Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc. [IPSI] Filings

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark one)

For the fiscal period ended December 31, 2023

or

For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission File Number – 000-55648

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

56B 5^th Street, Lot 1, #AT

Carmel by the Sea, CA 93921

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(866) 477-4729

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.0001 par value.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in 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 Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the issuer: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every interactive data file required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒  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.:

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. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

As of June 30, 2023, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $4,628,228 (based upon the closing sale price of the registrant’s common stock reported on June 30, 2023 of $0.42 per share). This calculation excludes shares held by the registrant’s current directors and executive officers and stockholders that the registrant has concluded are affiliates of the registrant.

As of March 27, 2024, the issuer had 13,819,889 shares of common stock outstanding.

Documents incorporated by reference: None

FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this Report to “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company” “IPSI” and “Innovative Payment Solutions,” refer to Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Unless the context requires otherwise, all share and per share numbers reflected in this Report take into account a 1-for-30 reverse stock split of our common stock which became effective on August 30, 2023.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. Readers are cautioned that significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (including those over which we may have no control and others listed in report and in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report On Form 10-K) may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “project,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:

These forward-looking statements involve numerous and significant risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results of operations or the results of other matters that we anticipate herein could be materially and adversely different from our expectations. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations are generally set forth in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation” sections contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should thoroughly read this Annual Report on form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from, and worse than, what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K relate only to events or information as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. Considering the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. 

Summary Risk Factors

Our business faces significant risks and uncertainties of which investors should be aware before making a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of the following or similar risks are realized, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. The following is a summary of the more significant risks relating to the Company. A more detailed description of our risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

Item 1. Business

Company Overview

We are a provider of digital payment solutions and services to businesses and consumers.

Our historical core business was focused on operating and developing “e-wallets” that enabled consumers to deposit cash, convert it into a digital form, and remit the funds to Mexico and other countries quickly and securely. Our flagship e-wallet, IPSIPay^®, was focused on the consumer market and was fully launched in July 2022 after a soft launch in December 2021.

The IPSIPay platform (which can be used both business-to-business and business-to-consumer) facilitated the transfer of funds in digital form to other countries, initially Mexico but also, India and the Philippines, primarily from hand-held devices as well as on desktop or laptop computers.

Our launch plan for IPSIPay was to target lower income, migrant communities in California (notably in the agriculture industry) and expanding to other states with large migrant populations such as Texas and Florida. We not only believed that the addressable market for IPSIPay was large and growing, but that servicing this market is socially responsible. Based on our public announcement in May 2023, described below, we exited the e-wallet line of business by novating all of our rights and obligations thereunder to a third party. We may in future develop another e-wallet product.

On April 28, 2023, we formed a new company called IPSIPay Express LLC (“IPSIPay Express”). This entity was formed as a Delaware limited liability company joint venture with OpenPath, Inc. (“OpenPath”) and EfinityPay, LLC (“EfinityPay”, and the Company, collectively with OpenPath and EfinityPay, the “Members”) to develop and market a proprietary consumer to merchant real-time payment platform initially focused on the fast-growing online gaming and entertainment sectors.

On June 19, 2023, we entered into a Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement (the “Operating Agreement”) with OpenPath and EfinityPay to jointly provide for the governance of and rights of the Members with respect to IPSIPay Express. The effective date of the Operating Agreement is April 28, 2023.

IPSIPay Express was formed by the Members with the initial business purposes of providing credit card processing solutions and also a proprietary solution for real time bank-to-bank payment transactions in a manner that provides seamless and frictionless consumer and merchant experiences, with an initial focus on merchants operating in gaming and entertainment sectors. Such solutions are collectively referred to herein as “IPEX.”

Pursuant to the Operating Agreement, the Company agreed to contribute cash to or on behalf IPSIPay Express to be used for the IPEX business in the aggregate amount of up to $1,500,000 (the “IPSI Capital Contribution”). The Company is required to make the IPSIPay Capital Contribution in three tranches of $500,000 (each, a “Tranche”), or such lesser amounts as may be unanimously approved by the Board of Managers of IPSIPay Express. With the full funding of each Tranche, the Company will automatically receive an 11.11% membership interest in IPSIPay Express (or a pro rata portion thereof if less than a full Tranche is funded), and OpenPath and EfinityPay’s percentage interest in IPSIPay Express will be reduced pro rata accordingly. Should the Company contribute the full IPSI Capital Contribution, the Members will each own one-third (1/3) of the membership interests in IPSIPay Express. The IPSI Capital Contribution has been or will be made by the following dates and in the following amounts: (i) $200,000 of the initial Tranche was paid by the Company on June 21, 2023; (ii) the $300,000 balance of the initial Tranche was paid on August 4, 2023; (iii) the second $500,000 Tranche was paid in September 2023 and (iv) the third $500,000 Tranche was expected to be paid on or before November 30, 2023, subsequently, we made a decision not to advance the third tranche to IPSIPay Express as the joint venture is not operational as yet. The need for any additional advances will be addressed with the joint venture partners once the joint venture becomes operational and begins generating revenue, our current shareholding in the joint venture remains at 22%. Simultaneously with the funding of the initial Tranche, the Company issued to each of OpenPath and EfinityPay a five-year common stock purchase warrant (the “IPEX Warrant”) to purchase 133,334 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of $0.45 per share. We are still obligated to issue to each of OpenPath and EfinityPay an additional IPEX Warrant to purchase 199,999 shares of common stock with an exercise price equal to the average public closing price of the Common Stock for the three trading days immediately prior to the funding of the initial Tranche. Simultaneously with the funding of the second Tranche, we are obligated to issue to each of OpenPath and EfinityPay an additional IPEX Warrant to purchase 166,667 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price equal to the average public closing price of the Common Stock for the three trading days immediately prior to the funding of the second Tranche. Should we decide to fund a third Tranche, we will be obligated to issue to each of OpenPath and EfinityPay an additional IPEX Warrant to purchase 166,667 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price equal to the average public closing price of the Common Stock for the three trading days immediately prior to the funding of the third Tranche. If the full IPSI Capital Contribution is funded, OpenPath and EfinityPay will receive IPEX Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,333,334 shares of Common Stock.

Also, May 12, 2023, we entered into an agreement with one of our technology partners, Frictionless Financial Technologies, Inc. (“Frictionless”), to, among other things, divest ourselves of our interest in Frictionless and in Beyond Fintech, Inc., a joint venture entity we owned with Frictionless which has been developing an application called Beyond Wallet. See Note 1(b) to the accompanying financial statements for further information.

2023 Business Developments

IPSIPay

Having achieved full commercial integration and launch of the IPSIPay app during the third quarter of 2022, the key for our business was to scale the number of IPSIPay downloads achieved and revenue generated from transactions process by customers via IPSIPay.

We generated nominal IPSIPay-related revenue during the first half of 2023, with the initial goal of increasing revenues over time. In the current environment, it was taking longer than expected to win a customer’s trust and resulting fees generated by the usage of IPSIPay. Based on the slow growth rate in revenues, we elected to novate our rights and obligations to the IPSIPay platform and related e-wallet business to a third party. However, we retain the rights to develop e-wallets under the name “IPSIPay” in the future.

IPSIPay Express

While we believe the IPSIPay Express opportunity has great promise, as of the date of this report, IPEX has not been launched and we have derived no revenue or cash distributions from IPSIPay Express. We expect that revenue will be generated by IPSIPay Express through fees derived from merchant processing fees, money transfer fees, and commissions on international bill payment processing. To date, our activities related to IPSIPay Express have included the following:

No assurances can be given that IPSIPay Express will be successfully launched or will generate revenues or otherwise have a positive impact on our results of operations. We believe IPSIPay Express could be commercially launched and generate initial revenues during the current fiscal year, but no assurances can be provided that this will be achieved or that (i) we will be able to raise funds satisfactory to fulfill all of our capital contributions to IPSIPay Express or (ii) that we will ever receive distributions of free cash flow from IPSIPay Express. Moreover, the IPSIPay Express product offering will be targeting so-called “high risk” sectors such as online gaming and entertainment, which also carries certain risks.

Frictionless Financial Technologies

On May 12, 2023, we entered into an agreement with one of our technology partners, Frictionless Financial Technologies, Inc. (“Frictionless”), to, among other things, divest ourselves of our interest in Frictionless and in Beyond Fintech, Inc., a joint venture entity we owned with Frictionless which has been developing an application called Beyond Wallet. See Note 1(b) to the accompanying financial statements for further information.

Non-Binding Letter of Intent with Business Warrior

Overview and Cautionary Statement

On February 13, 2024, we signed an amended and restated non-binding letter of intent (the “LOI”) with Business Warrior Corporation, a Wyoming corporation (“BZWR”), pursuant to which we would acquire BZWR on the general terms described below (the “Proposed Transaction”).

Neither we nor BZWR have any legal obligation of any kind with respect to the Proposed Transaction unless and until binding definitive agreements with respect to the Proposed Transaction are executed. Moreover, the Proposed Transaction, assuming definitive agreements are even executed, would be subject to the approval of the stockholders of both our company and BZWR and the satisfaction of other conditions to closing.

