Item 1A. Risk Factors.” Moreover, we and our subsidiaries operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K. We cannot assure you that the results, events, and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events, or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-K relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-K to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. We and our subsidiaries may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments we may make.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

The Marygold Companies, Inc., a Nevada corporation (together with its subsidiaries, “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company,” or “The Marygold Companies), is a holding company which operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries engaged in certain diverse business activities listed below:

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Fund Management - USCF Investments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“USCF Investments”), with corporate headquarters in Walnut Creek, California and its wholly-owned subsidiaries:

	○	United States Commodity Funds, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“USCF LLC”), and
	○	USCF Advisers, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“USCF Advisers”). The principal place of business for each of USCF LLC and USCF Advisers is in Walnut Creek, California.

	○	Marygold & Co., a Delaware corporation, based in Denver, Colorado, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Marygold & Co. Advisory Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, whose principal business office is in New Albany, Ohio;
	○	Marygold & Co., (UK) Limited, a private limited company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, whose registered office is in London, England, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries:

	■	Tiger Financial & Asset Management Limited, a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, whose registered office is in Northampton, England; and
	■	Step-By-Step Financial Planners Limited, a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, whose registered office is in Staffordshire, England.

We manage the operations of our subsidiaries and their related businesses on a decentralized basis. There are no centralized or integrated operational functions such as marketing, sales, legal or other professional services and there is little involvement by our executive management in the day-to-day business affairs of our operating subsidiary businesses apart from oversight. Our executive management team is primarily responsible for vision and strategy of the Company while effectively implementing capital allocation decisions, investment activities, leadership talent selection, development, performance and retention of the management executives to head each of the operating subsidiaries. Our executive management is also responsible for organizational accountability, corporate governance practices, monitoring regulatory affairs, including those of our operating businesses and involvement in governance-related issues of its subsidiaries as needed.

We were incorporated in the state of Nevada on January 26, 2000. Our corporate headquarters are located in San Clemente, California.

Human capital and resources are an integral part of our businesses. Our business units employed 116 people located in various parts of the world such as, New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain and the United States through the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. This includes all full and part-time employees as well as executives at our corporate headquarters in San Clemente, California. Consistent with our decentralized management philosophy, our operating business units individually establish competitive compensation packages to attract, retain and reward people within their organizations. Given the varied business activities, our business units have policies and practices to address, among other things, maintaining a safe working environment, eliminating workplace harm, both mental and physical, providing various health and retirement benefits, as well as incentives to recognize and reward performance on an individual and company goal performance basis.

Subsidiary Business Overview

Fund Management - USCF Investments

In 2016, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding stock in USCF Investments, Inc. (“USCF Investments”). USCF Investments is a U.S. corporation organized in the state of Delaware. USCF Investments is the parent and sole member of two fund management limited liability companies formed in the state of Delaware: United States Commodity Funds, LLC (“USCF LLC”) and USCF Advisers, LLC (“USCF Advisers”). USCF LLC and USCF Advisers are each registered as a commodity pool operator, and each is a member of the National Futures Association. USCF Advisers is also registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Advisers Act”). USCF LLC and USCF Advisers, together with USCF Investments will be referred to hereafter as “USCF Investments.”

USCF LLC and USCF Advisers provide investment fund management and advisory services and receive management and/or investment advisory fees for providing such services to each of the ETFs it manages. Currently, USCF LLC and USCF Advisers collectively manage and service 16 exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), the shares or other interests of which are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The ETFs managed by USCF LLC and USCF Advisers have a combined total of $2.9 billion in assets under management (“AUM”) as of June 30, 2024.

Currently, USCF LLC serves as the general partner or sponsor of the following ETFs, each of which is conducting an ongoing public offering of its shares or interests pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”):

USCF Advisers, a registered investment adviser, is the investment adviser to the funds listed below each a separate series of the USCF ETF Trust (“ETF Trust”) and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the ETF Trust. Pursuant to investment advisory agreements, USCF Advisers provides an investment program for each series of the ETF Trust and manages the investment of the funds’ assets.

USCF Investments’ revenue and expenses are primarily based upon and determined by the amount of AUM of the funds its subsidiaries manage. USCF Investments’ subsidiaries each earn monthly management and advisory fees based on its agreements with each fund. The management fees for a fund are determined on the basis of the percentage management fee structure for such fund as forth in its advisory agreement with the fund multiplied by the average AUM of such fund over a given period. Many of the company’s expenses are dependent upon the amount of AUM. These variable expenses include fund administration, custody, accounting, transfer agency, marketing and distribution, and sub-adviser fees and are primarily determined by multiplying contractual fee rates by AUM.

For the year ended June 30, 2024, 75% of USCF Investments’ revenue were attributed to its subsidiaries’ management of its three largest funds as follows: United States Oil Fund, LP; United States Natural Gas Fund, LP and USCF Midstream Energy Income Fund. For the year ended June 30, 2023, 73% of USCF Investments’ revenue was attributable to its subsidiaries’ management of United States Oil Fund, LP; United States Natural Gas Fund, LP and United States Commodity Index Fund.

Competition

USCF Investments competes with other commodity fund managers which include larger, better financed companies and other boutique companies that offer ETFs similar to those offered by USCF Investments. Also, the larger and better financed competitors may be able to sponsor, develop and offer new ETFs more readily than USCF Investments. Many of these competitors have substantially greater technical and human resources than USCF Investments does, as well as greater experience in the discovery, research and development of products and the commercialization of those products. Our competitors’ products may have better performance or are more effectively marketed and sold, than any products we may commercialize. USCF Investments believes that it has carved out a unique set of ETFs that were first to market and it continues to create and launch funds that remain focused on its core business platform in the commodity sector of non-renewable energy while expanding its commodity index funds between broad commodities, equity and a mix of commodities and equities index funds. The ability to create and launch bespoke funds and series funds that provide exposure to certain commodity and equity groups allows USCF Investments to compete in this industry space as a boutique investment management company. USCF Investments will continue to develop and consider new fund opportunities identified through its research efforts and review of market needs. However, the cost of launching and seeding new funds is dependent upon existing and new capital resources. The ability to successfully launch new funds while competing with much larger financial institutions with greater financial and human capital will be challenging.

Regulation

USCF Investments’ operating subsidiaries, USCF LLC and USCF Advisers, are subject to certain federal, state and local laws and regulations generally applicable to the investment services industry. USCF is a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the National Futures Association (“NFA”) under the Commodities Exchange Act of 1936, as amended (“CEA”). USCF Advisers is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act and as a CPO under the CEA. Ongoing public offerings of the shares or other interests by ETFs sponsored by USCF LLC are required to be registered with the SEC under the Securities Act and each ETF has SEC reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Securities Exchange Act”). Each series of the ETF Trust managed by USCF Advisers is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

Employees

USCF Investments’ operating subsidiaries have 14 full-time employees, a majority of whom are located in its Walnut Creek, California office. The operating subsidiaries are responsible for the retention of sub-advisers to manage the investments of each managed Funds’ assets in conformity with their respective investment policies if the operating subsidiary does not provide those services directly. USCF Investments’ operating subsidiaries may also retain third-parties to provide custody, distribution, fund administration, transfer agency, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for each fund to operate. USCF Investments, through its operating subsidiaries, bears all of its own expenses associated with providing these advisory services such as the expenses of the members of the independent board of directors. Independent director expenses are apportioned on a pro rata basis over each fund affiliated with USCF Investments.

