ITEM 6 – [Reserved]

ITEM 7- MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion is intended to assist in understanding our financial position and results of operations for the year ended June 30, 2021. It should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

A few of our highlights for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 were:

Marketing and Business Development Activities

Management has developed a growth strategy aimed at increasing competitiveness, enhancing global delivery capabilities and increasing financial strength to become a leading global IT institution in the leasing and finance space.

The growth strategy contemplates the following enhanced activities and initiatives to accomplish these goals:

Growth Prospects for NFS Ascent^®

Growth prospects for NFS Ascent^® are linked to the maturing of the product portfolio and its growing customer base across different geographic and product markets. We are eyeing key international markets for growth in sales. Our sales strategy now carefully balances expansion into new geographic markets, including the Americas, Europe, and further penetration of our leading position in Asia Pacific.

Growth in North America is expected to come from the potential market for replacement of legacy systems. NFS Ascent^® is aimed at providing a highly flexible and robust solution based on the latest technology and advanced architecture for the North American customers looking to replace their legacy systems. We believe that NFS Ascent^® can provide substantial competitive disruption to the market’s lagging technology provided by incumbent vendors. The existing customer base may also represent latent demand for increased service and maintenance revenues by offering business process optimization, customization and upgrade services.

Growth in Europe will come from the introduction of NFS Ascent^®, which will allow NTE to support larger organizations than those typically selecting the existing LeaseSoft product set, and opens the door for European expansion. This is designed to attract larger license and professional services revenues across a wider geography. In addition, leveraging the core strengths of NFS Ascent^® will increasingly provide opportunities in the automotive sector where NTE is currently underrepresented.

Growth in our traditionally strong base in Asia Pacific is expected through diversification across market segments to include new customers in related banking and commercial lending areas. At the same time, the existing customer base is tapped for increased service and maintenance revenues by offering enhanced features and new solutions to emerging customer needs. In addition, there is a potential for NFS Ascent^® in Asia Pacific in the form of existing customers who are looking for replacement of their current system.

In China, we are a de facto leader in the leasing and finance enterprise solution domain. With this position, we continue to enjoy demand for the current NFS™ solution, as well as NFS Ascent^®. We will continue strengthening our position within existing multinational auto manufacturers, as well as, local Chinese captive finance and leasing companies. The Chinese auto leasing market is young and low on consumer penetration in comparison with the giant U.S. market.

In Thailand, we established a sales headquarters, client service center, as well as a headquarters for Otoz^TM. The NetSol Thai operation is the hub for our global markets and directly supports all APAC markets including China, Indonesia and Australia. Our operation in Bangkok serves a very robust and growing market for leasing companies and regional banks.

MATERIAL TRENDS AFFECTING NETSOL

Management has identified the following material trends affecting NetSol.

Positive trends:

Negative trends:

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Our financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). Preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses. These estimates and assumptions are affected by management’s application of accounting policies. Critical accounting policies for us include revenue recognition and multiple element arrangements, intangible assets, software development costs, and goodwill.

REVENUE RECOGNITION

The Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:

The Company records the amount of revenue and related costs by considering whether the entity is a principal (gross presentation) or an agent (net presentation) by evaluating the nature of its promise to the customer. Revenue is presented net of sales, value-added and other taxes collected from customers and remitted to government authorities.

The Company has two primary revenue streams: core revenue and non-core revenue.

Core Revenue

The Company generates its core revenue from the following sources: (1) software licenses, (2) services, which include implementation and consulting services, and (3) subscription and support, which includes post contract support, of its enterprise software solutions for the lease and finance industry. The Company offers its software using the same underlying technology via two models: a traditional on-premises licensing model and a subscription model. The on-premises model involves the sale or license of software on a perpetual basis to customers who take possession of the software and install and maintain the software on their own hardware. Under the subscription delivery model, the Company provides access to its software on a hosted basis as a service and customers generally do not have the contractual right to take possession of the software.

Non-Core Revenue

The Company generates its non-core revenue by providing business process outsourcing (“BPO”), other IT services and internet services.

Performance Obligations

A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of account under Topic 606. The transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied by transferring the promised good or service to the customer. The Company identifies and tracks the performance obligations at contract inception so that the Company can monitor and account for the performance obligations over the life of the contract.

The Company’s contracts which contain multiple performance obligations generally consist of the initial purchase of subscription or licenses and a professional services engagement. License purchases generally have multiple performance obligations as customers purchase post contract support and services in addition to the licenses. The Company’s single performance obligation arrangements are typically post contract support renewals, subscription renewals and services engagements.

For contracts with multiple performance obligations where the contracted price differs from the standalone selling price (“SSP”) for any distinct good or service, the Company may be required to allocate the contract’s transaction price to each performance obligation using its best estimate for the SSP.

Subscription

Subscription revenue is recognized ratably over the initial subscription period committed to by the customer commencing when the product is made available to the customer. The initial subscription period is typically 12 to 60 months. The Company generally invoices its customers in advance in quarterly or annual installments and typical payment terms provide that customers make payment within 30 days of invoice.

Software Licenses

Transfer of control for software is considered to have occurred upon delivery of the product to the customer. The Company’s typical payment terms tend to vary by region, but its standard payment terms are within 30 days of invoice.

Post Contract Support

Revenue from support services and product updates, referred to as subscription and support revenue, is recognized ratably over the term of the maintenance period, which in most instances is one year. Software license updates provide customers with rights to unspecified software product updates, maintenance releases and patches released during the term of the support period on a when-and-if available basis. The Company’s customers purchase both product support and license updates when they acquire new software licenses. In addition, a majority of customers renew their support services contracts annually and typical payment terms provide that customers make payment within 30 days of invoice.

Professional Services

Revenue from professional services is typically comprised of implementation, development, data migration, training or other consulting services. Consulting services are generally sold on a time-and-materials or fixed fee basis and can include services ranging from software installation to data conversion and building non-complex interfaces to allow the software to operate in integrated environments. The Company recognizes revenue for time-and-materials arrangements as the services are performed. In fixed fee arrangements, revenue is recognized as services are performed as measured by costs incurred to date, compared to total estimated costs to complete the services project. Management applies judgment when estimating project status and the costs necessary to complete the services projects. A number of internal and external factors can affect these estimates, including labor rates, utilization and efficiency variances and specification and testing requirement changes. Services are generally invoiced upon milestones in the contract or upon consumption of the hourly resources and payments are typically due 30 days after invoice.

BPO and Internet Services

Revenue from BPO services is recognized based on the stage of completion which is measured by reference to labor hours incurred to date as a percentage of total estimated labor hours for each contract. Internet services are invoiced either monthly, quarterly or half yearly in advance to the customers and revenue is recognized ratably overtime on a monthly basis.

Significant Judgments

More judgments and estimates are required under Topic 606 than were required under Topic 605. Due to the complexity of certain contracts, the actual revenue recognition treatment required under Topic 606 for the Company’s arrangements may be dependent on contract-specific terms and may vary in some instances.

Judgment is required to determine the SSP for each distinct performance obligation. The Company rarely licenses or sells products on a stand-alone basis, so the Company is required to estimate the range of SSPs for each performance obligation. In instances where SSP is not directly observable because the Company does not sell the license, product or service separately, the Company determines the SSP using information that may include market conditions and other observable inputs. In making these judgments, the Company analyzes various factors, including its pricing methodology and consistency, size of the arrangement, length of term, customer demographics and overall market and economic conditions. Based on these results, the estimated SSP is set for each distinct product or service delivered to customers.

The most significant inputs involved in the Company’s revenue recognition policies are: The (1) stand-alone selling prices of the Company’s software license, and (2) the method of recognizing revenue for installation/customization, and other services.

The stand-alone selling price of the licenses was measured primarily through an analysis of pricing that management evaluated when quoting prices to customers. Although the Company has no history of selling its software separately from post contract support and other services, the Company does have historical experience with amending contracts with customers to provide additional modules of its software or providing those modules at an optional price. This information guides the Company in assessing the stand-alone selling price of the Company’s software, since the Company can observe instances where a customer had a particular component of the Company’s software that was essentially priced separate from other goods and services that the Company delivered to that customer.

The Company recognizes revenue from implementation and customization services using the percentage of estimated “man-days” that the work requires. The Company believes the level of effort to complete the services is best measured by the amount of time (measured as an employee working for one day on implementation/customization work) that is required to complete the implementation or customization work. The Company reviews its estimate of man-days required to complete implementation and customization services each reporting period.

Revenue is recognized over time for the Company’s subscription, post contract support and fixed fee professional services that are separate performance obligations. For the Company’s professional services, revenue is recognized over time, generally using costs incurred or hours expended to measure progress. Judgment is required in estimating project status and the costs necessary to complete projects. A number of internal and external factors can affect these estimates, including labor rates, utilization, specification variances and testing requirement changes.