BZWR is a publicly listed, revenue generating fintech company that offers PayPlan, a comprehensive lending software platform that includes marketing services for lenders and businesses. We believe that a potential combination with a fintech company that generates some revenue monthly would complement the development and commercial launch of our IPSIPay Express^TM products and potentially other product offerings.

In addition, we and BZWR have certain convertible note investors (the “Note Holders”) in common. Therefore, one purpose of the Proposed Transaction would be to convert the indebtedness of both the Company and BZWR held by the Note Holders into equity securities of our company.

Outline of Proposed Transaction Terms

The principal terms of the Proposed Transaction are as follows:

Company Loan to BZWR

On February 12, 2024, and in connection with the LOI and the Proposed Transaction, we (utilizing a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes) loaned funds to BZWR in the principal amount of $226,190, which includes an original issue discount equal to $67,857, netting BZWR proceeds $158,333. The loan is memorialized by a secured promissory note (the “BZWR Note”). The BZWR Note does not accrued interest, except in the case of an event of default, which case interest accrues at 15% per annum. The BZWR Note matures on the earlier to occur of December 31, 2025 and the date that BZWR’s securities are listed on a national securities exchange. The BZWR Note may be prepaid at any time for an amount equal to 110% of the then principal and accrued interest. We shall have the right to exchange the BZWR Note for securities issued by BZWR in any subsequent private placement by BZWR. The principal and accrued interest under BZWR Note is convertible into common stock of BZWR at a price equal to $0.0036 per share, subject to certain adjustments and potential resets. BZWR’s obligations under the BZWR Note are guaranteed by BZWR’s subsidiaries and secured by a lien on BZWR’s accounts receivable. The BZWR Note is one of several similar notes issued by BZWR. Keystone Capital Partners LLC is acting as collateral agent for the holders of such notes, include our company as the holder of the BZWR Note.

Our Strategy and Market

We offer digital payment solutions and services to businesses and consumers.

We believe the money remittance business is changing after 50 years of an industry controlled by a very small number of large corporations. According to publicly available data from Statista, total global remittance payments are estimated to reach over $750 billion in 2023, and for the first time digital payments are estimated to exceed non-digital payments in 2023. Our ability to capture even a fraction of this massive global market represents our largest value proposition.

Marketing

We had a formal marketing plan for our IPSIPay business which included an extensive endorsement and social media campaign to attract customers to our platform. We exited this business in September 2023 to focus on our IPSIPay Express business, as disclosed above.

We do not have a formal marketing plan for IPSIPay Express. However, we, together with our joint venture partners, OpenPath and EfinityPay, have been leveraging existing business relationships, particularly in the gaming and entertainment industries, to attract potential customers to use the IPEX payment processing solutions.

Once we have established a core base of customers and are generating sufficient revenues, we will consider the need for a formal marketing plan for IPEX.

Competition

The payment service business is highly competitive and continued growth depends on our ability to compete effectively. Companies like Western Union, Money Gram, Paypal, and Venmo, dominate the money remittance business, and most of our competitors have far greater sources of financing, greater name recognition and have been engaged in the industry longer than we have.

Intellectual Property

Previously we relied on a combination of contractual rights, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws to establish and protect our technology and the technology that we licensed We had three trademark applications on file and under review.

On May 12, 2023, we assigned to Frictionless all shares of common stock of Beyond Fintech owned by us, which included the intellectual property residing in Beyond Fintech.

On April 28, 2023, we formed a new company called IPSIPay Express LLC (“IPSIPay Express”). This entity was formed as a joint venture with OpenPath, Inc. and EfinityPay, LLC to develop and market a proprietary consumer to merchant real-time payment platform initially focused on the fast-growing online gaming and entertainment sectors.

IPSIPay Express was formed by the Members with the initial business purposes of providing credit card processing solutions and also a proprietary solution for real time bank-to-bank payment transactions in a manner that provides seamless and frictionless consumer and merchant experiences, with an initial focus on merchants operating in gaming and entertainment sectors.

On September 5, 2023, we entered into a novation agreement with a third party whereby the third party assumed all of our debts, clients, and services and assumes all of our rights and responsibilities under the SAAS Cloud Hosted Services Enablement Master Services Agreement, including the information technology, supplier access, billing and rating technology, mobile wallet, debit card enablement, back-office support services, customer service, and consulting services related to our IPSIPay mobile application.

Government and Environmental Regulation and Laws

We act as a facilitator between consumers and finance product providers, and therefore operate in a highly regulated industry. While we do not believe that our core business as a facilitator presently is subject to significant government regulation our finance product providers are subject to a variety of regulations aimed at preventing money laundering and financing criminal activity and terrorism, financial services regulations, payment services regulations, consumer protection laws, currency control regulations, advertising laws and privacy and data protection laws and therefore may expect to experience periodic investigations by various regulatory authorities in connection with the same, which may sometimes result in monetary or other sanctions being imposed upon them. Many of these laws and regulations are constantly evolving and are often unclear and inconsistent with other applicable laws and regulations, making compliance challenging, and may indirectly increase our operating costs and legal risks (or directly should it be determined that our business model is or becomes subject to more extensive regulation). Any violations of any of the foregoing or similar laws, rules or regulations could adversely affect our ability to maintain IPSIPay Express, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.

Human Capital/Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had 3 full time employees, including our Chief Executive Officer and our President and Chief Financial Officer and 2 part-time employees or consultants. None of our employees are represented by a labor union, and we consider our employee relations to be good.

Our Corporate History and Background

On May 12, 2016, the Company (originally formed on September 23, 2013 under the name “Asiya Pearls, Inc.”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Qpagos Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Qpagos Corporation”), and Qpagos Merge, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, on May 12, 2016, the merger was consummated, and Qpagos Corporation and Merger Sub merged (the “Merger”), with Qpagos Corporation continuing as the surviving corporation of the Merger. On May 27, 2016, the Company’s name was changed from “Asiya Pearls, Inc.” to “QPAGOS”.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon consummation of the Merger, each share of Qpagos Corporation’s capital stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger was converted into the right to receive two shares of Common Stock. Additionally, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon consummation of the Merger, the Company assumed all of Qpagos Corporation’s warrants issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger, which were exercisable for an aggregate of approximately 621,920 shares of Common Stock as of the date of the Merger. Prior to and as a condition to the closing of the Merger, a then-current holder of 500,000 shares of Common Stock agreed to return 497,500 shares of Common Stock held by such holder to the Company and such holder retained an aggregate of 2,500 shares of Common Stock. The other then stockholders of the Company retained 500,000 shares of Common Stock. Therefore, immediately following the Merger, Qpagos Corporation’s former stockholders held 4,992,900 shares of Common Stock which represented approximately 91% of the outstanding Common Stock.

The Merger was treated as a reverse acquisition of the Company, then a public shell company, for financial accounting and reporting purposes. As such, Qpagos Corporation was treated as the acquirer for accounting and financial reporting purposes while the Company was treated as the acquired entity for accounting and financial reporting purposes.

Qpagos Corporation was incorporated on May 1, 2015 under the laws of the state of Delaware to effectuate a reverse merger transaction with Qpagos, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“Qpagos Mexico”) and Redpag Electrónicos S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“Redpag”). Each of the entities were incorporated in November 2013 in Mexico. Qpagos Mexico was formed to process payment transactions for service providers it contracts with, and Redpag was formed to deploy and operate kiosks as a distributor. 

On June 1, 2016, the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) changed the Company’s fiscal year end from October 31 to December 31.

On November 1, 2019, the Company changed its corporate name from “QPAGOS” to “Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc.” Additionally, and immediately following the name change, the Company filed a Certificate of Change with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada to effect a reverse split of the then outstanding Common Stock at a ratio of 1-for-10, effective on November 1, 2019 (the “2019 Reverse Stock Split”). As a result of the 2019 Reverse Stock Split, each ten pre-split shares of Common Stock outstanding automatically combined into one new share of Common Stock without any further action on the part of the holders, and the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reduced from 320,477,867 shares to 32,047,817 after rounding for fractional shares.

On December 31, 2019, the Company consummated the disposal of Qpagos Corporation, Qpagos Mexico and Redpag in exchange for 2,250,000 shares (the “Vivi Shares”) of common stock of Vivi Holdings, Inc. (“Vivi. or “Vivi Holdings”) pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement dated August 5, 2019 (the “SPA”). Of the 2,250,000 shares of Vivi, nine percent (9%) was allocated as follows: Gaston Pereira (5%), Andrey Novikov (2.5%), and Joseph Abrams (1.5%). The transactions contemplated by the SPA closed on December 31, 2019 after the satisfaction of customary conditions, the receipt of a final fairness opinion and the approval of the Company’s shareholders. As a result, the Company no longer has any business operations in Mexico and has retained its U.S. operations, currently based in Carmel By The Sea, California.

The Merger was treated as a reverse acquisition of our company, which was then a public shell company, for financial accounting and reporting purposes. As such, Qpagos Corporation was treated as the acquirer for accounting and financial reporting purposes while IPSI was treated as the acquired entity for accounting and financial reporting purposes.

Pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement dated June 22, 2021 (the “Frictionless SPA”), we acquired a 10% common stock interest in Frictionless. Frictionless agreed to deliver to us, a live, fully compliant financial payment Software as a Service solution for use by us as a digital payment platform that enables payments within the United States and abroad, including Mexico, together with a service agreement providing a full suite of product services to facilitate our anticipated product offerings. Under the terms of the Frictionless SPA, we were granted irrevocable rights to (i) participate up to fifty percent (50%) in future financings of Frictionless and (ii) acquire up to an additional 41% of the outstanding common stock of Frictionless at a purchase price of $300,000 for each 1% acquired. Further, pursuant to the Frictionless SPA, we agreed to issue to Frictionless or its designees a non-restricted, non-dilutable, five-year warrant to purchase 1,000,000 (30,000,000 pre-split) shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $4.50 ($0.15 pre-split) per share based on the delivery of the financial payment software in accordance with the SPA. On December 30, 2022, we issued a warrant to Frictionless in satisfaction of this obligation. Due to the pricing of financings undertaken by us between the date of the Frictionless SPA and the date the warrant was granted, the exercise price of the warrant was set upon issuance at $0.345 ($0.0115 pre-split) per share. Further, the warrant issued to Frictionless was for restricted shares of common stock and the “non-dilutable” provision was omitted.

On August 26, 2021, we formed a new subsidiary, Beyond Fintech to acquire a product known as Beyond Wallet from a third party, together with the logo, use of name and implementation of the product into our technology. We own 51% of Beyond Fintech with the other 49% owned by Frictionless.

On April 28, 2023, the Company formed IPSIPay Express. See disclosure above for more information.

On May 12, 2023, the Company entered into an Agreement with Frictionless (the “May 2023 Frictionless Agreement”) to unwind the equity ownership stakes that the Company and Frictionless have in each other and in Beyond Fintech. Pursuant to the May 2023 Frictionless Agreement: (i) the Company assigned to Frictionless all common stock of Frictionless owned by the Company; (ii) the warrant to purchase 1,000,000 (30,000,000 pre-split) shares of Common Stock previously issued by the Company to Frictionless as of December 30, 2022 was cancelled; (iii) the Company assigned to Frictionless all shares of common stock of Beyond Fintech owned by the Company (the “Beyond Fintech Shares”); and (iv) the rights previously granted to the Company to (a) acquire additional equity interests in Frictionless, (b) participate in future financings of Frictionless and (c) appoint a board member of Frictionless, were terminated. The consideration to the Company for the assignment of the Beyond Fintech Shares to Frictionless was a credit against potential future services to be provided by Frictionless to the Company in an amount up to $250,000. As a result of the novation agreement with Frictionless discussed below (see note 5), the Company no longer utilizes, and does not expect to utilize, the services of Frictionless for the foreseeable future. The collectability of the remaining credit receivable of $231,431 has been impaired.

On September 5, 2023, the Company entered into a novation agreement whereby it assigned all its rights and interest in its e-wallet product, IPSIPay, and its receivables and payables due from and to Frictionless, related to IPSIPay, to a third party in order to concentrate all of its efforts on the IPSIPay Express joint venture. See note 5 to the accompanying financial statements for further information.

Corporate Information

Our principal offices are located at 56B 5^th Street, Lot 1, #AT, Carmel by the Sea, CA, 93921, and our telephone number at that office is (866) 477-4729. Our website address is www.ipsipay.com. Information contained in our website does not form part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is intended for informational purposes only.

Available Information

We have included our website address as a factual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website. We make available on our website, www.ipsipay.com, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. These reports are available free of charge through the investor relations page of our internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Relating to Our Company

We have had no revenue generating operations to date with our current IPSIPay Express business model.

We have no operating history in our current IPSIPay Express business model, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future potential. We have yet to demonstrate our ability to overcome the risks frequently encountered in “start-up” companies, including in the payment services industry in the United States, and are still subject to many of the risks common to early stage companies, including the uncertainty as to our ability to implement our business plan, market acceptance of our proposed business and services, under-capitalization, cash shortages, limitations with respect to personnel, financing and other resources and uncertainty of our ability to generate revenues. There is therefore a significant risk that our activities will not result in any material revenues or profit, and the likelihood of our business viability and long term prospects must be considered in light of the stage of our development. There can be no assurance that we will be able to fulfill our stated business strategy and plans, or that financial, technological, market, or other limitations may force us to modify, alter, significantly delay, or significantly impede the implementation of such plans. We have no results of operations in our current business model for investors to use to identify historical trends. Investors should consider our prospects considering the risk, expenses and difficulties we will encounter as an early-stage company. Our revenue and income potential is unproven and our business model is continually evolving. We are subject to the risks inherent to the operation of a new business enterprise and cannot assure you that we will be able to address these risks, and our inability to address these risks could lead to the failure of our business.

We have generated and we will likely continue to generate, operating losses and experience negative cash flows, and it is uncertain whether we will ever generate predictable revenues or achieve positive cash flows or profitability.

For the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred a net loss of approximately $5.8 million and $10.3 million, respectively. We have an accumulated deficit of $58.2 million through December 31, 2023. We expect to continue to incur operating losses until such time, if ever, as we are able to achieve sufficient levels of revenue from operations. There can be no assurance that we will ever generate significant sales or achieve profitability. Accordingly, the extent of future losses and the time required to achieve profitability, if ever, cannot be predicted.

We also expect to experience negative cash flows for the foreseeable future as we fund our operating losses. Although we believe our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient for the near term, if in the long term we do not generate significant revenues or raise additional financing in order to achieve and maintain profitability. We may not be able to generate these revenues or achieve profitability in the future. Our failure to achieve or maintain profitability would likely negatively impact the value of our securities and financing activities.

We have a present need for additional funding, which raises questions about our ability to continue as a going concern. We may be unable to raise capital when needed, which would force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts, or could cause our business to fail.

As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $50,433. We believe that based on our current operating plan, our existing cash and cash equivalents (which (which were increased via a private placement in February and March 2024 through which we raised $0.4 million) was will only be sufficient to enable us to fund our operations and our debt and other obligations for a very limited period. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” below. This raises questions about our ability to continue as a going concern. Moreover, we have significant indebtedness due in the first half of 2024, and thus we will need significant additional funds to repay our debt, fund our working capital, and fully implement our business plan as we seek to achieve revenues, positive cash flow and profitability. There is a material risk that we will be unable to generate sufficient revenues to pay our expenses, and if our existing sources of cash and cash flows are insufficient to fund our activities, we will need to raise additional funds. Additional equity or debt financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all, particularly in the current economic environment. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our new products in development.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we will be required to finance our cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings and corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Any debt financing or additional equity that we may raise may contain terms, such as liquidation and other preferences, that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.

If we are unable to generate cash flow positive operations or achieve profitability, and if we are unable to raise additional funds on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we may be required to significantly reduce or cease our operations, or our business could fail, which could result in the loss to investors of their investment in our securities.

We have not generated sufficient revenue or cash flow to pay our convertible notes, and conversion of such debt into shares of common stock, which would cause significant dilution.

As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding convertible notes owed to institutional investors in the aggregate principal amount of approximately $4.15 million maturing during 2024. To date, we have not generated sufficient revenue or cash flows to pay the balances owed under these notes and provide sufficient working capital to run our business. The outstanding principal amount of the notes is convertible at any time into shares of our common stock at $0.345 per share. In addition, upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default (as defined in the notes), the notes each will become immediately due and payable and we have agreed to pay additional default interest rates. We may not have sufficient cash resources or access to funding to repay such notes. Moreover, upon conversion of these notes, our current shareholders will suffer dilution, which given the current conversion price of the notes would be significant.

Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash. Our ability to generate sufficient cash to service our debt depends on many factors beyond our control.

Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our debt, to fund planned capital expenditures and to maintain sufficient working capital depends on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or from other sources in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to allow us to make scheduled payments on our debt, we may need to seek additional capital or restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt on or before the maturity thereof, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance any of our debt on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that the terms of that debt will allow any of the above alternative measures or that these measures would satisfy our scheduled debt service obligations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to repay or refinance our debt on favorable terms, it could significantly adversely affect our financial condition and the value of our outstanding debt. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain any financing when needed.

Covenant restrictions under our indebtedness may limit our ability to operate our business.

Our outstanding convertible notes contain, and our future indebtedness agreements may contain covenants that restrict our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities. The Notes restrict our ability to:

In addition, the notes contain price protection anti-dilution provisions that will discourage financing at prices below the conversion price of the notes and will result in a decrease in the conversion price of the notes if we should issue securities below such price.

We may never complete our proposed business combination with Business Warrior.

In February 2024, we signed a non-binding letter of intent relating to a proposed business combination with Business Warrior Corporation. While we believe that such business combination could create benefits for our company, the proposed business combination comes with several significant risks.

First, we may never enter into binding, definitive agreements with respect to the business combination. The non-binding letter of intent we executed is preliminary and subject to ongoing due diligence, negotiation and finalization. For many reasons, including the findings of our due diligence of BZWR, or our inability to come to final terms with BZWR or our Note Holders (who are contemplated to exchange their convertible notes in our company for newly-issued preferred stock of our company), we may elect to not proceed with the business combination.

Second, even if such binding, definitive agreements are entered into, there will be several key conditions to closing the transaction, and if such conditions are not satisfied, we will be unable to closing the transaction. Such conditions include, without limitation (i) approval of BZWR’s stockholders of the transaction and (ii) approval of our stockholders of proposed issuance of newly-issued shares of preferred stock to our and BZWR’s Note Holders. As such, there is a risk that the transaction will not close.