Intellectual Property

USCF Investments subsidiary USCF LLC has registered the trademarks for the names “USCF LLC” and “USCF Advisers” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”). The funds for which USCF LLC is a general partner or sponsor have registered trademarks owned by USCF LLC. USCF LLC was granted two patents Nos. 7,739,186 and 8,019,675 by the PTO for systems and methods for an exchange traded fund (ETF) that track the price of one or more commodities.

Litigation

Please refer to “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies – Litigation” to the financial statements included in this Form 10-K.

Food Products - Gourmet Foods

In 2015, we acquired Gourmet Foods, Ltd., a registered New Zealand company. Gourmet Foods manufactures and sells wholesale bakery products, meat pies and patisserie cakes and slices in New Zealand. Gourmet Foods manufactures wholesale bakery products, meat pies, patisserie cakes and slices on a commercial scale under brand names Ponsonby Pies and Pats Pantry and distributes substantially all of its goods to supermarkets and service station chains with stores located throughout New Zealand.

In 2020, Gourmet Foods acquired Printstock Products Limited (“Printstock”), a Flexographic printing company based in Napier, New Zealand that prints specialty wrappers for the food industry in Australia and New Zealand including those used by Gourmet Foods. Printstock’s operating results are consolidated with those of Gourmet Foods. Gourmet Foods and Printstock are collectively referred to hereinafter as “Gourmet Foods.”

Products and Customers

Gourmet Foods has two major product lines: 1) baking and 2) food wrapper printing. While these product lines are comprised of different customers and supply chains, we consider the consolidation of Gourmet Foods with Printstock to be within the food industry as Printstock only supplies its products to the manufacturers in the food industry, some of which are competitors to Gourmet Foods, and the inclusion of Printstock to the Gourmet Foods operations does not extend its presence beyond the food industry. Therefore, for the purpose of segment reporting, both revenue streams are considered part of the same “food products” segment.

Baking and Printing: Within the baking sector Gourmet Foods has three major customer groups: 1) grocery, 2) gasoline convenience stores, and 3) independent retailers and cafes. The grocery industry in New Zealand is dominated by several large chain operations, each of which is a customer of Gourmet Foods. There can be no assurance that these customers will continue to purchase products from Gourmet Foods, however, in view of the length of the relationship with such customers, management believes that such customers will continue purchasing Gourmet Foods’ products. In the gasoline convenience store market customer group, Gourmet Foods supplies a marketing consortium of gasoline dealers operating under the same brand and a consortium of gasoline convenience stores. The third major customer group is independent retailers and cafes. The printing sector of Gourmet Foods’ revenues is comprised of many customers, some large and some small. The two largest customers in the printing sector represented 67% of printing sector revenue in fiscal 2024.

Sources and Availability of Materials

Gourmet Foods, including Printstock, is not dependent upon any one major supplier as many alternative sources are available locally. However, the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in increased cost of raw ingredients and local shipping. These cost increases, coupled with the rising cost of labor, have negatively impacted Gourmet Foods profit margins and, in some instances, its ability to meet market demand in a timely manner. Although raw material availability has begun to return to normal levels, there remains a shortage of qualified labor for both the bakery and the printing sector. Gourmet Foods is focused on securing the best prices available for raw materials in the local market and recruiting experienced staff.

Competition

Gourmet Foods competes with other commercial-scale manufacturers of meat pies in New Zealand and Australia. Competitors’ products may be more effective, or more effectively marketed and sold, than products Gourmet Foods may commercialize. Larger competitors in New Zealand also enjoy economies of scale in production allowing them to offer products at lower retail prices, making it difficult for us to compete in the growing online sales channel of home deliveries. In an effort to expand its market presence and limit competitive interference, Gourmet Foods from time to time creates new products such as vegan pies, sausage rolls, and other items currently novel to New Zealand. Upon market acceptance of these new entrants, Gourmet Foods is able to sustain higher profit margins in the absence of direct competition. Gourmet Foods has also improved a portion of its supply chain by acquiring Printstock, which prints the food wrappers utilized by Gourmet Foods. Printstock, in turn, also faces competition from other New Zealand-based printing companies who offer similar services to the food production industry.

Seasonality

The location of Gourmet Foods in the southern hemisphere provides it with a warm Christmas holiday season and some increased business as customers tend to be traveling and purchase more ready-to-eat foods. Although this increase in sales is observable, it is not deemed significant.

Regulation

In New Zealand, Gourmet Foods is required to have certain permits from health regulatory agencies and export permits for certain products it exports. Gourmet Foods is also subject to local regulations customary in the food processing, manufacturing and distribution industry in New Zealand. Gourmet Foods believes it has all necessary licenses and permits and is compliant in all material respects with New Zealand laws and local regulations.

Employees

Gourmet Foods, including Printstock, had 52 full-time employees in New Zealand as of June 30, 2024.

Intellectual Property

Gourmet Foods, Ponsonby Pies and Pat’s Pantry are all registered trademarks of Gourmet Foods, Ltd. in New Zealand.

Security Systems - Brigadier

In 2016, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding stock in Brigadier Security Systems (2000) Ltd. (“Brigadier”), a Canadian corporation. Brigadier was originally established in 1985. Brigadier has two hubs, one in Regina (Elite Security) and one in Saskatoon (Brigadier Security), in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. Brigadier sells and installs alarm monitoring, access controls, ULC approved fire monitoring panels, and security systems to commercial and residential customers under the brand names “Brigadier Security Systems” and “Elite Security” throughout the Province of Saskatchewan.

Services, Products and Customers

Brigadier is a leading electronic security company in the Province of Saskatchewan. Brigadier provides comprehensive security solutions including access control, camera systems, fire alarm monitoring panels, and intrusion alarms to home and business owners as well as government offices, schools, and public buildings. Its experience as the provider of choice for many large notable sites shows a commitment to design, service and support. Brigadier specializes and is certified to offer several major manufacturers’ products, including: Honeywell Security, Panasonic, Avigilon and JCI/DSC/Kantech security products.

Brigadier is an authorized SecurTek dealer. SecurTek is owned by SaskTel, Saskatchewan’s leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider with over 1.4 million customer connections across Canada. Under the terms of its authorized dealer contract with the monitoring company, Brigadier earns monthly payments during the term of the monitoring contract in exchange for performance of customer service activities on behalf of the monitoring company.

Brigadier is partially dependent upon its contractual relationship with an alarm monitoring company that provides monitoring services to Brigadier’s customers. In the event this contract is terminated, Brigadier would be compelled to find an alternate source of alarm monitoring or establish such a facility itself. Management believes that the contractual relationship is sustainable, and has been for many years, but that alternate solutions would be available if such monitoring company terminates its agreement with Brigadier. Sales to its largest customer, which includes contracts and recurring monthly support fees, were 42% of Brigadier’s total revenue for each of the years ended June 30, 2024 and 2023.