If a group of agreements are entered at or near the same time and so closely related that they are, in effect, part of a single arrangement, such agreements are deemed to be combined as one arrangement for revenue recognition purposes. The Company exercises significant judgment to evaluate the relevant facts and circumstances in determining whether agreements should be accounted for separately or as a single arrangement. The Company’s judgments about whether a group of contracts comprise a single arrangement can affect the allocation of consideration to the distinct performance obligations, which could have an effect on results of operations for the periods involved.

If a contract includes variable consideration, the Company exercises judgment in estimating the amount of consideration to which the entity will be entitled in exchange for transferring the promised goods or services to a customer. When estimating variable consideration, the Company will consider all relevant facts and circumstances. Variable consideration will be estimated and included in the contract price only when it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of revenue recognized will not occur.

Contract Balances

The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers and these timing differences result in receivables, contract assets (revenues in excess of billings), or contract liabilities (deferred revenue) on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company records revenues in excess of billings when the Company has transferred goods or services but does not yet have the right to consideration. The Company records deferred revenue when the Company has received or has the right to receive consideration but has not yet transferred goods or services to the customer.

Unearned Revenue

The Company typically invoices its customers for subscription and support fees in advance on a quarterly or annual basis, with payment due at the start of the subscription or support term. Unpaid invoice amounts for non-cancellable license and services starting in future periods are included in accounts receivable and unearned revenue.

Practical Expedients and Exemptions

There are several practical expedients and exemptions allowed under Topic 606 that impact timing of revenue recognition and the Company’s disclosures. The Company has applied the following practical expedients:

● The Company does not evaluate a contract for a significant financing component if payment is expected within one year or less from the transfer of the promised items to the customer.

● The Company generally expenses sales commissions and sales agent fees when incurred when the amortization period would have been one year or less or the commissions are based on cashed received. These costs are recorded within sales and marketing expense in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.

● The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts for which the Company recognizes revenue at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed (applies to time-and-material engagements).

Costs to Obtain a Contract

The Company does not have a material amount of costs to obtain a contract capitalized at any balance sheet date. In general, we incur few direct incremental costs of obtaining new customer contracts. We rarely incur incremental costs to review or otherwise enter into contractual arrangements with customers. In addition, our sales personnel receive fees that we refer to as commissions, but that are based on more than simply signing up new customers. Our sales personnel are required to perform additional duties beyond new customer contract inception dates, including fulfillment duties and collections efforts.

INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Intangible assets consist of product licenses, renewals, enhancements, copyrights, trademarks, trade names, and customer lists. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over the estimated useful life and are evaluated for impairment at least on an annual basis and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. We assess recoverability by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through the undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying amount of these assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COSTS

Costs incurred to internally develop computer software products or to enhance an existing product are recorded as research and development costs and expensed when incurred until technological feasibility for the respective product is established. Thereafter, all software development costs are capitalized and reported at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value. Capitalization ceases when the product or enhancement is available for general release to customers.

The Company makes on-going evaluations of the recoverability of its capitalized software projects by comparing the amount capitalized for each product to the estimated net realizable value of the product. If such evaluations indicate that the unamortized software development costs exceed the net realizable value, the Company writes off the amount which the unamortized software development costs exceed net realizable value. Capitalized and purchased computer software development costs are being amortized ratably based on the projected revenue associated with the related software or on a straight-line basis.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Our stock-based compensation expense is estimated at the grant date based on the award’s fair value as calculated by the Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) option pricing model and is recognized as expense over the requisite service period. The BSM model requires various highly judgmental assumptions including expected volatility and expected term. If any of the assumptions used in the BSM model changes significantly, stock-based compensation expense may differ materially in the future from that recorded in the current period. In addition, we are required to estimate the expected forfeiture rate and only recognize expense for those shares expected to vest. We estimate the forfeiture rate based on historical experience and our expectations regarding future pre-vesting termination behavior of employees. To the extent our actual forfeiture rate is different from our estimate; stock-based compensation expense is adjusted accordingly.

GOODWILL

Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a purchase business combination. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired. In conducting its annual impairment test, the Company first reviews qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If factors indicate that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the Company performs a quantitative assessment and the fair value of the reporting unit is determined by analyzing the expected present value of future cash flows. If the carrying value of the reporting unit continues to exceed its fair value, the fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill is calculated and an impairment loss equal to the excess is recorded.

Recent Accounting Pronouncement

See Note 2 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 COMPARED TO THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2020

The following table sets forth the items in our consolidated statement of operations for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 as a percentage of revenues.

A significant portion of our business is conducted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We operate in several geographical regions as described in Note 21 “Segment Information and Geographic Areas” within the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Weakening of the value of the U.S. dollar compared to foreign currency exchange rates generally has the effect of increasing our revenues but also increasing our expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Similarly, strengthening of the U.S. dollar compared to foreign currency exchange rates generally has the effect of reducing our revenues but also reducing our expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We plan our business accordingly by deploying additional resources to areas of expansion, while continuing to monitor our overall expenditures given the economic uncertainties of our target markets. In order to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency fluctuations, we compare the changes in results from one period to another period using constant currency. In order to calculate our constant currency results, we apply the current period results to the prior period foreign currency exchange rates. In the table below, we present the change based on actual results in reported currency and in constant currency.

Net revenues for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 by segment are as follows:

Revenues

License Fees

License fees for the year ended June 30, 2021 were $6,249,924 compared to $3,260,891 for the year ended June 30, 2020 reflecting an increase of $2,989,033 with a change in constant currency of $2,633,782. The increase in license revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 compared to 2020 is primarily due to the increase in license revenue recognized for the GAC, TIL and BMW contracts to implement our NFS Ascent^® Retail Platform. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, we recorded $2,400,000 of license revenue for the GAC NFS Ascent^® contract, $2,100,000 for the TIL NFS Ascent^® contract, and $1,400,000 for the BMW NFS Ascent^® contract. In fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, we recorded $2,500,000 of license revenue for the DFS, 12 country NFS Ascent^® contract, $470,000 for an NFS Ascent^® contract in the U.K., and $1,540,000 from license revenues through sales of our regional offerings in China, Australia, the U.S. and the U.K.

Subscription and Support

Subscription and support fees for the year ended June 30, 2021, were $22,173,745 compared to $20,254,917 for the year ended June 30, 2020 reflecting an increase of $1,918,828 with a change in constant currency of $1,754,369. The increase in subscription and support fees is due to going live with several markets related to the DFS contract and going live with the BMW contract. Subscription and support fees begin once a customer has “gone live” with our product. Subscription and support fees are recurring in nature, and we anticipate these fees to gradually increase as we implement both our NFS legacy products and NFS Ascent^®.

Services

Services income for the year ended June 30, 2021, was $26,448,171 compared to $32,555,690 for the year ended June 30, 2020, reflecting a decrease of $6,107,519 with a decrease in constant currency of $6,485,196. The decrease in services revenue is due to the decrease in implementation revenue associated with customers who have gone live with our products. Services revenue is derived from services provided to both current customers as well as services provided to new customers as part of the implementation process.

Services – Related Party

Services income from related party for the year ended June 30, 2021 was $48,775 compared to $300,821 for the year ended June 30, 2020 reflecting a decrease of $252,046 with a decrease in constant currency of $254,805. The decrease in related party service revenue is due to a decrease in revenue due to less services performed for WRLD3D.

Gross Profit

The gross profit was $26,353,028 for the year ended June 30, 2021 as compared with $26,963,370 for the year ended June 30, 2020. This is a decrease of $610,342 with a decrease in constant currency of $1,312,086. The gross profit percentage for the year ended June 30, 2021 increased to 48.0% from 47.8% for the year ended June 30, 2020. The cost of sales was $28,567,587 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $29,408,949 for the year ended June 30, 2020 for a decrease of $841,362 and on a constant currency basis a decrease of $1,039,764. As a percentage of sales, cost of sales decreased from 52.2% for the year ended June 30, 2020 to 52.0% for the year ended June 30, 2021.

Salaries and consultant fees increased by $2,147,560 from $18,821,738 for the year ended June 30, 2020 to $20,969,298 for the year ended June 30, 2021 and on a constant currency basis increased by $1,984,188. The increase in salaries is due to the increase in the number of technical employees and the annual increase in salaries and wages. We had 932, 1,009, and 1,036 technical employees as of June 30, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. As a percentage of sales, salaries and consultant expense increased from 33.4% for the year ended June 30, 2020 to 38.2% for the year ended June 30, 2021.