Finally, even if the business combination closes, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction. For example, it may prove difficult or impossible to combine and successfully integrate the businesses of our company and BZWR. We may also be unable to satisfy the terms of the preferred stock to be issued to the Note Holders. If we are unable to realize the potential benefits of the proposed business combination with BZWR, our business might fail.

In sum, you should not invest in our Common Stock in reliance on the fact that the proposed business combination with Business Warrior will ever occur, or if it occurs, that it will have a positive impact on our business and results of operations.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls, and we cannot provide assurances that these weaknesses will be effectively remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not occur in the future.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a- 15(f) under the Exchange Act. In connection with our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, we identified material weaknesses in our internal controls which included (i) insufficient segregation of duties and oversight of work performed in our accounting and finance function due to limited personnel with the appropriate skill sets and (ii) lack of written policies and procedures to address all material transactions and developments impacting our financial statements. However, given the small size of our company and the current state of our business, we are faced with the risk that we may not always be able to detect errors or omissions in our financial reporting and we face internal control weaknesses in the future. If we fail to comply with the rules under Sarbanes-Oxley related to disclosure controls and procedures in the future, or, if we experience material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures and disclosure controls and procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. If new material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are discovered or if we otherwise fail to address the adequacy of our internal control and disclosure controls and procedures from time to time, our business may be harmed. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our securities could drop significantly.

Risks Related to Our Business

The payment services industry is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are larger and have greater financial and other resources.

The payment services industry is highly competitive, and our continued growth depends on our ability to compete effectively with both traditional and non-traditional payment service providers. We currently expect to face competition from a variety of financial and non-financial business groups which include retail banks, non-traditional payment service providers which provide mobile top-up services, and mobile network operators, traditional kiosk and terminal operators, electronic payment system operators, as well as other companies that provide various forms of payment services, including electronic payment and payment processing services. Competitors in our industry seek to differentiate themselves by features and functionalities such as speed, convenience, network size, accessibility, hours of operation, reliability and price. A significant number of these competitors have greater financial, technological and marketing resources than we have, and operate robust networks and are highly regarded by consumers.

There is uncertainty as to market acceptance of our technology, products and services.

We have conducted our own research into the markets for our technology, products and services; however, because we are a new entrant into the market, there is a risk that the market will not accept our technology, products and services. Further, we have limited information on which to estimate our anticipated level of sales. Our products and services require consumers and service providers to adopt our technology. Our industry is susceptible to rapid technological developments and there can be no assurance that we will be able to match any new technological advances. If we are unable to match the technological changes in the needs of our customers, the demand for our products will be reduced and our ability to generate revenue could be adversely impacted.

We are dependent on technology networks and systems to process, transmit and securely store electronic information and we could be subject to liability if our technology systems fail to be secure.

We could be held liable for damages or our reputation could suffer from security breaches or disclosure of confidential information or personal data. Through Frictionless and other service providers, we are dependent on technology networks and systems to process, transmit and securely store electronic information and to communicate with our kiosks, with our partners and with our customers. Security breaches of this infrastructure could lead to shutdowns or disruptions of our systems and potential loss or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information or data, including personal data. The theft and/or unauthorized use or publication of our, or our customers’, confidential information or other proprietary business information as a result of such an incident could adversely affect our competitive position and reduce marketplace acceptance of our services. Any failure in the networks or computer systems used by us or our customers could result in a claim for substantial damages against us and significant reputational harm, regardless of our responsibility for the failure. In addition, through Frictionless and other service providers, we have access to or are required to manage, utilize, collect and store sensitive or confidential customer or employee data, including personal data. As a result, we are subject to numerous U.S. and non-U.S. laws and regulations designed to protect this information, such as various U.S. federal and state laws governing the protection of personal data. If any person, including any of our employees, negligently disregards or intentionally breaches controls or procedures with which we are responsible for complying with respect to such data, or otherwise mismanages or misappropriates that data, or if unauthorized access to or disclosure of data in our possession or control occurs, we could be subject to liability and penalties in connection with any violation of applicable privacy laws and/or criminal prosecution, as well as significant liability to our customers or our customers’ clients’ for breaching contractual confidentiality and security provisions or privacy laws. The loss or unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential customer or employee data, including personal data, whether through breach of computer systems, systems failure, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, or otherwise, could damage our reputation and cause us to lose customers. Similarly, unauthorized access to or through our information systems and networks or those we develop or manage for our customers, whether by our employees or third parties, could result in negative publicity, legal liability and damage to our reputation, which could in turn harm our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

We are subject to economic risks that could impact the overall level of consumer spending.

The payment services industry depends heavily on the overall level of consumer spending. We are exposed to general economic conditions that affect consumer confidence, consumer spending, consumer discretionary income or changes in consumer purchasing habits. Economic factors such as employment levels, business conditions, energy and fuel costs, interest rates, and inflation rate could reduce consumer spending or change consumer purchasing habits. A reduction in the amount of consumer spending could result in a decrease in our prospects for revenue and profits. If users of our products and services spend or remit less money per transaction, we will have fewer transactions to process at lower amounts, resulting in lower revenue. As we are targeting the migrant communities in the United States, weakening in the Mexican economy could have a negative impact on users of IPSIPay which could, in turn, negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations, particularly if the recessionary environment disproportionately affects some of the market segments that represent a larger portion of our payment processing volume.

If consumer confidence in our business deteriorates, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our business is built on consumers’ confidence in our brands, as well as our ability to provide fast, reliable payment services. As a consumer business, the strength of our brand and reputation are of paramount importance to us. Several factors could adversely affect consumer confidence in our brand, many of which are beyond our control, and could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. These factors include:

We expect to be subject to extensive government regulation if we are deemed to be engaged in a regulated business, and we are faced with the risk that new regulations applicable to our business will be enacted.

Currently, we are indirectly impacted by government regulation, however, we may be directly subject to a variety of regulations aimed at preventing money laundering and financing criminal activity and terrorism, financial services regulations, payment services regulations, consumer protection laws, currency control regulations, advertising laws and privacy and data protection laws which may sometimes result in monetary or other sanctions being imposed on our financial service providers or us. Many of these laws and regulations are constantly evolving and are often unclear and inconsistent with other applicable laws and regulations, making compliance challenging and could directly or indirectly increase our related operating costs and legal risks. In particular, there has been increased public attention and heightened legislation and regulations regarding money laundering and terrorist financing. Our financial service providers or us may be required make significant judgment calls in applying anti-money laundering legislation and risk being found in non-compliance with such laws, which could have an adverse impact on our business.

The regulatory regime governing digital assets and offerings of digital assets is evolving and uncertain, and new regulations or policies may materially adversely affect our development.

We may incorporate digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, as part of our product offerings. The regulatory regime governing digital assets is uncertain and rapidly evolving, and new regulations or policies may materially adversely affect the development and the value of our company. Regulation of digital assets is currently undeveloped and likely to rapidly evolve as government agencies take greater interest in them. Regulation also varies significantly among international, federal, state and local jurisdictions and is subject to significant uncertainty. Various legislative and executive bodies in the United States and in other countries may in the future adopt laws, regulations, or guidance, or take other actions, which may severely impact the digital assets market. In addition, any violations of laws and regulations relating to the safeguarding of private information could subject us to fines, penalties or other regulatory actions, as well as to civil actions by affected parties. Failure by us to comply with any laws, rules and regulations, some of which may not exist yet or are subject to interpretation and may be subject to change, could result in a variety of adverse consequences, including civil penalties and fines.

The laws and regulations indirectly affecting our industry are constantly evolving and failure to comply adversely impact our business.

Our business is indirectly subject to a wide range and increasing number of laws and regulations, as described below. Liabilities or loss of business resulting from a failure by us, our agents or their subagents to comply with laws and regulations and regulatory or judicial interpretations thereof, including laws and regulations designed to protect consumers, or detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud and other illicit activity, and increased costs or loss of business associated with compliance with those laws and regulations has had and we expect will continue to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Our services are subject to increasingly strict legal and regulatory requirements, including those intended to help detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other illicit activity. The interpretation of those requirements by judges, regulatory bodies and enforcement agencies may change quickly and with little notice. Additionally, these requirements or their interpretations in one jurisdiction may conflict with those of another jurisdiction. As United States federal and state as well as foreign legislative and regulatory scrutiny and enforcement action in these areas increase, we expect that our costs of complying with these requirements could continue to increase, perhaps substantially, and may make it more difficult or less desirable for consumers and others to use our services or for us to contract with certain intermediaries, either of which would have an adverse effect on our revenue and operating income. For example, we have made additional investments in our compliance programs based on the rapidly evolving and increasingly complex global regulatory and enforcement environment and our internal reviews. These additional investments relate to enhancing our compliance capabilities, including our consumer protection efforts. Further, failure by us or partners and service providers to comply with any of these requirements or their interpretation could result in the suspension or revocation of a license or registration required to provide money transfer, payment or foreign exchange services, the limitation, suspension or termination of services, changes to our business model, loss of consumer confidence, the seizure of our assets, and/or the imposition of civil and criminal penalties, including fines and restrictions on our ability to offer services. We are subject to numerous regulations such as those imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) in the United States and similar laws in other countries, which generally prohibit companies and those acting on their behalf from making improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Some of these laws, such as the Bribery Act, also prohibit improper payments between commercial enterprises. Because our services are offered in other countries, we face significant risks associated with our obligations under the FCPA and other national anti-corruption laws. Any determination that we have violated these laws could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Our United States business is subject to reporting, recordkeeping and anti-money laundering provisions of the federal Bank Secrecy Act and could be subject to regulatory oversight and enforcement by U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

The remittance and digital payments industry has come under increasing scrutiny from government regulators and others in connection with its ability to prevent its services from being abused by people seeking to defraud others. Our failure to continue to help prevent frauds and increased costs related to the implementation of enhanced anti-fraud measures, or a change in fraud prevention laws or their interpretation or the manner in which they are enforced has had and could in the future have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Further, any determination that our partners have violated laws and regulations could seriously damage our reputation and brands, resulting in diminished revenue and profit and increased operating costs. In some cases, we could be liable for the failure of our partners to comply with laws which also could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. The regulations implementing the remittance provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act also impose responsibility on us for any related compliance failures of our partners.