Sources and Availability of Materials

Brigadier purchases alarm panels, digital and analog cameras, mounting hardware and accessory items needed to complete security installations from a variety of sources. The manufacture of electronic items such as those sought by Brigadier has expanded to a global scale thus providing Brigadier with a broad choice of suppliers. Brigadier bases its vendor selection on several criteria including: price, availability, shipping costs, quality, suitability for purpose and the technical support of the manufacturer. Brigadier is not reliant on any one supplier.

Competition

Brigadier competes with several larger, better financed companies that offer similar products and services in Saskatchewan and Canada generally as well as globally. In addition, Brigadier may face increasing competition as disruptive technologies enter the market. However, with respect to the market share it currently enjoys, Brigadier expects to maintain its current market position in Saskatchewan and believes that opportunities exist to capitalize on the deployment of new technologies within this market. Brigadier’s management will continue efforts to capture additional customers through organic growth and a focus on quality.

Seasonality

Due to its location in Canada, winter weather may negatively affect its ability to complete some installations, particularly those involving new construction. For this reason, during the period from November through March Brigadier’s revenue is typically lower than during other months of the year.

Employees

Brigadier had 20 full-time employees in Canada as of June 30, 2024.

Beauty Products - Original Sprout

In 2017, we acquired all of the assets of Original Sprout LLC. Original Sprout LLC was founded in 2003. Original Sprout is engaged in the retail sales and wholesale distribution of hair and skin care products under the brand name Original Sprout on a global scale. Original Sprout formulates and packages various hair and skin care products that are 100% vegan, tested safe and non-toxic, and marketed globally through distribution networks to salons, resorts, grocery stores, health food stores, e-tail sites and on Original Sprout’s website. Original Sprout operates from warehouse and sales offices located in San Clemente, California.

Products and Customers

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Original Sprout has adjusted its primary distribution and marketing channels. Prior to the pandemic Original Sprout relied heavily upon its wholesale distribution network to place products at retail locations and generally to make products available to consumers, whereas during COVID-19 that resulted in social distancing and closures of retail businesses, consumers avoided traditional sales outlets. In response to this trend, many of Original Sprout’s domestic distributors became retailers by selling direct to consumers on e-tail platforms. Original Sprout, in defense of its brand and price points, was compelled to transition from its wholesale distribution model to making direct sales to retail outlets and consumers through online platforms as well as through wholesalers. The negative effects of this transition resulted in reduced sales and increased operating losses as a result of the cancellation of domestic distribution channels. This trend is expected to continue as Original Sprout engages in new brand representation and secures reliable sales channels for its new and existing product lines. As a result, we recorded an impairment loss of $1.4 million during fiscal 2024 related to the goodwill and other intangible assets for Original Sprout.

Original Sprout sells its products through three distribution channels:

During the year ended June 30, 2024, Original Sprout did not have any significant customers; however, certain of Original Sprout’s customers may, from time to time, become significant during the reporting periods.

Sources and Availability of Materials

Original Sprout is reliant upon its relationships with two product formulating and packaging companies who, at the direction of Original Sprout, manufacture its products in accordance with proprietary formulas, package them in appropriate containers supplied by Original Sprout, and deliver the finished goods to Original Sprout for distribution to its customers. All of Original Sprout’s products are currently produced by these two packaging companies. However, management of Original Sprout believes that, if either of these companies were unable to provide such services, there are other similar production and packaging companies available at competitive pricing. Because of the nature of the Original Sprout product ingredients, some of the ingredients may, at times, be difficult to source in a timely fashion or at the expected price point. To safeguard against this possibility Original Sprout endeavors to maintain at least a 90-day supply of all products in stock. Estimating and maintaining a reserve stock account is not a guarantee that a shortage of ingredient supplies will not affect production such that Original Sprout will not exhaust its reserves or be unable to fulfill customer orders.

Competition

Original Sprout manufactures and distributes only 100% vegan, safe and non-toxic, hair and skin care products which it believes differentiates it significantly from competitors that do not employ such standards. The use of organic and natural extracts is a growing trend in the U.S. and abroad, and other established brands are beginning to make products that directly compete with Original Sprout. As more entrants in the high-end, vegan, hair care segment come into existence, some may be better financed and have more brand recognition and resources than Original Sprout. Original Sprout is focused on promoting its own brand name as a recognized pioneer in 100% vegan, safe, effective, hair care products through the recruitment of additional distributors, nationwide retail stores, a continued emphasis on online sales either directly or through retail stores and an increased social media presence. Original Sprout believes that these steps will allow for the growth of annual revenues and market share protection, though there can be no assurance that such efforts will be sufficient to offset the effects of competition in the future.

Seasonality

There is no significant seasonality for sales of products for Original Sprout, although sales may fluctuate around traditional holidays, and certain products, such as sunscreen, are lower in winter months than in summer months.

Regulation

Original Sprout is not required to have permits or inspections by regulatory agencies for the products it formulates and distributes in the U.S.; however, it has chosen to gain recognition from certain testing laboratories and other quasi-regulatory agencies for compliance with accepted standards for hair and skin care ingredients and lack of toxic chemicals in their formulas and processes. For export, Original Sprout is often required to submit its products to foreign government agencies or certified laboratories for ingredient testing prior to being accepted for import as a “safe” product. We believe that Original Sprout products comply with all applicable regulations, both domestic and foreign, in areas where they are sold or distributed.

Intellectual Property

The formulations and ingredient percentages of the many products of Original Sprout are considered its intellectual property, although many cannot be patented, they are maintained as confidential. The names “Original Sprout” and “D’Organiques Original Sprout” are registered trademarks of Original Sprout.

Employees

Original Sprout had eight full-time employees, not including temporary workers or “temp-to-hire” status workers, in California as of June 30, 2024.

Financial Services – Marygold US and Marygold UK

In 2019, we entered the financial services industry to explore opportunities in the financial technology (“Fintech”) space and formed Marygold & Co., a Delaware corporation (“Marygold”). Marygold is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. In 2020, we formed an investment advisory firm, Marygold & Co. Advisory Services, LLC, a Delaware, limited liability company (“Marygold Advisors”) as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marygold. Marygold Advisors is an investment adviser registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act.

Marygold completed its development phase and the launch of its mobile Fintech app in June 2023.

Marygold has developed and continues to enhance and develop a peer-to-peer (“P2P”) Fintech digital money app that facilitates the transfer of cash between two or more people that, unlike competitor apps, does not require both parties to each have the Marygold digital app in order to transfer cash. Marygold app users may choose to transfer or receive cash within the United States efficiently if both users have the app or they may choose to send or receive a check mailed by the U.S. Postal Service to them or send and receive by ACH, email address or by providing a mobile number. This feature is called PayAnyone^®. Every Marygold app user receives a free debit Mastercard^® issued by its partner bank, Community Federal Savings Bank upon completion of a secure onboarding process. Along with the PayAnyone^® feature, the Marygold app also allows users to “Tap & Pay” anywhere Mastercard^® is welcome nationwide as well as for use with online shopping. The Marygold app has the ability to split payments/bills without fees or limits between users. Marygold’s debit Mastercard^® is connected to a widely accepted ATM network system but ATM transactions have fees associated with the use and withdrawal of cash like most bank ATM out of network machines.