Travel decreased by $3,518,339 from $4,181,742 for the year ended June 30, 2020 to $663,403 for the year ended June 30, 2021 and on a constant currency basis decreased by $3,558,950. The decrease in travel is due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As a percentage of sales, travel expense decreased from 7.4% for year ended June 30, 2020 to 1.2% for the year ended June 30, 2021.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $2,990,689 compared to $2,897,371 for the year ended June 30, 2020 or an increase of $93,318 and on a constant currency basis an increase of $123,117.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses were $23,632,179 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $25,893,032, for the year ended June 30, 2020 for a decrease of 8.7% or $2,260,853 and on a constant currency basis a decrease of 9.0% or $2,298,574. As a percentage of sales, it decreased from 45.9% to 43.0%. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to decreases in general and administrative expenses and research and development cost offset by an increase in selling and marketing expenses, salaries and wages and depreciation expense.

Selling and marketing expenses increased $104,341 or 1.6% and on a constant currency basis an increase of $42,010 or 0.7%. The increase in selling and marketing expenses is due to increase in our salaries and commissions, and business development costs to market and sell NFS Ascent^® globally.

General and administrative expenses were $15,437,382 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $17,138,832 at June 30, 2020 or a decrease of $1,701,450 or 9.9% and on a constant currency basis a decrease of $1,641,828 or 9.6%. The decrease is primarily due to a reduction of approximately $795,000 related to a withholding tax on dividends and by customers, approximately $395,000 of reduced travel expenses, approximately $56,000 of reduced professional services, approximately $517,000 related to the decrease in the provision for doubtful accounts and approximately $157,000 reduction in rent expense offset by an increase in salaries of approximately $402,000.

Research and development costs were $674,168 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $1,468,954 at June 30, 2020 or a decrease of $794,786 or 54.1% and on constant currency basis a decrease of $799,928 or 54.5%. The decrease in research and development costs is due to less spending on our innovation initiatives with Blockchain, AI, and IoT.

Income/Loss from Operations

Income from operations was $2,720,849 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $1,070,338 for the year ended June 30, 2020. This represents an increase of $1,650,511 with an increase of $986,488 on a constant currency basis for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared with the year ended June 30, 2020. As a percentage of sales, income from operations was 5.0% for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to 1.9% for the year ended June 30, 2020.

Other Income and Expense

Other income was $567,400 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $1,262,753 for the year ended June 30, 2020. This represents a decrease of $695,353 with a decrease of $893,154 on a constant currency basis. The decrease is primarily due to the interest income and foreign currency exchange transactions. Interest income was $1,017,432 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $1,569,536 for the period ended June 30, 2020. This represent a decrease of $552,104 or a change of $557,829 on constant currency basis. We did not accrue any interest income on the convertible notes receivable for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $372,314 for the year ended June 30, 2020. The majority of the contracts with NetSol PK are either in U.S. dollars or Euros; therefore, the currency fluctuations will lead to foreign currency exchange gains or losses depending on the value of the PKR compared to the U.S. Dollar and the Euro. During the year ended June 30, 2021, we recognized a loss of $597,433 in foreign currency exchange transactions compared to a gain of $398,610 for the year ended June 30, 2020. During the year ended June 30, 2021, the value of the U.S. dollar and the Euro decreased 5.9% and 0.5%, respectively, compared to the PKR. During the year ended June 30, 2020, the value of the U.S. dollar and the Euro increased 3.1% and 1.8%, respectively, compared to the PKR.

Non-controlling Interest

For the year ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the net income attributable to non-controlling interest was $483,375 and $254,942, respectively. The increase in non-controlling interest is primarily due to the increase in net income of NetSol PK.

Net Income/Loss Attributable to NetSol

Net income was $1,778,257 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $937,081 for the year ended June 30, 2020. This is an increase of $841,176 with a decrease of $9,399 on a constant currency basis, compared to the prior year. For the year ended June 30, 2021, net income per share was $0.15 for basic and diluted shares. For the year ended June 30, 2020, net income per share was $0.08 for basic and diluted shares.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Regulation S-K Item 10(e), “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures in Commission Filings,” defines and prescribes the conditions for use of non-GAAP financial information. Our measures of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA per basic and diluted share meet the definition of a non-GAAP financial measure.

We define the non-GAAP measures as follows:

We use non-GAAP measures internally to evaluate the business and believe that presenting non-GAAP measures provides useful information to investors regarding the underlying business trends and performance of our ongoing operations as well as useful metrics for monitoring our performance and evaluating it against industry peers. The non-GAAP financial measures presented should be used in addition to, and in conjunction with, results presented in accordance with GAAP, and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Management strongly encourages investors to review our consolidated financial statements in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure in evaluating the Company.

The non-GAAP measures reflect adjustments based on the following items:

EBITDA: We report EBITDA as a non-GAAP metric by excluding the effect of net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization from net income because doing so makes internal comparisons to our historical operating results more consistent. In addition, we believe providing an EBITDA calculation is a more useful comparison of our operating results to the operating results of our peers.

Stock-based compensation expense: We have excluded the effect of stock-based compensation expense from the non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA per basic and diluted share calculations. Although stock-based compensation expense is calculated in accordance with current GAAP and constitutes an ongoing and recurring expense, such expense is excluded from non-GAAP results because it is not an expense which generally requires cash settlement by NetSol, and therefore is not used by us to assess the profitability of our operations. We also believe the exclusion of stock-based compensation expense provides a more useful comparison of our operating results to the operating results of our peers.

Non-controlling interest: We add back the non-controlling interest in calculating gross adjusted EBITDA and then subtract out the income taxes, depreciation and amortization and net interest expense attributable to the non-controlling interest to arrive at a net adjusted EBITDA.

Our reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP earnings per basic and diluted share to the most comparable GAAP measures for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 are as follows:

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our cash position was $33,705,154 at June 30, 2021, compared to $20,166,830 at June 30, 2020.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $15,725,923 for the year ended June 30, 2021 compared to $3,972,426 for the year ended June 30, 2020. At June 30, 2021, we had current assets of $55,578,774 and current liabilities of $23,476,561. We had accounts receivable of $4,184,096 at June 30, 2021 compared to $11,414,257 at June 30, 2020. We had revenues in excess of billings of $15,637,734 at June 30, 2021 compared to $18,506,733 at June 30, 2020 of which $957,603 and $1,300,289 are shown as long term as of June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The long-term portion was discounted by $66,779 and $41,286 at June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, using the discounted cash flow method with interest rates ranging from 4.65% to 6.25% and 4.35%, for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the year ended June 30, 2021, our revenues in excess of billings were reclassified to accounts receivable pursuant to billing requirements detailed in each contract. The combined totals for accounts receivable and revenues in excess of billings decreased by $10,099,160 from $29,920,990 at June 30, 2020 to $19,821,830 at June 30, 2021. Accounts payable and accrued expenses, and current portions of loans and lease obligations amounted to $6,696,035 and $11,366,171, respectively at June 30, 2021. The average days sales outstanding for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 were 165 and 200 days respectively. The days sales outstanding have been calculated by taking into consideration the average combined balances of accounts receivable and revenue in excess of billings.

Net cash used by investing activities amounted to $2,518,550 for the year ended June 30, 2021, compared to $2,054,890 for the year ended June 30, 2020. We had net purchases of property and equipment of $2,363,050 compared to $1,270,965 for the comparable period last fiscal year. We did not invest in short-term convertible notes for the year ended June 30, 2021, compared to $600,000, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020. For the year ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, we invested $155,500 and $94,500, respectively, in DriveMate.

Net cash used in financing activities was $1,165,565 compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $1,700,293, for the years ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, respectively. During the year ended June 30, 2021, we purchased 669,018 shares of our common stock from the open market for $2,364,781 compared to zero shares of common stock for the year ended June 30, 2020. The year ended June 30, 2021, included cash inflow of $1,898,013 from bank proceeds compared to $4,221,203 for the same period last year. During the year ended June 30, 2021, we had net payments for bank loans and capital leases of $698,797 compared to $611,913 for the year ended June 30, 2020. We are operating in various geographical regions of the world through our various subsidiaries. Those subsidiaries have financial arrangements from various financial institutions to meet both their short and long-term funding requirements. These loans will become due at different maturity dates as described in Note 15 of the financial statements. We are in compliance with the covenants of the financial arrangements and there is no default which may lead to early payment of these obligations. We anticipate paying back all these obligations on their respective due dates.

We typically fund the cash requirements for our operations in the U.S. through our license, services, and maintenance agreements, intercompany charges for corporate services, and through the exercise of options. As of June 30, 2021, we had approximately $33.7 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of which approximately $31.7 million is held by our foreign subsidiaries. As of June 30, 2020, we have approximately $20.2 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of which approximately $18.2 million is held by our foreign subsidiaries.

We remain open to strategic relationships that would provide value added benefits. The focus will remain on continuously improving cash reserves internally and reduced reliance on external capital raise.