The requirements under the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act, the European Revised Payment Services Directive and similar legislation enacted or proposed in other countries have resulted and will likely continue to result in increased compliance costs, and in the event we or our agents are unable to comply, could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Additional countries may adopt similar legislation.

We may have difficulty managing our growth, which may divert resources and limit our ability to successfully expand our operations.

Our implementation of our business plan and current or future strategic initiatives will place significant demands on our operations and management. Our future success will depend on the ability of our officers and other key employees to continue to implement and improve our operational, credit, financial, management and other internal risk controls and processes, along with our reporting systems and procedures, as the number and geographical scope of our customer and vendor relationships continue to expand. We may be unable to implement improvements to our management information and control systems and control procedures and processes in an efficient or timely manner, and we may discover additional deficiencies in existing systems and controls. In particular, our controls and procedures must be able to accommodate our expected increase in revenue. Our growth strategy may require us to incur additional expenditures to expand our administrative and operational infrastructure. If we are unable to manage future expansion in our operations, we may experience compliance and operational problems, have to slow the pace of growth or have to incur additional expenditures beyond current projections to support such growth, any one of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. We may be unable to increase the volume of sales at acceptable risk levels, expand our customer base and manage the costs and implementation risks associated with our growth strategy. We also cannot provide you with any assurance that our further expansion will be profitable, that we will be able to maintain any specific level of growth, if any, that we will be able to maintain capital sufficient to support our continued growth or that we will be able to adequately and profitably manage that growth.

We may not be able to complete or integrate successfully any potential future acquisitions, partnerships or joint ventures.

We have implemented joint ventures and commercial partnerships as part of our business, and from time-to-time, we may evaluate possible acquisition transactions, partnerships or joint ventures, some of which may be material. Potential future acquisitions, partnerships and joint ventures may pose significant risks to our existing operations if they cannot be successfully integrated. These projects would place additional demands on our managerial, operational, financial and other resources, create operational complexity requiring additional personnel and other resources and require enhanced control procedures. In addition, we may not be able to successfully finance or integrate any businesses, services or technologies that we acquire or with which we form a partnership or joint venture. Furthermore, the integration of any acquisition may divert management’s time and resources from our core business and disrupt our operations. Moreover, even if we were successful in integrating newly acquired assets, expected synergies or cost savings may not materialize, resulting in lower than expected benefits to us from such transactions. We may spend time and money on projects that do not increase our revenue. Additionally, when making acquisitions it may not be possible for us to conduct a detailed investigation of the nature of the assets being acquired due to, for instance, time constraints in making the decision and other factors. We may become responsible for additional liabilities or obligations not foreseen at the time of an acquisition. In addition, in connection with any acquisitions, we must comply with various antitrust requirements. It is possible that perceived or actual violations of these requirements could give rise to regulatory enforcement action or result in us not receiving all necessary approvals in order to complete a desired acquisition. To the extent we pay the purchase price of any acquisition in cash, it would reduce our cash reserves, and to the extent the purchase price is paid with our stock, it could be dilutive to our stockholders. To the extent we pay the purchase price with proceeds from the incurrence of debt, it would increase our level of indebtedness and could negatively affect our liquidity and restrict our operations. All of the above risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.

We are subject to the discretion of administrative enforcement agencies. 

In certain cases, regulations may provide administrative discretion regarding enforcement, and regulations may be applied inconsistently across the industry, resulting in increased costs for the Company that may not be incurred by competitors. Changes in laws, regulations or other industry practices and standards, or interpretations of legal or regulatory requirements, may reduce the market for or value of our products or services or render our products or services less profitable or obsolete. For example, policymakers may impose heightened customer due diligence requirements or other restrictions, fees or taxes on remittances. Changes in the laws affecting the kinds of entities that are permitted to act as money transfer agents (such as changes in requirements for capitalization or ownership) could adversely affect our ability to distribute certain services and the costs of providing those services.

Major bank failure or sustained financial market illiquidity, or illiquidity at our clearing, cash management and custodial financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

We face certain risks in the event of a sustained deterioration of financial market liquidity, as well as in the event of sustained deterioration in the liquidity, or failure, of our clearing, cash management and custodial financial institutions. In particular, in the event of a major bank or credit card failure, we could be unable to process transactions via our mobile applications: In such a case, or if financial liquidity deteriorates for other reasons, our ability to operate our business and our financial condition and results of operations could be significantly harmed.

As our business develops, we will need to implement enhanced compliance processes, procedures and controls with respect to the rules and regulations that apply to our business.

Our success requires significant public confidence in our ability to handle large and growing payment volumes and amounts of consumer funds, as well as comply with applicable regulatory requirements. Any failure to manage consumer funds or to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in the imposition of fines, harm our reputation and significantly diminish use of our products. In addition, if we are not in compliance with anti-corruption laws and other laws governing the conduct of business with government entities and/or officials (including local laws), we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we cannot keep pace with rapid developments and change in our industry and provide new services to our clients, the use of our services could decline, reducing our revenues.

The payment services industry in which we operate is characterized by rapid technological change, new product and service introductions, evolving industry standards, changing customer needs and the entrance of more established market players seeking to expand into these businesses. In order to remain competitive, we continually seek to expand the services we offer and to develop new projects. These projects carry risks, such as delays in delivery, performance problems and lack of customer acceptance. In our industry, these risks are acute. Any delay in the delivery of new services or the failure to differentiate our services or to accurately predict and address market demand could render our services less desirable, or even obsolete, to consumers. In addition, if alternative payment mechanisms become widely available, substituting our current products and services, and we do not develop and offer similar alternative payment mechanisms successfully and on a timely basis, our business and prospects could be adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to recover the costs we have incurred in developing new services. Our development efforts could result in increased costs and we could also experience a loss in business that could reduce our earnings or could cause a loss of revenue if promised new services are not timely delivered to our clients, we are not able to compete effectively with our competitors’ or do not perform as anticipated. If we are unable to develop, adapt to or access technological changes or evolving industry standards on a timely and cost effective basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Our systems and our third party providers’ systems may fail due to factors beyond our control, which could interrupt our service, cause us to lose business and increase our costs.

We depend on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of numerous systems, including our computer systems, software and telecommunications networks, as well as the data centers that we lease from third parties. Our systems and operations, or those of our third party providers, could be exposed to damage or interruption from, among other things, fire, flood, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, vendor failure, unauthorized entry, improper operation and computer viruses. Substantial property and equipment loss, and disruption in operations, as well as any defects in our systems or those of third parties or other difficulties could expose us to liability and materially adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any outage or disruptive efforts to our data center would result in the failure of our computers to operate and would, if for an extensive period, adversely impact our reputation, brand and future prospects.

Unauthorized disclosure of data, whether through cybersecurity breaches, computer viruses or otherwise, could expose us to liability, protracted and costly litigation and damage our reputation.

We store and/or transmit sensitive data, and we have ultimate liability to our consumers for our failure to protect this data. If breaches occur our encryption of data and other protective measures may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of data. Unauthorized disclosure of data or a cybersecurity breach could harm our reputation and deter clients from using electronic payments generally, increase our operating expenses in order to correct the breaches or failures, expose us to uninsured liability, increase our risk of regulatory scrutiny, subject us to lawsuits, result in the imposition of material penalties and fines by state authorities and otherwise materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Customer complaints or negative publicity about our customer service could affect attractiveness of our services adversely and, as a result, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Customer complaints or negative publicity about our customer service could diminish consumer confidence in, and the attractiveness of, our services. Breaches of our consumers’ privacy and our security systems could have the same effect. We sometimes take measures to combat risks of fraud and breaches of privacy and security, such as freezing consumer funds, which could damage relations with our consumers. These measures heighten the need for prompt and attentive customer service to resolve irregularities and disputes. Effective customer service requires significant personnel expense, and this expense, if not managed properly, could impact our profitability significantly. Any inability by us to manage or train our customer service representatives properly could compromise our ability to handle customer complaints effectively. If we do not handle customer complaints effectively, our reputation may suffer, and we may lose our customers’ confidence, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our payment system might be used for fraudulent, illegal or improper purposes, which could expose us to additional liability and harm our business.