The Marygold Fintech app has evolved and, in addition to its Fintech app features, its Marygold’s investment firm subsidiary, Marygold Advisors, allows users to explore and tap into money management education and tools using its bespoke budgeting app product, money pools (“Money Pools”). The Money Pool app feature provides useful digital educational information on personal investing, money management, and saving money for target goals. When a user wants to budget, invest and grow their savings, app users can use the Money Pool budgeting feature based on timeline-oriented goals that allow a user to set a time goal for which they will need to grow their money. After users input their dollar goal into the Money Pool app feature with a goal-oriented time frame, the app provides a choice of three Money Pools for the user to choose from. The investment risk decreases or increases depending on the initial investment and goal-oriented time frame chosen. Understanding this risk/reward investment dynamic, Marygold Advisors created an investment calculator tool within the app to provide users the ability to view their hypothetical investment potential.

Marygold continues to devote considerable resources to the development, marketing and support of its proprietary Fintech software app that is envisioned to provide a competitive mobile experience to its customers. The Fintech app is available for Android and Apple iOS users to download on online app stores for free.

Marygold & Co. and together with Marygold Advisors, are hereinafter referred to as, “Marygold.”

Competition

We have many competitors in the Fintech, or financial technology, services industry, including institutional banks and start-ups, who offer a variety of financial services ranging from neo bank spending/receiving capabilities to loans and investing initiated on digital platforms. The Fintech industry is highly competitive, forcing participants to constantly innovate or to seek niche areas of a target market. Many of Marygold’s competitors have found success in such niche markets as making student loans, investing in crypto currencies, immediate credit for direct deposits, or trading stocks. Marygold is focusing on simplifying the management of its clients’ financial lives by bringing all aspects of banking to one simple to use mobile banking app. With a global market for fintech expected to be in excess of $340 billion in 2024, management anticipates only a small market share will be required for Marygold to be successful in reaching its revenue, profitability and other goals.

Intellectual Property

Marygold has a registered design mark and several trademarks in final stages towards registration pending with the PTO. The underlying code compiled in its mobile banking app and other custom programs are proprietary and trade secrets of Marygold.

Employees

Marygold employs nine full time staff members, a varying number of independent contractors, and also subcontracts for a variety of services, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Marygold UK

In 2021, we expanded our financial services into Great Britain by incorporating a new entity called, Marygold & Co. (UK) Limited, a private limited company incorporated and registered under the laws of England and Wales, whose registered office is in London, England, (“Marygold UK”).

In June 2022, Marygold UK acquired all of the outstanding shares of Tiger Financial & Asset Management, Limited, (“Tiger Financial”). Tiger Financial, a private company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, has a registered office in Northampton, England. Tiger Financial is an asset manager regulated under the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority. For a description of the terms of our acquisition of Tiger Financial, please refer to “Note 6. Business Combinations” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.

In May 2024, Marygold UK acquired all outstanding shares of Step-By-Step Financial Planners Limited (“Step-By-Step”), a private limited company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, whose registered office is in Staffordshire, England. Step-By-Step is an asset manager and registered investment advisor regulated under the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority. For a description of the terms of our acquisition of Step-By-Step, please refer to “Note 6. Business Combinations” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.

Marygold UK was formed to introduce the Marygold Fintech app into the United Kingdom with features that management expects will provide a suite of personal savings tools all integrated into a user’s digital world. Customers will have a “Piggy Bank” function, that empowers users to take control of their financial future by providing the digital tools they need to save money more efficiently. The Piggy Bank app feature encourages mindful spending, adding customizable barriers to the visibility of savings and fostering long-term habits through an “out of sight, out of mind” approach. A Me2Me app feature will allow people to move their money between accounts and the app will be able to create custom notifications to encourage a user to put some money into their savings account. When the app is rolled out, existing clients of Marygold UK’s financial services subsidiaries, Tiger Financial and Step-By-Step, are expected to be the primary target market for the app.

Tiger Financial and Step-By-Step, together with Marygold UK are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Marygold UK”. Operations of Marygold UK are included in these consolidated financial statements beginning on the respective dates of acquisition.

As of June 30, 2024, Marygold UK had $78 million in AUM. Marygold UK earns revenues in the form of advisory fees that are based on a percentage of the AUM. Marygold UK is planning to introduce the Marygold Fintech app to its customers and, more broadly, in the U.K. within the coming fiscal year. Marygold UK employs nine persons full time in the U.K.

Competition

As an investment advisor, both Tiger and Step-By-Step have pursued separate niche markets to differentiate themselves from institutional and larger organizations providing investment advice and wealth management services to clients in the U.K. These two separate target markets have allowed Tiger and Step-By-Step to succeed and grow their business despite a competitive landscape. Expectations are that the introduction of the Marygold Fintech app to their clientele will accelerate growth and further differentiate them from competitors who can offer no such mobile app.

Trademark

Marygold UK has begun the process of securing trademarks and service marks with respect to certain slogans, artwork, and logos related to the Marygold Fintech app.

Available Information

We maintain a website at www.themarygoldcompanies.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other securities filings with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, from which investors may electronically access our SEC filings.

Controlled Company Status

Pursuant to a voting agreement dated July 9, 2004, Nicholas Gerber and Scott Schoenberger, through their respective trusts, represent over 50% of the voting stock with respect to matters that may have a material impact on our strategy and shareholder rights. Because more than 50% of the combined voting power of all of our outstanding common stock is beneficially owned by Messrs. Gerber and Schoenberger, we are a “controlled company” as defined in section 801(a) of the NYSE American Company Guide. As such, we are exempt from certain NYSE American rules requiring our Board of Directors to have a majority of independent members, a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors and a nominating and governance committee composed entirely of independent directors.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business operations, financial condition, results of operations, and stock price may be affected by a number of factors. In addition to the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”), the following factors and the information contained under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” should be considered in evaluating our company and our businesses. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that are presently unknown or are currently deemed immaterial may also impair our business operations. If any of the events or circumstances described in the following risks occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer and the trading price of our shares of common stock could decline.

Litigation Risks

The Company’s business and operation could be negatively affected by any material litigation involving the Company or its subsidiaries.

USCF LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, is currently the subject of class action litigation. See “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.