As a growing company, we have on-going capital expenditure needs based on our short term and long-term business plans. Although our requirements for capital expenses vary from time to time, for the next 12 months, we anticipate needing working capital of $2 to $3 million for APAC, U.S. and European new business development activities and infrastructure enhancements.

While there is no guarantee that any of these methods will result in raising sufficient funds to meet our capital needs or that even if available will be on terms acceptable to us, we will be very cautious and prudent about any new capital raise given the global market uncertainties. However, we are very conscious of the dilutive effect and price pressures in raising equity-based capital.

Financial Covenants

Our UK based subsidiary, NTE, has an approved overdraft facility of £300,000 ($416,667) which requires that the aggregate amount of invoiced trade debtors (net of provisions for bad and doubtful debts and excluding intra-group debtors) of NTE, not exceeding 90 days old, will not be less than an amount equal to 200% of the facility. The Pakistani subsidiary, NetSol PK has an approved facility for export refinance from Askari Bank Limited amounting to Rupees 500 million ($3,162,555) and a running finance facility of Rupees 75 million ($474,383). NetSol PK has an approved facility for export refinance from Habib Metro Bank Limited amounting to Rupees 900 million ($5,692,600). These facilities require NetSol PK to maintain a long-term debt equity ratio of 60:40 and the current ratio of 1:1. NetSol PK also has an approved export refinance facility of Rs. 380 million ($2,403,542) and a running finance facility of Rs. 120 million ($759,013) from Samba Bank Limited. During the tenure of loan, these two facilities require NetSol PK to maintain at a minimum a current ratio of 1:1, an interest coverage ratio of 4 times, a leverage ratio of 2 times, and a debt service coverage ratio of 4 times.

As of the date of this report, we are in compliance with the financial covenants associated with our borrowings. The maturity dates of the borrowings of respective subsidiaries may accelerate if they do not comply with these covenants. In case of any change in control in subsidiaries, they may have to repay their respective credit facilities.

Dividends and Redemption

It has been our policy to invest earnings in growth rather than distribute earnings as common stock dividends. This policy, under which common stock dividends have not been paid since our inception is expected to continue but is subject to regular review by the Board of Directors.

Contractual Obligations

Our contractual obligations are as follows:

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not maintain any off-balance sheet arrangements, transactions, obligations or other relationships with unconsolidated entities that would be expected to have a material current or future effect upon our financial condition or results of operations.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are exposed to financial market risks, including changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

Economic Exposure

We transact business in various foreign currencies and have significant international revenues, as well as costs denominated in foreign currencies. This exposes us to the risk of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Since the majority of the Company’s operations are based in the Asia Pacific region where the Pakistan Rupee is continuously losing its value against the US Dollar and we don’t have any imports; therefore, we believe it is counter-productive to hedge this exposure. The devaluation of the Pakistan Rupee results in a foreign exchange gain to the Company.

Transaction Exposure

Our exposure to foreign currency transaction gains and losses is the result of certain net receivables due from our foreign subsidiaries and customers being denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the subsidiary, primarily the Euro, Yuan, Baht and the Pakistan Rupee. Our foreign subsidiaries conduct their businesses in local currency. Since the majority of the Company’s operations are based in the Asia Pacific region where the Pakistan Rupee is continuously losing its value against the US Dollar and we don’t have any imports; therefore, we believe it is counter-productive to hedge this exposure.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The Consolidated Financial Statements that constitute Item 8 are included at the end of this report on page F-1.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

NETSOL’s financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020, did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles.

In connection with the audit of NETSOL’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, there were no disagreements, disputes, or differences of opinion with BF Borgers CPA PC. (“BF Borgers”) on any matters of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope and procedures, which, if not resolved to the satisfaction of BF Borgers would have caused BF Borgers to make reference to the matter in its report.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

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 pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management has the responsibility to establish and maintain adequate internal controls over our financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Our internal controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of our external financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Due to inherent limitations of any internal control system, management acknowledges that there are limitations as to the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting and therefore recognize that only reasonable assurance can be gained from any internal control system. Accordingly, our internal control system may not detect or prevent material misstatements in our financial statements and 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.

Under the supervision and participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have performed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting as of June 30, 2021. This assessment was based on the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on the results of our assessment, the Company has determined that as of June 30, 2021, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting are effective.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonable likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a – 15(f) and 15d – 15(f)).

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

NONE

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

NONE

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires that the Company’s directors and executive officers and persons owning more than 10% of the outstanding Common Stock, file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Executive officers, directors and beneficial owners of more than 10% of the Company’s Common Stock are required by SEC regulation to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

Based solely on copies of such forms furnished as provided above, or written representations that no such forms were required, the Company believes that during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to its executive officers, directors and beneficial owners of more than 10% of its Common Stock were complied with.

CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors

At the 2020 Annual Shareholders Meeting held in June 2021, a five-member board stood for election. The members were elected and, according to the bylaws of the Company shall retain their position as directors until the next meeting. The board of directors is made up of Mr. Najeeb U. Ghauri (Chairman of the Board), Mr. Mark Caton, Ms. Malea Farsai, Mr. Kausar Kazmi and Mr. Henry Tolentino.

Committees

The Audit Committee is made up of Mr. Kazmi, as Chairman, with Mr. Caton and Mr. Tolentino as members. The Compensation Committee consists of Mr. Caton, as Chairman, with Mr. Kazmi and Mr. Tolentino as its members. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of Mr. Tolentino, as Chairman, with Mr. Caton and Mr. Kazmi as its members.

The table below provides the membership for each of the committees during Fiscal Year 2021.

(I) Denotes an Independent Director.

(C) Denotes the Chairperson of the Committee.

DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth the names and ages of the current directors and executive officers of the Company, the principal offices and positions with the Company held by each person and the date such person became a director or executive officer of the Company. The Board of Directors elects the executive officers of the Company annually. Each year the stockholders elect the Board of Directors. The executive officers serve varying terms until their death, resignation or removal by the Board of Directors. In addition, there was no arrangement or understanding between any executive officer and any other person pursuant to which any person was selected as an executive officer.

The directors and executive officers of the Company are as follows:

Business Experience of Officers and Directors:

NAJEEB U. GHAURI is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of NETSOL. He has been the Co-founder and director of the Company since 1997, Chairman since 2003 and Chief Executive Officer from January 1998 to September 2002 and from October 2006 to present. Mr. Ghauri was responsible for NETSOL listing on NASDAQ in 1999 and NETSOL Pakistan subsidiary listing on the Karachi Stock Exchange in 2005. Mr. Ghauri served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer from 1999 to 2001 and as the Chief Financial Officer from 2001 to 2005. As CEO, Mr. Ghauri is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Company, as well as the Company’s overall growth and expansion plan. In 2017, Mr. Najeeb Ghauri as the CEO, implemented a Company-wide initiative cutting costs which saved the Company in excess of $7,000,000. Mr. Ghauri was also instrumental in the substantial increase in revenue for fiscal year end 2015. In addition, Mr. Ghauri traveled overseas multiple times to execute the largest contract for the Company, worth over $100 million, in December 2015. Under his watch, NETSOL has become a leading player in China with innovation and a cutting-edge technology.

In September 2020, Mr. Ghauri was presented with the highest civilian award in Pakistan, “Sitar e Imtiaz”, a medal of pride, in recognition for his work in IT and charitable causes in Pakistan. This medal was conferred by the President of Pakistan at the President House in Islamabad, Pakistan. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ghauri was part of the marketing team of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) (now acquired by BP), a Fortune 500 company, from 1987-1997. Prior to ARCO, he spent nearly five years with Unilever as brand and sales managers. Mr. Ghauri attended Eastern Illinois University in 1977-78 for Bachelor of Science degree in Management/Economics. He earned an M.B.A. in Marketing Management from Peter F. Drucker School of Management, Claremont, California in 1981. Mr. Ghauri was elected Vice Chairman of US Pakistan Business Council in 2006, a Washington D.C. based council of US Chamber of Commerce. He is also very active in several philanthropic activities in emerging markets and is a founding director of Pakistan Human Development Fund, a non-profit organization, a partnership with UNDP to promote literacy, health services and poverty alleviation in Pakistan. Mr. Ghauri has participated in NASDAQ opening and/or closing bell ceremonies in 2006, 2008,2009, 2015 and 2020.

Skills and Qualifications: Mr. Ghauri has an extensive executive, operational and strategic leadership experience in a global setting and substantial experience in establishing management performance objective and establishing goals.