Despite measures we have taken and continue to take, our payment system remains susceptible to potentially illegal or improper uses. These may include use of our payment services in connection with fraudulent sales of goods or services, illicit sales of prescription medications or controlled substances, software and other intellectual property piracy, money laundering, bank fraud and prohibited sales of restricted products. In the past there have been news articles on how organized crime groups have used other payment services to transfer money in the course of illegal transactions.

Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities such as counterfeiting and fraud. It is possible that incidents of fraud could increase in the future. Our risk management policies and procedures may not be fully effective to identify, monitor and manage these risks. We are not able to monitor in each case the sources for our counterparties’ funds or the ways in which they use them. Increases in chargebacks or other liability could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, an increase in fraudulent transactions or publicity regarding chargeback disputes could harm our reputation and reduce consumer confidence in the use of our products.

We may not be able to successfully protect the intellectual property we license or own and may be subject to infringement claims.

We rely on a combination of contractual rights, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws to establish and protect our technology and the technology that we license and/or that we develop in the future. We and our subsidiary have applied for trademark protection for certain marks, but there is a risk that such trademarks will not be approved, which could leave us without important protections for our brand.

Also, we customarily require our employees and independent contractors to execute confidentiality agreements or otherwise to agree to keep our proprietary information and the information we license confidential when their relationship with us begins. Typically, our employment contracts also include clauses requiring our employees to assign to us all the inventions and intellectual property rights they develop in the course of their employment and to agree not to disclose our confidential information. Nevertheless, others, including our competitors, may independently develop similar technology to that licensed by us, duplicate our services or design around our intellectual property. Further, contractual arrangements may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of our confidential information or ensure an adequate remedy in the event of any unauthorized disclosure of our confidential information. We may have to litigate to enforce or determine the scope or enforceability of our intellectual property rights (including trade secrets and know-how), which could be expensive, could cause a diversion of resources and may not prove successful. The loss of intellectual property protection could harm our business and ability to compete and could result in costly redesign efforts, discontinuance of certain service offerings or other competitive harm. Additionally, we do not hold any patents for our business model or our business processes, and we do not currently intend to obtain any such patents in the United States or elsewhere.

We may also be subject to costly litigation in the event our services or the technology that we license are claimed to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third party’s intellectual property or proprietary rights. Such claims could include patent infringement, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation or breach of licenses. We may not be able to successfully defend against such claims, which may result in a limitation on our ability to use the intellectual property subject to these claims and might require us to redesign affected services, enter into costly settlement or license agreements, pay costly damage awards, or face a temporary or permanent injunction prohibiting us from marketing or selling certain of our services. In such circumstances, if we cannot or do not license the infringed technology on reasonable terms or substitute similar technology from another source, our revenue and earnings could be adversely impacted. Additionally, in recent years, non-practicing entities have been acquiring patents, making claims of patent infringement and attempting to extract settlements from companies in our industry. Even if we believe that such claims are without merit and successfully defend these claims, defending against such claims is time consuming and expensive and could result in the diversion of the time and attention of our management and employees.

We may use open-source software in a manner that could be harmful to our business.

We use open-source software in connection with our technology and services. The original developers of the open source code provide no warranties on such code. Moreover, some open source software licenses require users who distribute open source software as part of their software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software and/or make available any derivative works of the open source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost. The use of such open source code may ultimately require us to replace certain code used in our products, pay a royalty to use some open source code or discontinue certain products. Any of the above requirements could be harmful to our business, financial condition and operations.

We do not have and may be unable to obtain sufficient insurance to protect ourselves from business risks.

While we hold certain mandatory types of insurance policies, we do not currently maintain insurance coverage for business interruption, property damage or loss of key management personnel, as we have been unable to obtain these on commercially acceptable terms. We do not hold insurance policies to cover for any losses resulting from counterparty and credit risks or fraudulent transactions. We also do not generally maintain separate funds or otherwise set aside reserves for most types of business-related risks. Accordingly, our lack of insurance coverage or reserves with respect to business-related risks may expose us to substantial losses, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on certain key personnel and in a dynamic industry like ours, the ability to attract, recruit, retain and develop qualified personnel is critical to our success and growth.

We rely substantially on the efforts of our current senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer, William Corbett, and our President and Chief Financial Officer, Richard Rosenblum. Our business would be impeded or harmed if we were to lose their services. In addition, our business functions at the intersection of rapidly changing technological, social, economic and regulatory developments that require a wide-ranging set of expertise and intellectual capital. In order for us to compete and grow successfully, we must attract, recruit, retain and develop the necessary personnel who can provide the needed expertise across the entire spectrum of our capital needs. This is particularly true with respect to qualified and experienced software engineers and information technology staff, who are highly sought after. The market for such personnel is highly competitive, and we may not succeed in recruiting additional personnel or may fail to replace effectively current personnel who depart with qualified or effective successors. Our efforts to retain and develop personnel may result in significant additional expenses, which could adversely affect our profitability. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. Failure to retain or attract key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Securities

There is currently a limited public trading market for our common stock and one may never develop.

There currently is a limited public trading market for our securities, and it is not assured that any such public market will develop in the foreseeable future. Moreover, there can be no assurance that even if our common stock is approved for listing on an exchange or is quoted in the over-the-counter market in the future, that an active trading market will develop or be sustained. Therefore, we cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade in the future, if at all. As a result, our investors may have limited or no ability to liquidate their investments.

Trading in our common stock is conducted on the OTCQB, as we currently do not meet the initial listing criteria for any registered securities exchange. The OTCQB and OTC Markets are less recognized markets than the registered securities exchanges and is often characterized by low trading volume and significant price fluctuations. These and other factors may further impair our stockholders’ ability to sell their shares when they want to and/or could depress our stock price. As a result, stockholders could find it difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate quotations of the price of our securities because smaller quantities of shares could be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed and security analyst and news coverage of our Company may be limited. If a public market for our common stock does develop, these factors could result in lower prices and larger spreads in the bid and ask prices for our shares of common stock.

Because our common stock may be a “penny stock,” it may be more difficult for investors to sell shares of our common stock, and the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected. 

Our common stock is deemed to be a “penny stock” if, among other things, the stock price is below $5.00 per share, it is not listed on a national securities exchange, or it has not met certain net tangible asset or average revenue requirements. Broker-dealers who sell penny stocks must provide purchasers of these stocks with a standardized risk-disclosure document prepared by the SEC. This risk-disclosure document provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks involved in investing in the penny-stock market. A broker must also give a purchaser, orally or in writing, bid and offer quotations and information regarding broker and salesperson compensation, make a written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and obtain the purchaser’s written agreement to the purchase. Broker-dealers must also provide customers that hold penny stock in their accounts with such broker-dealer a monthly statement containing price and market information relating to the penny stock. If a penny stock is sold to an investor in violation of the penny stock rules, the investor may be able to cancel its purchase and get their money back.

If applicable, the penny stock rules may make it difficult for stockholders to sell their shares of our common stock. Because of the rules and restrictions applicable to a penny stock, there is less trading in penny stocks and the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected. Also, many brokers choose not to participate in penny stock transactions. Accordingly, stockholders may not always be able to resell their shares of our common stock publicly at times and prices that they feel are appropriate.

Our stock price has been subject to significant volatility, and future volatility may result in our investors incurring substantial losses.

Our stock price has fluctuated in the past, has been subject to volatility and may be volatile in the future. We may incur rapid and substantial decreases in our stock price in the foreseeable future that are unrelated to our operating performance. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, rising inflation and recent bank failures have caused broad stock market and industry fluctuations. Furthermore, the market prices for companies operating in our industry have experienced extreme volatility. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our common stock. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including the following:

These and similar market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. Since the stock price of our common stock has fluctuated in the past, has been recently volatile and may be volatile in the future, investors in our common stock could incur substantial losses. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. There can be no guarantee that our stock price will remain at current prices or that future sales of our common stock will not be at prices lower than those sold to investors.

Because we became public by means of a reverse merger, we and our shareholders may be faced with regulatory constraints, and we may not be able to attract the attention of brokerage firms.

Additional risks may exist because we became public through a reverse merger. For example, our status as a former “shell company” may limit the ability of shareholders to utilize SEC Rule 144 to sell their shares. Further, as we did not become a public company via a traditional, underwritten initial public offering, securities analysts of brokerage firms may not provide coverage of our company since there is little incentive for brokerage firms to recommend the purchase of our common stock. In addition, institutional investors may have limitations on investing in reverse merger companies, which could limit the universe of potential investors for our company. No assurance can be given that brokerage firms will want to conduct secondary offerings on our behalf in the future. In addition, if we were to attempt to up-list the listing of our securities on a national securities exchange we will likely be subject to additional listing requirements applicable to entities that became public through a reverse merger.

Compliance with the reporting requirements of federal securities laws are expensive and time consuming.

We are a public reporting company in the United States, and accordingly, subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and other federal securities laws, and the compliance obligations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The costs (in terms of expenses and the required dedication of management’s time and attention) of preparing and filing annual and quarterly reports and other information with the SEC and furnishing audited reports to stockholders are substantial. If we do not provide current information about our company to market makers, they will not be able to trade our stock. Failure to comply with the applicable securities laws could result in private or governmental legal action against us or our officers and directors, which could have a detrimental impact on our business and financials, the value of our stock, and the ability of stockholders to resell their stock.