Estimating an amount or range of possible losses resulting from litigation proceedings is inherently difficult and requires an extensive degree of judgment, particularly where the matters involve indeterminate claims for monetary damages, are in the early stages of proceedings, and are subject to appeal. In addition, because most legal proceedings are resolved over extended periods of time, potential losses are subject to change due to, among other things, new developments, changes in legal strategy, the outcome of intermediate procedural and substantive rulings and other parties’ settlement posture and their evaluation of the strength or weakness of their case against us. For these reasons, we are currently unable to predict the ultimate timing or outcome of, or reasonably estimate the possible losses or a range of possible losses resulting from, the matters described in “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” of this Form 10-K and “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K. For these reasons, we are currently unable to predict the ultimate timing or outcome of, or reasonably estimate the possible losses or a range of possible losses resulting from, the matters described in “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in such matters, an adverse outcome in this litigation could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any particular reporting period. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in such matters, an adverse outcome in this litigation could materially adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any particular reporting period.

Litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business. Additionally, litigation could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future, adversely affect our relationships with investors in our funds, customers and vendors and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. Additionally, litigation could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to a company’s future, adversely affect its relationships with vendors and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. Also, a company subject to litigation may be required to incur significant legal fees and other expenses related to any litigation.

Risks Related to our Business and Structure

We are a holding company, and our only material assets are our cash in hand, equity and other interests in our operating subsidiaries, and our other investments. As a result, our principal sources of cash flow are distributions from our subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries may be limited by law and by contract from making distributions to us.

As a holding company, our assets are cash and cash equivalents, equity interests in our subsidiaries and our other investments.

The principal source of our cash flow is distributions from our subsidiaries. Thus, our ability to finance future acquisitions or develop new projects is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to generate sufficient net income and cash flows to make upstream cash distributions to us. Our subsidiaries are separate legal entities, and although they may be wholly-owned or controlled by us, they have no obligation to make any funds available to us, whether in the form of loans, dividends, distributions or otherwise. The ability of our subsidiaries to distribute cash to us are and will remain subject to, among other things, restrictions that are contained in each subsidiaries’ financing agreements, availability of sufficient funds and applicable laws and regulatory restrictions.

Claims of creditors of our subsidiaries generally will have priority as to the assets of such subsidiaries over our claims and claims of our creditors and stockholders. To the extent our cash flow is dependent on our subsidiaries ability to make distributions to us could materially limit our ability to grow, pursue business opportunities or make acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, including in connection with the development of our Fintech app. To the extent our cash flow is dependent on our subsidiaries ability to make distributions to us could materially limit our ability to grow, pursue business opportunities or make acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses.

We are dependent on certain key personnel, the loss of which may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

Major capital allocation decisions and investment decisions are made by Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nicholas Gerber, with consultation from key personnel, from our management team and the executive management teams from our subsidiaries. The executive management teams that lead the Company and our subsidiaries are also highly experienced and possess extensive skills in their industry. If Mr. Gerber were to become unavailable, there could be a material adverse impact on our operations. However, the Company’s Board of Directors have the power and authority to fill a vacancy left by Mr. Gerber. The ability to retain key personnel is important to our success and future growth. Competition for these professionals can be intense, and we may not be able to retain and motivate our existing officers and senior employees and continue to compensate such individuals competitively. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of these individuals could have a detrimental effect on our operations and negatively impact our financial condition or results of operations of our businesses and could hinder the ability of our business and our subsidiaries to effectively compete in the various industries in which we operate.

We need qualified personnel to manage and operate our subsidiaries.

Our decentralized business model requires that we retain qualified and competent managers to continue day-to-day operations of our subsidiaries and continue business operations in a changing political, business or regulatory environment. Our subsidiaries require qualified and competent personnel to execute their business plans and continue servicing their clients, suppliers and other stakeholders. Our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel to operate our business subsidiaries could negatively impact our operating results and our overall financial condition that is important to our success and future growth.

Abnormally wide bid/ask spreads and market disruptions that halt or disrupt trading or create extreme volatility could undermine investor confidence in the ETP investment structure and limit investor acceptance of ETPs.

ETPs trade on exchanges in market transactions that generally approximate the value of the referenced assets or underlying portfolio of securities held by the particular ETP. Trading involves risks including the potential lack of an active market for fund shares, abnormally wide bid/ask spreads (the difference between the prices at which shares of an ETP can be bought and sold) that can exist for a variety of reasons and losses from trading. These risks can be exacerbated during periods when there is low demand for an ETP, when the markets in the underlying investments are closed, when markets conditions are extremely volatile or when trading is disrupted. This could result in limited growth or a reduction in the overall ETP market and result in our revenue not growing as rapidly as it has in the recent past or even in a reduction of revenue.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenues from our USCF Investments subsidiary and, as a result, our operating results are particularly exposed to investor sentiment toward investing in the ETFs sponsored by USCF and advised by USCF Advisers.

For the years ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, 58% and 60% of our revenues, respectively, were derived from USCF Investments operations, which consists of the management of ETPs and ETFs by USCF and USCF Advisers. As a result, our operating results are particularly exposed to the performance of these funds and our ability to maintain the assets under management of these funds, as well as investor sentiment toward investing in the funds’ strategies. If the assets under management in these funds were to decline, either because of declining market values or net outflows from these funds, our revenues would be adversely affected.

We rely on third party suppliers, and our business may be affected by interruption of supplies or increases in product costs.

Gourmet Foods obtains most food related products and services from third party suppliers. Gourmet Foods typically does not have long-term contracts with suppliers. Although Gourmet Foods’ purchasing volume can provide leverage when dealing with suppliers, suppliers may not provide the foodservice products and supplies Gourmet Foods needs in the quantities and at the time and prices requested. Gourmet Foods does not control the actual production of most of the products it sells. This means Gourmet Foods is also subject to delays caused by interruption in production and increases in product costs based on conditions outside its control. These conditions include work slowdowns, work interruptions, strikes or other job actions by employees of suppliers; severe weather; crop conditions; product recalls; transportation interruptions; unavailability of fuel or increases in fuel costs; competitive demands; and natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events (including, but not limited to, the outbreak of food-borne illnesses in the United States). Gourmet Foods’ inability to obtain adequate supplies of foodservice and related products because of any of these or other factors could mean that Gourmet Foods could not fulfill its obligations to its customers and, as a result, customers may turn to other distributors.

Product recalls or other product liability claims could materially and adversely affect us.

Selling products for human consumption involves inherent legal and other risks, including product contamination, spoilage, product tampering, allergens, or other adulteration. We could in the future be required to recall products due to suspected or confirmed product contamination, adulteration, product mislabeling or misbranding, tampering, undeclared allergens, or other deficiencies. Product recalls or market withdrawals could result in significant losses due to their costs, the destruction of product inventory, and lost sales due to the unavailability of the product for a period of time.

Adverse attention about these types of concerns, whether or not valid, may damage our reputation, discourage consumers from buying our products, or cause production and delivery disruptions that could negatively impact our net sales and financial condition.

We may also suffer losses if our products or operations violate applicable laws or regulations, or if our products cause injury, illness, or death. In addition, our marketing could face claims of false or deceptive advertising or other criticism. A significant product liability or other legal judgment or a related regulatory enforcement action against us, or a significant product recall, may materially and adversely affect our reputation and profitability. Moreover, even if a product liability or fraud claim is unsuccessful, has no merit, or is not pursued to conclusion, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against our products or processes could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.