NAEEM GHAURI was a Director of the Company from 1999 through 2020 and was the Company’s Chief Executive Officer from August 2001 to October 2006. Mr. Ghauri is also a co-founder of the Company. Currently, Mr. Ghauri serves as the President and Director of Global Sales of NETSOL as well as the director of NETSOL (UK) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company located in London. While instrumental in numerous transactions, his most significant contribution to the revenue of the Company was his role in overseeing and leading the closing of the largest contract to date for the Company worth $100 million signed in December 2015. More recently, Mr. Ghauri headed the sales team that signed a contract valued in excess of $35 million. Mr. Ghauri has spearheaded the Innovation practice of the Company while located in Thailand with an eye towards working with rideshare platforms as sustainable business models for the Company as the CEO of OTOZ, Inc. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ghauri was Program Director for Mercedes-Benz Finance Ltd., from 1994-1999. Mr. Ghauri supervised over 200 project managers, developers, analysts and users in nine European Countries. Mr. Ghauri is a board member of Drivemate Co., Ltd., the Company’s partner in Thailand, as a representative of NetSol. Mr. Ghauri earned his degree in computer science from Brighton University in England.

ROGER ALMOND was appointed Chief Financial Officer on September 9, 2013. Since 2007, Roger Almond held the position of Senior Manager at Pickard & Green Certified Public Accountants where he and his team were responsible for assisting national and international companies with their financial reporting requirements to the SEC. Roger Almond’s duties also included overseeing multiple entity consolidations, converting financial data to US GAAP, preparing financials statements, footnotes and MD&A. Prior to his current position, Roger Almond held the position of Assurance Manager at Grant Thornton LLP, in Los Angeles, California from 2003-2006. From November 1999 to August 2003, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Keysor Century Corporation located in Saugus, California.

Roger Almond received his BS in Accounting from Brigham Young University in 1991 and he is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in California. He has also completed executive management courses at UCLA in 2001.

PATTI L. W. MCGLASSON joined NETSOL as General Counsel in January 2004 and was elected to the position of Secretary in March 2004. She was appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs in 2013.

In the role of General Counsel, Ms. McGlasson is responsible for leading NETSOL’s legal department company-wide. She is also responsible for the implementation of the Company’s internal corporate governance and policy plans, ethics and business conduct. She oversees all board meetings in her executive position as corporate secretary.

Ms. McGlasson has nearly 30 years of experience in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, business and cross-border transactions and securities law. Immediately prior to joining NETSOL, Patti practiced at Vogt & Resnick, law corporation. She was admitted to practice in California in 1991.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1987 from the University of California, San Diego and, her Juris Doctor and Masters in Law in Transnational Business from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in 1991 and 1993, respectively. As part of her Masters in Law in Transnational Business, she interned at the law firm of Loeff Claeys Verbeke in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 1991.

MARK CATON joined the Board of Directors in 2007. Mr. Caton is currently President of Centela Capital, Inc. a diversified financial services company, a position he has held since 2006. Prior to joining Centela Capital, Mr. Caton was President of NETSOL Technologies USA, responsible for US sales, from June 2002 to December 2003. Mr. Caton was employed by ePlus from 1994 to 2002 as Senior Vice President-Business Development. He was a member of the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors and served on the Board of Directors of NETSOL from 2002-2003. Mr. Caton is a Chairman of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. Mr. Caton received his BA from UCLA in psychology in 1971.

Skills and Qualifications: Mr. Caton has over 35 years of experience in sales, marketing and management in the financial leasing and software industries.

MALEA FARSAI joined the Board of Directors for the first time in 2018 and is currently the Company’s Corporate Counsel. Before joining NETSOL in March 2000, Ms. Farsai was an associate at the law firm of Horwitz and Beam where she represented both domestic and international private and public clients from technology to apparel in various transactions from 1996-2000. She has also worked on the formation of business startups and IPOs. Ms. Farsai was on the team that took NETSOL public and is the one who listed NETSOL on NASDAQ in 1999 and has maintained its listing since then to current. After nearly two decades with the Company, Ms. Farsai continues to work part-time as Corporate Counsel overseeing the Company’s insurance as well as day to day corporate legal needs. She has also obtained many of NETSOL’s various trademarks. Ms. Farsai has been actively updating and overseeing the Company’s Corporate and Social Responsibilities (CSR) globally and has effectively established a 501(c)(3) foundation for NETSOL to continue its charitable work internationally. Ms. Farsai received her B.A. degree from University of California, Irvine and her J.D. in 1996, and has been a member of the California State Bar since 1996. She sits on the board of various charitable organizations in Los Angeles.

Skills and Qualifications: Ms. Farsai has served the Company and its legal department since its inception and has a breadth of knowledge and understanding about NETSOL’s business through her role as Corporate Counsel. She also has an understanding of Public Company corporate governance as well as the management and retention of a diverse group of employees.

HENRY TOLENTINO joined the Board of Directors for the first time in 2018. Mr. Tolentino brings more than 30 years of experience in the auto finance industry working with global manufacturers such as Toyota and General Motors. Prior to joining NETSOL’s advisory board, Mr. Tolentino has held several executive positions at Toyota Leasing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., including most recently as president from 2006 to 2014 and then served as an advisor from 2015 to 2016. Prior to Toyota Leasing, Mr. Tolentino spent more than 10 years with Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, USA. He began his career in the auto finance industry with General Motors Acceptance Corporation. Mr. Tolentino joined the advisory board of NETSOL in September 2017 where he provided strategic advice to the senior management of the Company. Mr. Tolentino is the Chairman of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee and member of the Audit and Compensation Committees.

Skills and Qualifications: Mr. Tolentino has significant knowledge in international automobile manufacturing, business strategy and managing growth in the automotive industry.

SYED KAUSAR KAZMI joined the Board of Directors in 2019. Mr. Kazmi brings over 40 years of expertise in the banking industry and is currently the Head of Commercial Banking and Business Development at Habib Bank Zurich PLC, located in London where he has served in this capacity since 2016. Prior to this position, Mr. Kazmi served as the Head of Business Development for UK and Europe at Habib Bank AG Zurich in London from 2012-2016, before which Mr. Kazmi was the CEO of the UK operations of Habib Bank AG Zurich from 2009-2012. In 2018, Mr. Kazmi was awarded by Power 100, Parliamentary Review in association with The British Publishing Company a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his significant and lasting impact on the banking sector. In addition, Mr. Kazmi has been awarded by the Asian Media Group the “GG2 Power List” celebrating Britain’s 101 most influential Asians from 2016-2018.

Mr. Kazmi received his BSc in Chemical Engineering with II Class Honors from Habib Institute of Technology in 1974. He sits on the board of many charitable organizations, with a focus on helping raise funds. Mr. Kazmi is the Chairman of the Audit Committee and is a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees.

Skills and Qualifications: Mr. Kazmi has strong financial services and management expertise. He directs the operations of a financial services business, expending its focus on business development.

COPORATE GOVERNANCE

Code of Business Conduct & Ethics

The Company adopted its Code of Business Conduct & Ethics, as amended and restated on September 9, 2013, applicable to every officer, director and employee of the Company, including, but not limited to the Company’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. Our Code of Business Conduct & Ethics has been posted on our website and may be viewed at http://ir.netsoltech.com/governance-docs.

Audit Committee

The Company has an Audit Committee whose members are the independent directors of the Company, specifically, Mr. Kazmi, Mr. Caton, and Mr. Tolentino. Mr. Kazmi is the current Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Audit Committee Financial Expert

The Company has identified its audit chairperson, Mr. Kausar Kazmi as its Audit Committee financial expert. Mr. Kazmi is an independent board member as the term is defined in the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Mr. Kazmi’s over 40 years of experience in the banking industry including his current tenure as Head of Commercial Banking and Business Development for UK and Europe for Habib Bank AG Zurich as well as his service as a board member on various charities as the board member responsible for fundraising, provides him with an understanding of generally accepted accounting principles and financial reporting. Additionally, this experience provides an ability to assess the general application of accounting principles in connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and reserves; experience analyzing financial statements that were comparable in the breadth and complexity of issues that can be reasonably expected to be raised by the Company’s financial statements; an understanding of internal control over financial reporting; and an understanding of audit committee functions.

ITEM 11-EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Introduction

Our Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing and overseeing compensation programs that comply with NetSol’s executive compensation philosophy. As described in this Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”), the Compensation Committee follows a disciplined process for setting executive compensation. This process involves analyzing factors such as company performance, individual performance, strategic goals and competitive market data to arrive at each element of compensation. The Compensation Committee approves compensation decisions for all executive officers. An independent compensation consultant helps the Compensation Committee by providing advice, information, and an objective opinion. This CD&A will focus on the compensation awarded to NetSol’s “named executive officers”—the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and General Counsel, Corporate Secretary. You can find more complete information about all elements of compensation for the named executive officers in the following discussion and in the Summary Compensation table that appears on page 45.

Fiscal 2021 Executive Compensation Highlights and Governance

This section identifies the most significant decisions and changes made regarding NETSOL’s executive compensation in fiscal year 2021.