Our investors’ ownership will likely be diluted in the future.

In the future, we will likely issue additional authorized but previously unissued equity securities, resulting in the dilution of ownership interests of our present stockholders. We expect to need to issue a substantial number of shares of common stock or other securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock in connection the conversion or exercise of outstanding convertible notes and warrants (including, potentially, up to 10,217,625 shares registered for resale pursuant to a registration statement filed on February 3, 2023) as well as in connection with hiring or retaining employees, future acquisitions, raising additional capital in the future to fund our operations, and other business purposes. Additional shares of common stock issued by us in the future, including shares issued upon exercise of the warrants and the outstanding notes, will dilute an investor’s investment in the Company.

Our Board of Directors has historically had significant control over us and we have yet to establish committees comprised of independent directors.

Each of our board members has significant control over all corporate issues. In addition, two of our four directors serve as our senior officers. We have not established board committees comprised of independent members, and we do not have an audit or compensation committee comprised of independent directors. Our four directors performed these functions, despite not all being independent directors. Thus, there is potential conflict in that two of our directors were also engaged in management and participated in decisions concerning management compensation and audit issues that may affect management and our performance.

We do not have an independent compensation committee, which presents the risk that compensation and benefits paid to those executive officers who are board members and other officers may not be commensurate with its financial performance.

A compensation committee consisting of independent directors is a safeguard against self-dealing by company executives. Our Board of Directors is comprised of two executive officers and two other directors, and absent an independent compensation committee currently determines the compensation and benefits of our executive officers, administers our employee stock and benefit plans, and reviews policies relating to the compensation and benefits of our employees. Our lack of an independent compensation committee presents the risk that our executive officers on the board may have influence over their personal compensation and benefits levels that may not be commensurate with its financial performance.

Limitations on director and officer liability and indemnification of our officers and directors by our articles of incorporation, as amended, and by-laws may discourage stockholders from bringing suit against an officer or director.

Our articles of incorporation, as amended, and bylaws provide, with certain exceptions as permitted by Nevada law, that a director or officer shall not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, unless the director or officer committed both a breach of fiduciary duty and such breach was accompanied by intentional misconduct, fraud or knowing violation of law. These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing suit against a director or officer for breach of fiduciary duty and may reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation brought by stockholders on behalf of us against a director or officer.

We are responsible for the indemnification of our officers and directors.

Should our officers and/or directors require us to contribute to their defense in an action brought against them in their capacity as such, we may be required to spend significant amounts of our capital. Our articles of incorporation, as amended, and bylaws also provide for the indemnification of our directors, officers, employees, and agents, under certain circumstances, against attorney’s fees and other expenses incurred by them in any litigation to which they become a party arising from their association with or activities on behalf of us. In addition, we have entered into an indemnification agreement with our Chief Executive Officer. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures, which we may be unable to recoup. If these expenditures are significant or involve issues which result in significant liability for our key personnel, we may be unable to continue operating as a going concern.

We do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

We have not paid cash dividends on our common stock to date and we do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, and we may never pay dividends. Consequently, the only opportunity for investors to achieve a return on their investment may be if an active trading market develops, and investors are able to sell their shares for a profit or if our business is sold at a price that enables investors to recognize a profit, neither of which we can guarantee will ever take place. Our payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors after taking into account various factors, including but not limited to our financial condition, operating results, cash needs, and growth plans.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None

Item 1C. Cybersecurity

The manner in which we store and/or transmit sensitive data in connection with our payment processing solutions is an important part of how we operate and plan to operate. We recognize the importance of assessing, identifying, and managing material risks associated with cybersecurity threats, as such term is defined in Item 106(a) of Regulation S-K. These risks include, among other things: operational risks, intellectual property theft, fraud, extortion, harm to employees and violation of data privacy or security laws.

Identifying and assessing cybersecurity risk is integrated into our overall risk management systems and processes. Cybersecurity risks related to our business, technical operations, privacy and compliance issues are identified through review by our internal information technology governance, risk and compliance policies. To defend, detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents, we, among other things: may conduct proactive privacy and cybersecurity reviews of systems and applications, audit applicable data, conduct employee training, monitor emerging laws and regulations related to data protection and information security and implement appropriate changes.

Our risk management program also assesses third party risks, and we perform third-party risk management to identify and mitigate risks from IPSIPay Express and third parties like OpenPath, EfinityPay, vendors, suppliers, and other business partners associated with our use of third-party service providers. Cybersecurity risks are evaluated when determining the selection and oversight of applicable third-party service providers and potential fourth-party risks when handling and/or processing our employee, business or customer data.

Item 2. Properties

The Company operated out of leased premises in Carmel by the Sea, California. The lease initially commenced on March 22, 2021 and terminated on April 1, 2022, thereafter it was renewed on a month-to-month basis with a monthly rental expense of $4,800 per month. On January 1, 2023 the property lease was renewed on a month-to-month basis, with a 90-day termination notice period, with a monthly rental expense of $5,088. The lease was terminated with effect from August 31, 2023.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. Below is a description of our outstanding pending litigation matters. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties and an adverse result in the below described or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. Other than as set forth below, we are not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to us, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition or cash flows.

Voloshin v. Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc.

On October 20, 2021, a complaint was filed against our company and certain of its officers and directors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor (“OSHA”), captioned Naum Voloshin, Yulia Rey, Alexander Voloshin, Andrey Novikov, and Frank Perez v. Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc., William Corbett, Richard Rosenblum, Madisson Corbett, Jim Fuller, Cliff Henry and David Rios. The complaint generally alleged that complainants, four former employees of our company and one employee who was on suspension, did not receive compensation to which they claim they were entitled and that they were wrongfully terminated for engaging in protected activities in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. § 1514A. The complaint sought reinstatement of complainants’ employment, monetary damages including back pay, raises, bonuses, benefits, overtime, emotional distress and loss of reputation, orders of abatement and injunctive relief, and costs of litigation.

In early 2022, OSHA dismissed the claims of Ms. Rey and Mr. Perez, and they appealed that decision. We moved to dismiss the remaining claims and as of this writing OSHA took no action with respect to that motion.

On May 25, 2022, the parties held a mediation in an attempt to resolve the matters. The mediation was unsuccessful.

On October 26, 2022, OSHA scheduled a hearing on Ms. Rey’s and Mr. Perez’s appeal for April 5, 2023. On November 8, 2022, the claimants’ counsel informed us that all five former employees intended to exercise their right to file a lawsuit in federal court and asked if we would stipulate to dismissal of Rey’s and Perez’s OSHA claims without prejudice. We agreed and a stipulation of dismissal without prejudice was filed on November 10, 2022.

On November 7, 2022, the same five employees filed a lawsuit, not in federal court, but in the California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles, against our company and the same individuals against whom they had asserted their OSHA claim. The complaint asserted claims for, among other things, breach of contract, failure to pay wages and failure to reimburse expenses under the California Labor Code and asserting retaliation claims under the California Labor Code. On December 16, 2022, the same five employees filed an amended complaint dropping all defendants from the case except Mr. Corbett and our company. The amended complaint asserts claims for violations of California Labor Code Section 1102.5; wrongful termination in violation of public policy; breach of contract; breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing; violation of California Labor Code Section 201; waiting time penalties (Cal. Lab. Code Sections 201 & 203) and violation of California Labor Code Section 2802

We and Mr. Corbett, the sole remaining individual defendant, moved to compel arbitration on February 17, 2023. As a result of that motion and a stipulated order entered by the court, all proceedings were stayed.

On June 8, 2023, while our motion to compel arbitration was pending in the Superior Court three of the employees (Naum Voloshin, Alexander Voloshin, and Novikov) filed a civil action in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Naum Voloshin, et al., v. Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc., Case No. CV 23-4515-JFW (PVCx), which alleges a single cause of action for retaliation in violation of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Federal Action”). The plaintiffs in the Federal Action made no attempt to serve their complaint or to give notice to any defendant in the Federal Action until August 2023.

On August 30, 2023, the Hon. William A. Crowfoot granted our and Mr. Corbett’s motion to compel arbitration, concluding that all of the claims alleged in the former employees’ first amended complaint were subject to arbitration. After the former employees failed to initiate arbitration, Defendants filed a motion to compel the appointment of an arbitrator, which was scheduled for hearing on January 2, 2024. On October 27, 2023, Plaintiffs, Perez, and Rey filed a petition for writ of mandate with the California Court of Appeal, seeking review of Judge Crowfoot’s order granting our motion to compel arbitration. The California Court of Appeal denied the petition for writ of mandate on November 1, 2023. On December 15, 2023, all five former employees filed a demand for arbitration. We withdrew our motion to compel appointment of an arbitration.

Upon motion of our company and Mr. Corbett, on January 10, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California stayed all proceedings in the Federal Action until the arbitration is completed.