In the past, we have expanded our business internationally. This expansion subjects us to increased operational, regulatory, financial and other risks.

We face increased operational, regulatory, financial, compliance, reputational and foreign exchange rate risks as a result of our international expansion. The failure of our compliance and internal control systems to properly mitigate such additional risks, or of our operating infrastructure to support such expansion, could result in operational failures and regulatory fines or sanctions. If our international products and operations experience any negative consequences or are perceived negatively in non-U.S. markets, it may also harm our reputation in other markets, including the U.S. market.

Our risk management policies and procedures, and those of our third-party vendors upon which we rely, may not be fully effective in identifying or mitigating risk exposure, including employee misconduct. If our policies and procedures do not adequately protect us from exposure to these risks, we may incur losses that would adversely affect our financial condition, reputation and market share.

We have developed risk management policies and procedures and we continue to refine them as we conduct our business. Many of our procedures involve oversight of third-party vendors that provide us with critical services. Our policies and procedures to identify, monitor and manage risks may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure.

These risks are difficult to detect in advance and deter, and could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition. If our policies and procedures do not adequately protect us from exposure and our exposure is not adequately covered by insurance or other risk-shifting tools, we may incur losses that would adversely affect our financial condition and could cause a reduction in our revenues as investors in our products shift their investments to the products of our competitors.

We rely on trademarks, trade secrets, and other forms of intellectual property protections, which may not be adequate to protect us from misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual property.

We rely on a combination of trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions in which we operate our businesses. We have applied for registration of a limited number of trademarks in the U.S. and in certain other countries, some of which have been registered or issued. We cannot guarantee that our applications will be approved by the applicable governmental authorities, or that third parties will not seek to oppose or otherwise challenge our registrations or applications. We also rely on unregistered proprietary rights, including common law trademark protection. Third parties may use trademarks identical or confusingly similar to ours, or independently develop trade secrets or know-how similar or equivalent to ours. If our proprietary information is divulged to third parties, including our competitors, or our intellectual property rights are otherwise misappropriated or infringed, our business could be harmed or adversely affected.

Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Risks

Our business is subject to extensive government regulation and oversight. Our failure to comply with extensive, complex, overlapping, and frequently changing rules, regulations, and legal interpretations could materially harm our business.

Our business is subject to complex and changing laws, rules, regulations, policies, and legal interpretations in the markets in which we operate, including, but not limited to, those governing and enforcing: banking, credit, deposit taking, cross-border and domestic money transmission, prepaid access, foreign currency exchange, privacy and data protection, data governance, cybersecurity, banking secrecy, digital payments and cryptocurrency, payment services (including payment processing and settlement services), fraud detection, consumer protection, antitrust and competition, economic and trade sanctions, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorist financing. As we, through our subsidiaries, introduce new products and services and expand into new markets, including through acquisitions, we may become subject to additional regulations, restrictions, and licensing requirements.

Any failure or perceived failure to comply with existing or new laws, regulations, or orders of any government authority (including changes to or expansion of their interpretation) may subject us to significant fines, penalties, criminal and civil lawsuits, forfeiture of significant assets, and enforcement actions in one or more jurisdictions; result in additional compliance and licensure requirements; cause us to lose existing licenses or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business; increase regulatory scrutiny of our business; divert management’s time and attention from our business; restrict our operations; lead to increased friction for customers; force us to make changes to our business practices, products or operations; require us to engage in remediation activities; or delay planned transactions, product launches or improvements. Any of the foregoing could, individually or in the aggregate, harm our reputation, damage our brands and business, and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We have implemented policies and procedures designed to help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, but there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, and agents will not violate such laws and regulations.

Risks Related to Our Controlled Company Election and Status

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE American rules and rely on exemptions from various corporate governance requirements that provide protection to stockholders of other companies.

We are a “controlled company” as defined in section 801(a) of the NYSE American Company Guide because more than 50% of the combined voting power of all of our outstanding common stock is beneficially owned or controlled by Messrs. Gerber and Schoenberger. Under the NYSE American rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by another person or group of persons acting together is a controlled company and may elect not to comply with certain NYSE American corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:

These independence standards are intended to ensure that directors who meet those standards are free of any conflicting interest that could influence their actions as directors.

The Company may elect in the future to use certain of these controlled company exemptions and the Company may continue to use all or some of these exemptions in the future for so long as the Company is a controlled company. Although we may rely on NYSE American’s controlled company exemptions in the future, we currently have a board comprised of a majority of independent directors, audit committee, nomination and governance committee and compensation committee. Although we may rely on NYSE American's controlled company exemptions in the future, we currently have an independent board, nomination and governance committee and compensation committee. If the makeup of one or more of our board, audit, nomination and governance committee or compensation committee changes such that we no longer comply with the independence standard of the NYSE American guidelines, then our stockholders may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE American rules. If the makeup of one or more of our board, nomination and governance committee or compensation committee changes such that we no longer comply with the independence standard of the NYSE American guidelines, then our stockholders may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE American rules.

The Company’s CEO, through the Gerber Trust, controls a significant percentage of our common stock, and may exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval as well as heightened voting power at the board level, preventing other stockholders and new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.

Mr. Nicholas D. Gerber, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Chairman of the Board of the Company, is the beneficial owner of 18,418,766 shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), representing approximately 45.6% of our total issued and outstanding Common Stock (giving effect to the conversion of all Series B Preferred Stock). Mr. Gerber’s Common Stock is held by the Nicholas and Melinda Gerber Living Trust (the “Gerber Trust”). Nicholas Gerber and Melinda Gerber serve as trustees of the Gerber Trust. Nicholas Gerber and Melinda Gerber serve as trustees of the Gerber Trust; As such, the Gerber Trust and Mr. As such, the Gerber Trust and Mr. Gerber share power to vote or to direct the vote of the shares and share power to dispose or to direct the disposition of Common Stock beneficially owned or controlled by Mr. Gerber.

Mr. Scott Schoenberger is a member of the Board of Directors of the Company. Scott Schoenberger is a member of the Board of the Company. Mr. Schoenberger’s shares of Common Stock are held by the Schoenberger Family Trust (the “Schoenberger Trust”). Mr. Schoenberger serves as the sole trustee of the Schoenberger Trust. Schoenberger serves as the sole trustee of the Schoenberger Trust; As such, the Schoenberger Trust and Mr. As such, the Schoenberger Trust and Mr. Schoenberger share power to vote or to direct the vote of the shares and share power to dispose or to direct the disposition of these shares. Shares of our Common Stock held by Schoenberger Trust total 4,697,993 shares, representing 11.6% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (giving effect to the conversion of all Series B Preferred Stock).

Additionally, pursuant to a voting agreement (“Voting Agreement”), the Gerber Trust and Schoenberger Trust will continue to vote all shares of our voting stock owned by them to elect each of Messrs. Gerber and Schoenberger to the Board along with other designees mutually agreed upon. By virtue of the Voting Agreement, Messrs. Gerber and Schoenberger are entitled to 23,116,759 votes on matters submitted to our stockholders, or 57.3% of all votes on matters submitted to our stockholders for their approval.