Shareholder Approval of Compensation

At the last annual general meeting held on June 14, 2021, shareholders expressed support for our executive compensation programs, with 95.72% of votes cast at the meeting voting to ratify the compensation of our named executive officers. Although the advisory shareholder vote on executive compensation is non-binding, the Compensation Committee has considered, and will continue to consider, the outcome of the vote and the sentiments of our shareholders when making future compensation decisions for the named executive officers. Based on the results from our last annual general meeting, the Compensation Committee believes shareholders support the Company’s executive compensation philosophy and the compensation paid to the named executive officers.

Taking into account the marked increase in support of this plan at the June 14, 2021 Annual Shareholders Meeting, the Compensation Committee believes the compensation program meaningfully explains the Compensation Committee’s compensation decisions and its determination to tie long term incentives of the Chief Executive Officer to performance criteria. The Compensation Committee continues to reach out to its shareholders regarding their positions on the Company’s compensation program. In connection with the proxy solicitations, the executive compensation was discussed with certain of our top shareholders and their general acceptance of the compensation structure is reflected in the proxy vote results. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee will continue to provide the CEO with a bonus criterion that is based on total revenues and income from operations on a graduated basis. Bonuses would be paid 60% in cash and 40% in stock valued at the share price on June 30^th of the fiscal year in which it was earned.

Based on the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders vote on the Frequency of Say on Pay voting, we will continue to provide our stockholders with an annual opportunity to cast an advisory vote on the compensation programs for our named executive officers and as always, the stockholders are welcome to contact Investor Relations with any questions.

Governance and Evolving Compensation Practices

The Compensation Committee and the Board are aware of evolving practices in executive compensation and corporate governance. In response, we have adopted and/or maintained certain policies and practices that are in keeping with “best practices” in many areas. For example:

● The Compensation Committee engages an independent compensation consultant to evaluate our chief executive officer’s executive compensation practices in comparison to a peer group.

● We do not provide excessive executive perquisites to our named executive officers.

● Our incentive plans expressly prohibit repricing of options (directly or indirectly) without prior shareholder approval.

● Our policy on the prevention of insider trading prohibits various types of transactions involving Company stock or securities, including short sales, options trading, hedging, margin purchases and pledges.

● Our stock ownership guidelines require our executive officers to align their long-term interests with those of our stockholders.

● Our policy prohibits the named executive officers from selling any newly issued shares for a period of three months, in an open market transaction.

● Beginning with our fiscal year 2018 to current, we modified our compensation practices for our CEO to tie a significant portion to financial results both on a top line and bottom-line basis.

General Compensation Overview

For 2021, compensation designed for our executive officers consisted of:

In response to discussions we have had with certain shareholders and given the percentage voting in favor of our executive compensation, beginning with the 2019 fiscal year, Chief Executive Officer compensation shall consist of:

The Compensation Committee administers the cash and non-cash compensation programs applicable to our executive officers. The Compensation Committee makes all decisions about executive officer compensation for the Chief Executive Officer and the remaining named executives after discussion with our Chief Executive Officer about his direct reports. The Compensation Committee has often refined the direct reports’ compensation recommendations made by the Chief Executive Officer. Our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation is determined solely by the Compensation Committee, which, consistent with NASDAQ requirements, is comprised exclusively of independent directors, and the Chief Executive Officer does not participate in Committee decisions surrounding his compensation.

Independent Compensation Consultant

The Compensation Committee retained Compensation Resources, Inc. as its independent compensation consultant. Compensation Resources provided chief executive officer and director compensation consulting services to the Compensation Committee, including a competitive market analysis of peers and the base salary, total cash compensation and total direct compensation. Interactions with Compensation Resources was limited to the Compensation Committee Chair and interaction with executives was generally limited to discussions as required to compile information at the Compensation Committee’s direction. During fiscal year 2021, Compensation Resources did not provide services to the Company. Based on these factors and its own evaluation of Compensation Resources independence pursuant to the requirements approved and adopted by the SEC, the Compensation Committee has determined that the work performed by Compensation Resources does not raise any conflicts of interest.

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our executive compensation philosophy calls for competitive total compensation that will reward executives for achieving individual and corporate performance objectives and will attract, motivate and retain leaders who will drive the creation of shareholder value. It incorporates elements that create shareholder value by driving financial performance, retaining a high-performing and talented executive team, and aligning the interests of the executive team with the interests of shareholders. The Compensation Committee reviews the compensation and benefit programs for executive officers, including the named executive officers, and performs an annual assessment of the Company’s executive compensation policy. In determining total compensation, the Compensation Committee considers the objectives and attributes described below.

Compensation Analysis Peer Group

After consideration of business models, company revenue and market capitalization of other companies in the Company’s technology industry segment, and with the input from Compensation Resources, Inc., the compensation consultant used by the Company at the time the study was last conducted, the Compensation Committee established the following list of peer companies to provide a comparative framework for use in setting executive compensation:

Executive Officer Base Salaries and Compensation Comparisons

Compensation plans are developed by utilizing publicly available compensation data in the information technology and software services industries. We believe that the practices of these groups of companies provide us with appropriate compensation benchmarks, because these groups of companies are in similar businesses and tend to compete with us for executives and other employees. For benchmarking executive compensation, we typically review the compensation data we have collected from these groups of companies, as well as a subset of the data from those companies that have a similar number of employees as the Company. The Compensation Committee has determined to utilize the services of a consultant for purposes of comparing our compensation program with similarly situated companies in like industries. The recommendations of these consultants will be utilized by the Compensation Committee in determining the appropriate compensation packages in addition to taking into account the unique global scale of the Company’s business. While these consultants may make general recommendations about the size and components of compensation, we anticipate our philosophy to continue on the basis of a pay-for-performance philosophy.

In establishing the compensation of our named Chief Executive Officer, we based the amounts primarily on the market data and advice provided by Compensation Resources, Inc. with respect to the compensation paid to individuals who perform substantially similar functions within the peer group companies. In connection with the other named executive officers, we also relied on the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer’s analysis relative to those individuals’ performance and compensation. We also examined the outstanding stock options and equity grants held by the executive officers for the purpose of considering the retention value of any additional equity awards.

As a general guideline, for our named executive officers, we aim to set base salary, cash compensation and total compensation at approximately the mean market range. Our analysis determined that the base salary of our Chief Executive officer was slightly above the mean, cash compensation was generally within the mean, but the total direct compensation was below the mean. As such, it was determined to develop a long-term, performance-based element of the compensation that brought the total direct compensation within the mean.

2021 Executive Compensation Components

Base Salary

An executive’s base salary is a fixed element of the executive’s compensation intended to attract and retain executives. It is evaluated together with components of the executive’s other compensation to ensure that the executive’s total compensation is consistent with our overall compensation philosophy. Base salaries are adjusted annually by the Compensation Committee.

The base salaries were established in arms-length negotiations between the executive and the Company, considering their extensive experience, knowledge of the industry, track record, and achievements on behalf of the Company. The Company expects each named executive officer to contribute to the Company’s overall success as a member of the executive team rather than focus solely on specific objectives within the officer’s area of responsibility.

We provided a 3% increase in base salary for Ms. McGlasson in fiscal 2020. Due to the effects of COVID-19, the Company reduced her base salary by 13%. We provided a 4% increase in base salary for Mr. Almond in fiscal 2020. Due to the effects of COVID-19, the Company reduced his salary by 13%. In fiscal year 2020, Mr. Ghauri’s base salary did not increase. Due to the effects of COVID-19, Mr. Ghauri’s base salary was reduced by 4.7%. Mr. Ghauri’s perquisites were reduced by 8% for a total compensation reduction of 5.4%. The Compensation Committee determined that salary alone was an adequate basis for short term compensation, and that equity incentives would be used for the long-term elements of incentive programs for Ms. McGlasson and Mr. Almond.