In addition, pursuant to the Company’s Bylaws, Directors have voting power equivalent to their percentage of total share ownership, multiplied by the number of directors then on the Board of Directors, rounded to the nearest whole number, with no Director holding less than one vote. As a result of Mr. Gerber’s ownership of Company shares, Mr. Gerber has a relatively higher number of votes relative to other directors, in proportion to Mr. Gerber’s ownership interest in the Company.

General Business Risks

Our business and financial performance may be adversely affected by information systems interruptions, cybersecurity attacks or other disruptions which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results from operations.

We depend upon information technology, infrastructure, including network, hardware and software systems to conduct our businesses. Despite our implementation of security measures, there are numerous and evolving risks to cybersecurity and privacy, including risks originating from intentional acts of criminal hackers, nation states and competitors, intentional and unintentional acts or omissions of customers, vendors, contractors, employees and other third parties that may result in damage, breakdown, or interruption from computer viruses, ransomware, malware, phishing, social engineering, fraudulent inducement, electronic fraud, wire fraud, human error or malfeasance, unauthorized access, natural disasters, and telecommunications and electrical failures. Each of our businesses directly or indirectly store, collect and transmit sensitive data, including intellectual property, confidential information, proprietary business information, customer or personal data. The secure processing of such data, maintenance, and transmission of such data is important to our operations. We face increased cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology. We may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats or be able to implement security measures effective against all such threats or implement preventive measures effective against all such threats. The techniques used by cybercriminals change frequently and may not be recognized until launched and can originate from a wide variety of sources, as discussed above. Even if identified, we may not be able to adequately investigate or remediate incidents or breaches due to attacks increasingly using tools and techniques that are designed to circumvent controls, to avoid detection, and to remove or obfuscate forensic evidence. Accordingly, our data protection efforts and related security measures may not be adequate to protect against highly targeted sophisticated cyber-attacks, or other improper disclosures of confidential and/or sensitive information. Additionally, we may have access to confidential or other sensitive information of our customers. suppliers, or services providers which despite our efforts to protect, may be vulnerable to security breaches, theft, or improper disclosure any of which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. The increase in personnel working remotely during and after the recent pandemic has increased the risk for our and our vendors and suppliers’ security breaches and incidents. If a security breach or other incident results in the unauthorized access to or use, disclosure, release, or other processing of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and it may be necessary to notify persons, governmental authorities, supervisory bodies, the media and other parties pursuant to privacy and security laws. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims, proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information of our employees or others, and any such event could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and cause loss of confidence in us. Moreover, even if a product liability or fraud claim is unsuccessful, has no merit, or is not pursued to conclusion, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against our products or processes could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results. Our contracts with our customers, suppliers, or services providers may not contain limitation of liability and there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to privacy, data protection, or data security. Further, we can give no assurance that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to cover the financial, legal, business or reputational losses that may result from an interruption or breach of our systems, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims. Any of these risks could materially affect our consolidated results of operations and financial condition. Any of these risks could materially affect our results of operations and consolidated financial results.

Future acquisitions or business opportunities could involve unknown risks that could harm our business and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are a holding company that owns interests in a number of different businesses. We have in the past, and intend in the future, to acquire businesses that involve unknown risks, some of which will be particular to the industry in which the investment or acquisition targets operate, including risks in industries with which we are not familiar or experienced. There can be no assurance our due diligence investigations will identify every matter that could have a material adverse effect on us or the entities that we may acquire. We may be unable to adequately address the financial, legal and operational risks raised by such investments or acquisitions, especially if we are unfamiliar with the relevant industry, which can lead to significant losses on material investments. The realization of any unknown risks could expose us to unanticipated costs and liabilities and prevent or limit us from realizing the projected benefits of the investments or acquisitions, which could adversely affect our financial condition and liquidity. In addition, our financial condition, results of operations and the ability to service our debt may be adversely impacted depending on the specific risks applicable to any business we invest in or acquire and our ability to address those risks.

We could consume resources in researching acquisitions, business opportunities or financings and capital market transactions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or invest in another business.

We are a holding company in the business of owning diverse and profitable businesses. Our business model also encompasses researching and investigating new acquisitions and business opportunities to support the growth of our Company. With each new contemplated acquisition or business opportunity, there are resources that must be allocated towards acquisition or engaging in a new business opportunity such as, the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments with respect to such transaction and may require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for financial advisors, accountants, attorneys and other advisors. If a decision is made not to consummate a specific acquisition, business opportunity or financing and capital market transaction, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific acquisition, investment target or financing, we may fail to consummate the investment or acquisition for any number of reasons, including those beyond our control. Any such event could consume significant management time and result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could adversely affect our financial position and our ability to consummate other acquisitions and investments.

We may not accurately predict revenue streams while we consume capital resources in acquiring new business opportunities or financings and capital market transactions or maintaining current capital investments which could materially and adversely impact our ability to meet operating expenses and capital requirements.

We are a holding company with a business focus on investment management and financial technology industries. Our entry into financial technology through our Marygold subsidiary launched its fintech app in June 2023 and it is not a mature business. The financial technology industry is heavily occupied with well financed competition with extensive capital resources to fund prolific marketing campaigns of competing fintech apps. Our resources to fund our business objectives and ongoing operations are dependent on those of our subsidiaries. If a decision is made to finance and continue to make capital investments in our fintech subsidiary there is no guarantee of success and revenue generation. Our ability to predict revenue generation from our subsidiaries may not be accurate from time to time. Our efforts to continue to make capital investments in our fintech subsidiary could have a detrimental effect on our operations and negatively impact our financial condition or results of operations of our businesses where our ability to accurately predict future revenue generation occurs and this could hinder the ability of our business and our other subsidiaries to effectively compete in the various industries in which we operate.

We may fail to effectively integrate the businesses we acquire.

Historically, a portion of our growth has come through acquisitions. If we are unable to integrate acquired businesses successfully or realize anticipated synergies in a timely manner, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected. Integrating acquired businesses may be more difficult in a region or market where we have limited expertise. A significant expansion of our business and operations, in terms of geography or magnitude, could strain our administrative and/or operational resources. Significant acquisitions may also require incurring debt. This could increase our interest expense and make it difficult for us to obtain financing for other significant acquisitions or capital investments in the future.

COVID-19 Risk

The Company may be impacted by certain continuing aftereffects from the economic disruption imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has resulted in numerous deaths, travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines and the imposition of both local and more widespread “work from home” measures, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The extent to which COVID-19 will continue to affect the Company and its’ service providers will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain COVID-19. Given the significant economic and financial market disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company’s results of operations could be adversely impacted.

Additional risks and uncertainties that are presently unknown or are currently deemed immaterial may also impair our business operations. These risk factors should be read in connection with the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our financial statements and the related notes.

Our business may be impacted by political events, war, terrorism, public health issues, natural disasters and other circumstances that are not within our control.

War, terrorism, geopolitical uncertainties, public health issues, and other business interruptions have caused and could cause damage or disruption to international commerce and the global economy, and thus could have a material adverse effect on us, our suppliers, and manufacturing vendors. Our business operations are subject to interruption by natural disasters, fire, power shortages, nuclear power plant accidents, terrorist attacks, and other hostile acts, labor disputes, public health issues, and other events beyond our control. Such events could decrease demand for our products, make it difficult or impossible for us to make and deliver products or services to our customers, or to receive products from our suppliers, and create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain. If major public health issues, including pandemics, arise, we could be adversely affected by more stringent employee travel restrictions, additional limitations in freight services, governmental actions limiting the movement of products between regions, delays in production ramps of new products, and disruptions in the operations of our vendors and suppliers. In the event of a natural disaster, we could incur significant losses, require substantial recovery time and experience significant expenditures in order to resume operations.

Our intellectual property may not be adequately protected.

We seek to protect our intellectual property rights through patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secret laws, confidentiality agreements, and licensing arrangements, but we cannot ensure that we will be able to adequately protect our technology from misappropriation or infringement. We cannot ensure that our existing intellectual property rights will not be invalidated, circumvented, challenged, or rendered unenforceable.

Our competitors may successfully challenge the validity of our patents, design non-infringing products, or deliberately infringe our patents. There can be no assurance that other companies are not investigating or developing other similar technologies. In addition, our intellectual property rights may not provide a competitive advantage to us or ensure that our products and technology will be adequately covered by our patents and other intellectual property. Any of these factors or the expiration, termination, or invalidity of one or more of our patents may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Shares

Our stock price may change significantly, and you may not be able to sell your shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid or at all, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result.

The stock market may routinely experience periods of large or extreme volatility. In some instances, this volatility is unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. The market price of our shares of common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors and many beyond our control, including:

Furthermore, the U.S. stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political, and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes, or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of shares of our common stock. In addition, such fluctuations could subject us to securities class action litigation, which could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could potentially harm our business. Also, because we are a controlled company, there is a limited market for our common stock, and we cannot assure our stockholders that a trading market will develop or persist.

Additionally, selling short is a technique used by a stockholder to take advantage of an anticipated decline in the price of a security. A significant number of short sales or a large volume of other sales within a relatively short period of time can create downward pressure on the market price of a security. Holders of our securities could, therefore, experience a decline in the value of their investment as a result of short sales of our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our shares will depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. There can be no assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more analysts downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our share price our share price may decline. In addition, if one or more analysts cease coverage of us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

Current stock holdings may be diluted if we make future equity issuances or if outstanding options are exercised for shares of our common stock.

“Dilution” refers to the reduction in the voting effect and proportionate ownership interest of a given number of shares of common stock as the total number of shares increases. Our issuance of additional stock, convertible preferred stock, or convertible debt may result in dilution to the interests of shareholders and may also result in the reduction of your stock price. The sale of a substantial number of shares into the market, or even the perception that sales could occur, could depress the price of our common stock. Also, the exercise of options may result in additional dilution.

The holders of outstanding options, warrants and convertible securities or derivatives, if any, have the opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of our shares, if any, without assuming the risk of ownership, with a resulting dilution in the interests of other stockholders. We may find it more difficult to raise additional equity capital if it should be needed for our business while the options, warrants and convertible securities are outstanding.

Our board of directors may issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval.

Our articles of incorporation authorize the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, of which 49,360,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock are issued and outstanding. Our board of directors may, without shareholder approval, issue one or more new series of preferred stock with rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, the issuance of shares of preferred stock may have the effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging, an acquisition or change of control of the company. Although we do not have any current plans to issue any additional shares of preferred stock, we may do so in the future.

Future sales of our shares by our existing stockholders may cause our stock price to fall.

The market price of our shares could decline as a result of sales by our existing stockholders of our shares in the market or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales might also make it more difficult for us to conduct an equity or equity-based financing at a time and price that we deem appropriate and thus inhibit our ability to raise additional capital when it is needed.

Because we have not and do not intend to pay cash dividends, our stockholders receive no current income from holding our stock.

We have paid no cash dividends on our capital stock to date and we currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. We currently expect to retain earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business, and therefore do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our Common Stock could be the sole source of gain for our stockholders for the foreseeable future.

We incur substantial costs to operate as a public reporting company.

We incur substantial legal, financial, accounting and other costs and expenses to operate as a public reporting company. We believe that these costs are a disproportionately larger percentage of our revenues than they are for many larger companies. In addition, the rules and regulations of the SEC impose significant requirements on public companies, including ongoing disclosure obligations and mandatory corporate governance practices. Our senior management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to ensure ongoing compliance with these requirements. Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE American exchange. Under the NYSE American’s continuing listing requirements, in the event our shares of common stock sell for a low price for a substantial period of time and we fail to effect a reverse stock split within a reasonable time after being notified of such potential action by the exchange, we may be subject to delisting from the exchange. Also, we must be current in our SEC reporting obligations. There can be no assurance that we will continue to meet all of the public company requirements to which we are subject on a timely basis, or at all, or that our compliance costs will not continue to be material.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY

The Company recognizes that cybersecurity threats may pose significant business risks and has developed processes for identifying, assessing, and managing these threats. The Company has implemented a plan for cybersecurity and cyber-related management across its varied business units. This plan allows each business unit to tailor solutions to identify, manage, and mitigate risks based on their own assessment of their unique cybersecurity risks in conjunction with each business unit’s overall risk management process. While this plan helps enable consistent and appropriate compliance in reporting material cyber events and risks across the Company.

Each business unit’s Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) on at least an annual basis is to provide a report to the Company’s senior management, regarding the state of their cybersecurity program and its material cyber risks. These reports are then shared with the Company’s cybersecurity oversight committee to inform and augment the Company’s risk management processes. Additionally, each business unit is required to maintain an incident reporting process to report significant cybersecurity events to the Company. The Company and its business units discuss and partner with third parties to assess, mitigate, audit, educate, implement, operate, protect, and remediate various cybersecurity related elements.

The Company and its business units rely on third-party service providers for its products and services to run their information systems. This dependence exposes us, along with others who use these service providers, of a cyber breach on their service providers. It’s possible that a cyber-attack at a third-party service provider may have a material financial, operational or reputational impact to the Company. The Company and its business units will continuously monitor these risks associated with its service providers.

Currently, the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee (“CGNC”) has oversight of the Company’s cybersecurity risk management program. The CGNC will receive reports regarding a cybersecurity breach and impact incidents through the Company’s cybersecurity incident reporting process. Moreover, the CGNC is updated on cybersecurity trends and common deficiencies.

In addition to the CGNC’s oversight, senior management of the Company’s business units are responsible for the day-to-day operations of protecting their businesses’ information systems. Each business unit is required to report material cybersecurity events to the Company. The Company’s senior management reviews incident reports to determine whether a cyber incident report should be filed with the SEC.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, the Company had no cyber events requiring disclosure on Form 8-K, Item 1.05 as required under the Securities Exchange Act, Regulation S-K, Item 106.