Annual Bonus

Our compensation program includes eligibility for bonuses as rewarded by the Compensation Committee. All executives are eligible for annual performance-based cash bonuses in accordance with Company policies. The Compensation Committee takes into consideration the executive’s performance during the previous year to determine eligibility for discretionary bonuses. Further, the compensation committee will review, if applicable, the performance criteria set forth in an executive’s previous year’s agreement and will determine if the executive has met such criteria in order to achieve the bonus. The Company’s bonus criteria at the executive management level, is typically based on a gross revenue and income from operations targets. Cash bonuses, if any for 2021 are reflected in the summary of compensation discussed below starting on page 43. For 2021, based on structured KPI’s by the compensation committee, Mr. Ghauri earned a bonus of $67,500. See bonus structure as discussed below on page 41. The Compensation Committee determined that Gross Revenue and Income from Operations structure used in fiscal 2021 continues to be a proper measure for measuring Mr. Ghauri’s performance in that it encourages his participation in revenue generating activities and continues to incentivize him to monitor and maximize cost efficiency.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation

We believe that long-term performance is achieved through an ownership culture that encourages long-term participation by our executives in equity-based awards. Because base salary and equity awards are such basic elements of compensation within our industry, as well as the high technology and software industries in general, and are generally expected by employees, we believe that these components must be included in our compensation mix in order for us to compete effectively for talented executives. We award time based vested stock from our Equity Incentive Plans for several reasons. First, such awards facilitate retention of our executives. Restricted stock generally vests only if the executive remains employed by the Company. Second, time-based stock awards align executive compensation with the interests of our shareholders and thereby focuses executives on increasing value for the shareholders. Time vested stock generally only provides a superior return if the stock price appreciates, and results in materially less dilution to the shareholders than options while frequently providing equivalent value to the employee at less cost to the Company than options. In determining the number of shares to be granted to executives, we take into account the individual’s position, scope of responsibility, ability to affect profits and shareholder value, past and recent performance, and the estimated value of shares at the time of grant. Assuming individual performance at a level satisfactory to the Compensation Committee, the size of total equity compensation is generally targeted at the 50th percentile for the peer group. As indicated above, market data, including compensation percentiles, were among several factors the committee reviewed in determining compensation.

Equity incentives provided to executives are determined by the Fair Market Value of our common stock on the grant date. Each executive’s stock award was based on an analysis of the Compensation Committee of an appropriate overall cash compensation for each individual taking into account their position and compensation at similarly situated companies. Each executive’s stock award was based on a desired overall compensation cash value less the base salary as approved by the Compensation Committee.

In fiscal year 2020, Ms. McGlasson and Mr. Almond received a grant of 7,500 and 10,000 shares of common stock, respectively, vesting quarterly over a two-year period.

Mr. Najeeb Ghauri is eligible to receive grants of shares based on the performance criteria connected to gross revenues and net income from operations as discussed below. The total compensation including equity grants is designed to bring the Chief Executive Officer to the mean market average.

Mr. Najeeb Ghauri’s bonus for fiscal year 2021 is based on the total revenues and income from operations on a graduated basis. The following table demonstrates the graduated percentage of bonus that Mr. Ghauri will be eligible to earn based on the percentage of the goal achieved. Bonuses will be paid 60% in cash and 40% in shares of common stock valued on June 30, 2021. Total net revenues and income from operations are based on those values reported for the year ending June 30, 2021 excluding any adjustments relating to changes in revenue recognition policy.

Mr. Ghauri’s bonus for the fiscal year 2022 will be based on the same criteria stated above.

Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits

We provide named executive officers with perquisites and other personal benefits that we believe are reasonable and consistent with our overall compensation program to better enable the Company to attract and retain superior employees for key positions. The Compensation Committee periodically reviews the level of perquisites and other personal benefits provided to NETSOL’s executive officers.

We maintain benefits and perquisites that are offered to all employees, including health and dental insurance. Benefits and perquisites may vary in different country locations and are consistent with local practices and regulations.

Termination Based Compensation

Upon termination of employment, all executive officers with a written employment agreement are entitled to receive severance payments under their employment agreements. In determining whether to approve, and as part of the process of setting the terms of, such severance arrangements, the Compensation Committee recognizes that executives and officers often face challenges securing new employment following termination. Further, the Committee recognizes that many of the named executives and officers have participated in the Company since its founding and that this participation has not resulted in a return on their investments. Termination and Change in Control Payments considered both the risk and the dedication of these executives’ service to the Company.

Our Chief Executive Officer has an employment agreement that provides, if his employment is terminated without cause or if the executive terminates the agreement with Good Reason, he is entitled to (a) all remaining salary to the end of the date of termination, plus salary from the end of the employment term through the end of the fourth anniversary of the date of termination, and (b) the continuation by the Company of medical and dental insurance coverage for him and his family until the end of the employment term and through the end of the fourth anniversary of the date of termination. Provided, however, if such benefits cannot be continued for this extended period, the Executive shall receive cash (including a tax-equivalency payment for Federal, state and local income and payroll taxes assuming Executive is in the maximum tax bracket for all such purposes) where such benefits may not be continued. These agreements further provide for vesting of all options and restrictive stock grants, if any.

Our Chief Financial Officer has an employment agreement that provides, if his employment is terminated without cause or if the executive terminates the agreement with Good Reason, he is entitled to (a) all remaining salary to the end of the date of termination, plus salary from the end of the employment term through the end of the first anniversary of the date of termination, and (b) the continuation by the Company of medical and dental insurance coverage for him and his family until the end of the employment term and through the end of the first anniversary from the date of termination. Provided, however, if such benefits cannot be continued for this extended period, the Executive shall receive cash (including a tax-equivalency payment for Federal, state and local income and payroll taxes assuming Executive is in the maximum tax bracket for all such purposes) where such benefits may not be continued. These agreements further provide for vesting of all options and restrictive stock grants, if any.

The Secretary of the Company has an employment agreement that provides, if she is terminated without cause or if the executive terminates the agreement with Good Reason, she is entitled to (a) all remaining salary to the end of the date of termination, plus salary from the end of the employment term through the end of the second anniversary of the date of termination, and (b) the continuation by the Company of medical and dental insurance coverage for her and her family until the end of the employment term and through the end of the second anniversary of the date of termination. Provided, however, if such benefits cannot be continued for this extended period, the Executive shall receive cash (including a tax-equivalency payment for Federal, state and local income and payroll taxes assuming Executive is in the maximum tax bracket for all such purposes) where such benefits may not be continued. These agreements further provide for vesting of all options and restrictive stock grants, if any.

These agreements were designed to assist in the retention of the services of our named executives and to determine in advance the rights and remedies of the parties in connection with any termination. The types and amounts of compensation and the triggering events set forth in these agreements were based on a review of the terms and conditions of normal and customary agreements in our competitive marketplace.

Tax and Accounting Implications

Deductibility of Executive Compensation

As part of its role, the Compensation Committee reviews and considers the deductibility of executive compensation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides that we may not deduct compensation of more than $1,000,000 that is paid to certain individuals. The Compensation Committee is aware of the limitations imposed by Section 162(m) and considers the issue of deductibility when and if circumstances warrant. The committee reviews proposed compensation plans in light of applicable tax deductions, and generally seeks to maximize the deductibility for tax purposes of all elements of compensation. However, the committee may approve compensation that does not qualify for deductibility, including stock option and time-based restricted stock awards, if and when the committee deems it to be in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

Commencing on July 1, 2006, we began accounting for stock-based payments, including awards under our Employee Stock Option Plans, in accordance with the of Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation.

Summary Compensation

The following table shows the compensation for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, 2020, and 2019, earned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer who is our Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, and others considered to be executive officers of the Company.

(1) The stock was awarded as compensation to the officers. See also Grants of Plan Based Awards. These amounts do not reflect compensation actually received by the named executive officer. These amounts represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the stock awards granted during the relevant time period, computed in accordance with FASB ASC 718, excluding the effect of any estimated forfeitures based on vesting conditions. The awards for which the aggregate grant date fair value is shown in this column include awards described under the Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table and in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table.

(2) Bonus was awarded based on Mr. Ghauri’s bonus structure as detailed on page 41.

(3) The life of 20,000 outstanding options, granted in February 2009, was extended for one year for the year ended June 30, 2019.

(4) Per Mr. Najeeb Ghauri’s compensation agreement, he received $180,383, $156,586 and $200,000 in allowances, perquisites and benefits such as car allowance, insurance premiums, and home office allowance for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

(5) Consists of $400,000 base salary and $367,768 commission for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.

(6) Per Mr. Naeem Ghauri’s compensation agreement, he received $77,045 in allowances, perquisites and benefits for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.

(7) Consists of $8,872, $10,639 and $10,191 paid for medical and dental insurance premiums for participation in the health insurance program for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $24,000 paid as car allowance for the year ended June 30, 2021.

(8) Consists of $9,784, $10,019 and $9,935 paid for medical and dental insurance premiums for participation in the health insurance program for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards

In September 2016, Mr. Najeeb Ghauri was granted 82,644 shares of the Company’s common stock which 50% vested immediately and the remaining 50% vested annually from June 2017 to June 2021. The shares were approved by the Compensation Committee as an incentive for the named officer.

In July 2018, Mr. Roger Almond was granted 10,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, which vest quarterly over the period of three years. The shares were approved by the Compensation Committee as an incentive for the named officer.

In August 2019, Mr. Roger Almond was granted 10,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, which vest quarterly over the period of two years. The shares were approved by the Compensation Committee as an incentive for the named officer.

In July 2018, Ms. Patti McGlasson was granted 7,500 shares of the Company’s common stock, which vest quarterly over the period of two years. The shares were approved by the Compensation Committee as an incentive for the named officer.

In August 2019, Ms. Patti McGlasson was granted 7,500 shares of the Company’s common stock, which vest quarterly over the period of two years. The shares were approved by the Compensation Committee as an incentive for the named officer.

Discussion of Summary Compensation Table

The terms of our executive officers’ compensation are derived from our employment agreements with them and the annual performance review by our Compensation Committee. The terms of Mr. Najeeb Ghauri’s employment agreement with the Company were the result of negotiations between the Company and the executive and were approved by our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors. The terms of Ms. McGlasson’s and Mr. Almond’s employment agreement with the Company were the result of negotiations between our Chief Executive Officer and the employees and were approved by our Compensation Committee.

Employment Agreement with Najeeb Ghauri

Effective January 1, 2007, the Company entered into an Employment Agreement with our Chief Executive Officer, Najeeb Ghauri (the “CEO Agreement”). The CEO Agreement was amended effective January 1, 2008, January 1, 2010, July 25, 2013 and again on June 30, 2014. Changes made in the June 30, 2014 amendment are effective July 1, 2014. Pursuant to the CEO Agreement, as amended, between Mr. Ghauri and the Company (the “CEO Agreement”), the Company agreed to employ Mr. Ghauri as its Chief Executive Officer for a five-year term. The term of employment automatically renews for 12 additional months unless notice of intent to terminate is received by either party at least 6 months prior to the end of the term. For the fiscal year 2021, Mr. Ghauri is entitled to an annualized compensation of $900,000 consisting of salary, allowances, perquisites and benefits, and is eligible for annual bonuses based on the bonus structure adopted by the Compensation Committee as described in Item 11 under Executive Compensation beginning on page 39. As previously discussed, the $900,000 was temporarily reduced to $851,000 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective July 1, 2021, Mr. Ghauri’s salary, including allowances, was increased to $900,000. Mr. Ghauri is entitled to six weeks of paid vacation per calendar year.

The CEO Agreement also includes provisions respecting severance, non-solicitation, non-competition, and confidentiality obligations. Pursuant to the CEO Agreement, if he terminates his employment for Good Reason (as described below), or, is terminated prior to the end of the employment term by the Company other than for Cause (as described below) or death, he shall be entitled to all remaining salary from the termination date until 48 months thereafter, at the rate of salary in effect on the date of termination, immediate vesting of all options and continuation of all health related plan benefits for a period of 48 months. He shall have no obligation to seek other employment and any income so earned shall not reduce the foregoing amounts. If he is terminated by the Company for Cause (as described below), or at the end of the employment term, he shall not be entitled to further compensation. Under the CEO Agreement, Good Reason includes the assignment of duties inconsistent with his title, a material reduction in salary and perquisites, the relocation of the Company’s principal office by 30 miles, if the Company asks him to perform any act which is illegal, including the commission of a crime or act of moral turpitude, or a material breach of the CEO Agreement by the Company. Under the CEO Agreement, Cause includes conviction of crime involving moral turpitude, failure to perform his duties to the Company, engaging in activities which are directly competitive to or intentionally injurious to the Company, or any material breach of the CEO Agreement by Mr. Ghauri.

The above summary of the CEO Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the CEO Agreement, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007. The above summary of the First Amendment is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008. The above summary of the Second Amendment is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 10-Q for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. The above summary of the Third Amendment is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 8-K filed on July 26, 2013. The above summary of the Fourth Amendment is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 8-K filed on July 3, 2014.

Employment Agreement with Roger K. Almond

Effective March 1, 2015, the Company entered into an Employment Agreement with our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Roger K. Almond. Pursuant to the Employment Agreement, between Mr. Almond and the Company (the “CFO Agreement”), the Company agreed to employ Mr. Almond as its Chief Financial Officer from the date of the CFO Agreement through February 28, 2017. According to the terms of the CFO Agreement, the term of the agreement automatically extends for an additional one-year period unless notice of intent to terminate is received by either party at least 6 months prior to the end of the term. For the fiscal year 2020, Mr. Almond is entitled to an annualized base salary of $230,381 per annum, a $2,000 per month car allowance, 10,000 shares of common stock to be granted equally on a quarterly basis over 2 years issued after each quarter of service through June 30, 2021 and is eligible for annual bonuses at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer. As previously discussed, the $230,381 base salary was temporarily reduced to $186,515 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective July 1, 2021, Mr. Almond’s salary, was increased to $221,041. In addition, Mr. Almond is entitled to participate in the Company’s equity incentive plans and is entitled to four weeks of paid vacation per calendar year.

The CFO Agreement also includes provisions respecting severance, non-solicitation, non-competition, and confidentiality obligations. Pursuant to the CFO Agreement, if he terminates his employment for Good Reason (as described below), or, is terminated prior to the end of the employment term by the Company other than for Cause (as described below) or death, he shall be entitled to all remaining salary from the termination date until 12 months thereafter, at the rate of salary in effect on the date of termination, immediate vesting of all options and continuation of all health related plan benefits for a period of 12 months. He shall have no obligation to seek other employment and any income so earned shall not reduce the foregoing amounts. If he is terminated by the Company for Cause (as described below), or at the end of the employment term, he shall not be entitled to further compensation. Under the CFO Agreement, Good Reason includes the assignment of duties inconsistent with his title, a material reduction in salary and perquisites, the relocation of the Company’s principal office by 60 miles, if the Company asks him to perform any act which is illegal, including the commission of a crime or act of moral turpitude, or a material breach of the CFO Agreement by the Company. Under the CFO Agreement, Cause includes conviction of crime involving moral turpitude, failure to perform his duties to the Company, engaging in activities which are directly competitive to or intentionally injurious to the Company, or any material breach of the CFO Agreement by Mr. Almond.

The above summary of the CFO Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the CFO Agreement, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 8-K filed on March 4, 2015.

Employment Agreement with Patti L. W. McGlasson

Effective May 1, 2006, the Company entered into an Employment Agreement with our Secretary, General Counsel and Sr. Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Ms. Patti L. W. McGlasson. Pursuant to the Employment Agreement and its related amendments, between Ms. McGlasson and the Company (the “General Counsel Agreement”), the Company agreed to employ Ms. McGlasson as its Secretary and General Counsel from the date of the General Counsel Agreement through June 30, 2017. According to the terms of the General Counsel Agreement, the term of the agreement automatically extends for an additional one-year period unless notice of intent to terminate is received by either party at least 6 months prior to the end of the term. The General Counsel Agreement was amended on July 25, 2013 and again on June 30, 2014 (the General Counsel Agreement and all amendments referred to as the “GC Agreement”). Changes made in the June 30, 2014 amendment are effective July 1, 2014. Under the GC Agreement, Ms. McGlasson is entitled to an annualized base salary of $232,896 per annum, 7,500 shares of common stock to be granted equally on a quarterly basis over 2 years issued after each quarter of service through June 30, 2021 and is eligible for annual bonuses at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer. As previously discussed, the $232,896 was temporarily reduced to $188,552 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective July 1, 2021, Ms. McGlasson’s salary, was increased to $212,384. In addition, Ms. McGlasson is entitled to participate in the Company’s equity incentive plans and, is entitled to six weeks of paid vacation per calendar year.

The General Counsel Agreement also includes provisions respecting severance, non-solicitation, non-competition, and confidentiality obligations. Pursuant to the General Counsel Agreement, if she terminates her employment for Good Reason (as described below), or, is terminated prior to the end of the employment term by the Company other than for Cause (as described below) or death, she shall be entitled to all remaining salary from the termination date until 24 months thereafter, at the rate of salary in effect on the date of termination, immediate vesting of all options and continuation of all health related plan benefits for a period of 24 months. She shall have no obligation to seek other employment and any income so earned shall not reduce the foregoing amounts. If she is terminated by the Company for Cause (as described below), or at the end of the employment term, she shall not be entitled to further compensation. Under the General Counsel Agreement, Good Reason includes the assignment of duties inconsistent with her title, a material reduction in salary and perquisites, the relocation of the Company’s principal office by 60 miles, if the Company asks her to perform any act which is illegal, including the commission of a crime or act of moral turpitude, or a material breach of the General Counsel Agreement by the Company. Under the General Counsel Agreement, Cause includes conviction of crime involving moral turpitude, failure to perform her duties to the Company, engaging in activities which are directly competitive to or intentionally injurious to the Company, or any material breach of the General Counsel Agreement by Ms. McGlasson.

The above summary of the General Counsel Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the General Counsel Agreement, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 on September 27, 2006. The above summary is also qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment to the General Counsel Agreement, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. The above summary is also qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Second Amendment to the General Counsel Agreement, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 8-K filed on July 26, 2013. The above summary is also qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Third Amendment to the General Counsel Agreement, a copy of which was filed as an exhibit to the Company’s 8-K filed on July 3, 2014.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

As of June 30, 2021, there are no outstanding stock options or grants of unvested stock awards.

Pension Benefits