Plaintiffs Naum Voloshin, Andrey Novikov, and Alexander Voloshin asserted, in the Federal Action, that they are entitled to damages in the following amounts: Naum Voloshin: $950,000 plus an unstated amount of lost wages and emotional distress damages. The claim is premised upon Mr. Voloshin earning $15,000 per month and a claim that he was entitled to receive 333,334 shares of Common Stock (after giving effect to our August 2023 reverse stock split) on or about June 29, 2021 that he would have sold on July 1, 2021 for $2.85 per share on July 1, 2021 for $950,000. Andrey Novikov: $285,000 plus emotional distress and punitive damages. The claim is premised upon Mr. Novikov earning $15,000 per month and a claim that he was entitled to receive 100,000 shares of Common Stock (after giving effect to our August 2023 reverse stock split) on or about June 29, 2021, that he would have sold at $2.85 per share on July 1, 2021 for $285,000. Alexander Voloshin: $263,000 plus emotional distress and punitive damages. The claim is premised upon an alleged two-year contract signed in May 2021 that paid him $7,000 per month and that promised him 333,334 shares of Common Stock (after giving effect to our August 2023 reverse stock split) on or about June 29, 2021. Mr. Voloshin claims he would have sold those share on or about July 1, 2021 for $2.85 per share for $950,000.

We have not received any information on the amount of the claims of the other two plaintiffs.

An arbitrator has been appointed, and it is anticipated that hearing on the arbitration will be held during 2024. Management is vigorously defending the claims and intends to continue to do so.

Minkovich v. Corbett, et al.

On May 26, 2022, Mr. Jan Minkovich (“Minkovich”) filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County (Minkovich v. Corbett, et al., CASE NO. 22CHCV00377) against our company and our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Corbett. The complaint asserts six causes of action for: (i) breach of contract; (ii) nonpayment of wages; (iii) waiting time penalties; (iv) failure to indemnify for alleged employee business expenses; (v) violation of Section 17200 of the California Business and Professional Code; and (vi) wrongful termination of employment in violation of public policy. Minkovich seeks $570,000 in damages, penalties, and attorneys’ fees plus shares equal to five percent (5%) ownership of our company.

We and Mr. Corbett filed a motion to compel arbitration. The motion was denied on October 4, 2022. We and Mr. Corbett then appealed that decision to the California Court of Appeal. As a result of the appeal, the court case was stayed until the appeal was decided. As a result of the stay, the demurrer (the equivalent of a motion to dismiss) we and Mr. Corbett filed was not decided.

On February 27, 2024, the California Court of Appeal, Second District, reversed the Superior Court’s decision denying our motion to compel arbitration. The Court of Appeal remanded the case to the Superior Court with directions to issue a new order compelling to arbitration the parties’ dispute regarding the enforceability of the arbitration clause.

We expect that the plaintiff will, most likely, initiate arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) based on this ruling. While, as the court order states, the plaintiff may renew his challenge to the arbitration clause before the arbitrator, we believe such challenges are rare and rarely succeed. Accordingly, we expect that the dispute will be resolved by AAA arbitration. Management is vigorously defending the claims and intends to continue to do so.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

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

From November 3, 2014 to July 4, 2016, our common stock traded on the OTC Pink Markets under the symbol “ASYP” but no trading took place during this time. Since July 5, 2016 our common stock has traded on the OTCQB Market, and our symbol was changed to “QPAG” on June 2, 2016 and to “IPSI” on December 3, 2019.

The last reported sale price of our common stock on the OTCQB on March 27, 2024, was $0.1314 per share. OTC market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

As of March 27, 2024, there were approximately 68 holders of record of our common stock. 

Dividend Policy

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date, and we have no intention of paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Whether we declare and pay dividends is determined by our Board of Directors at their discretion, subject to certain limitations imposed under Nevada corporate law. The timing, amount and form of dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The purpose of our equity incentive plans is to promote the interests of our company and our stockholders by providing directors, officers, employees and consultants of our company with appropriate incentives and rewards to encourage them to enter into and continue in the employ or service of our company, to acquire a proprietary interest in our long-term success and to reward the performance of individuals in fulfilling long-term corporate objectives.

On June 18, 2018, we established our 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan terminates after a period of ten years in June 2028. The Plan is administered by our board of directors or a committee appointed by our board of directors who have the authority to administer the Plan and to exercise all the powers and authorities specifically granted to it under the Plan.

The maximum number of securities available under the Plan is 26,667 shares of Common Stock. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock awarded to any individual during any fiscal year may not exceed 3,333 shares of Common Stock.

On October 22, 2021, our board of directors and stockholders established our 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). The 2021 Plan terminates after a period of ten years in August 2031.

The maximum number of securities available under the 2021 Plan is 1,766,667 shares of Common Stock.

Under the 2021 Plan, we may award the following: (i) non-qualified stock options; (ii)) incentive stock options; (iii) stock appreciation rights; (iv) restricted stock; (v) restricted stock unit; and (vi) other stock-based awards.

The following presents certain information regarding our equity incentive plans as of December 31, 2023:

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

On October 19, 2023, the Company closed a transaction with Red Road Holdings Corporation pursuant to which the Company received net proceeds of $60,000, after an original issue discount and fees of $13,450 in exchange for the issuance of a $73,450 Convertible Note, bearing interest at 13%, which interest is earned on issuance of the note, an effective interest rate of 27.8%, and maturing on July 30, 2024. The Note has mandatory monthly repayments of $9,222 which commenced on November 30, 2023. The Note is convertible into shares of Common Stock at a variable conversion rate of 60% of the lowest trading price twenty trading days before conversion.

On December 20, 2023, the Company closed a transaction with Red Road Holdings Corporation pursuant to which the Company received net proceeds of $50,000, after an original issue discount and fees of $13,250 in exchange for the issuance of a $63,250 Convertible Note, bearing interest at 15%, which interest is earned on issuance of the note, an effective interest rate of 32.0%, and maturing on September 30, 2024. The Note has mandatory monthly repayments of $8,082. The Note is convertible into shares of Common Stock at a variable conversion rate of 60% of the lowest trading price twenty trading days before conversion.

Between October 20, 2023 and November 27, 2023, the Company entered into Securities Purchase Agreements with 3 accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company received an aggregate of $350,000 in gross proceeds in a private placement through the issuance of:

The 2023 Notes mature 12 months, bear interest at 8% and are convertible into shares of Common Stock at a conversion price of $0.345 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock combinations, dilutive issuances and similar events). The 2023 Notes may be prepaid at any time without penalty. The Company is under no obligation to register the shares of Common Stock underlying the Notes or the 2023 Warrants for public resale.

On December 14, 2023, two notes totaling $225,000 which matured on December 31, 2023 were rolled over for an additional 3 months to March 30, 2024. In exchange for the roll-over, the Company issued the note holders warrants exercisable for 292 463 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.345 per share.

Between February 6 and February 21, 2024, the Company entered into Securities Purchase Agreements pursuant to which the Company issued convertible promissory notes to four accredited investment entities for total gross proceeds of $308,335. The Notes are unsecured, mature 12 months from issuance date and bear interest at a rate of 8% per annum, and are convertible into shares of common stock of the Company at a conversion price of $0.345 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock combinations, and similar events). The Notes may be prepaid at any time without penalty. The Note contains customary events of default. The Company is under no obligation to register the shares of Common Stock underlying the Notes for public resale.

On March 4, 2024, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement pursuant to which the Company issued a convertible promissory note and a warrant exercisable for shares of common stock to an accredited investor. The Company realized gross proceeds of $100,000 after an original issue discount of $14,286 and a once off interest charge of $9,143. The note matures on September 4, 2024. Principal and interest payments are due in four equal instalments of $30,871 commencing on May 3, 2024. The note is convertible into common stock at a fixed price of $0.345 per share, unless the note is in default, whereby the conversion price will be 70% of the lowest closing bid price for the 5 trading days prior to conversion. The note may be prepaid at any time for the full outstanding principal and outstanding interest.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

There were no issuer purchases of equity securities during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Item 6.  Reserved

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

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our audited annual financial statements and the related notes thereto, each of which appear elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as described under the heading “About Forward-Looking Statements” in this Annual Report. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties. The Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below is based upon only the financial performance of Innovate Payment Solutions.

Overview

We are a fintech provider of digital payment solutions presently focused on, through its participation in IPSIPay Express, developing a new account-to-account payment application called Instant Settlement in RealTime as well as traditional credit card processing services. We have in the past (under the name IPSIPay) and may in the future develop and operate “e-wallets” that enable consumers to deposit cash, convert it into a digital form and remit funds quickly and securely.

Known Trends, Demands, Commitments, Events or Uncertainties Impacting Our Business

Development of IPSIPay Express

Our principal business as of the date of this Report consists of our participation in the IPSIPay Express joint venture. Since May 2023, we have been working with our joint venture partners OpenPath and EfinityPay to establish the necessary elements to commercially launch IPEX. This remains our top business priority. As described in Item 1. Business, we have been responsible for certain key aspects of establishing and launching IPEX. We will continue these efforts during 2024, and our results of operations for 2023 should be viewed in light of our exit from our previous IPSIPay business and our work on IPEX. No assurances can be given that we will be able to launch IPEX with our joint venture partners or that IPSIPay Express will generate revenues for us.

Potential Business Combination with Business Warrior Corporation

As described in Item 1. Business, on February 13, 2024, we signed an amended and restated non-binding letter of intent relating to a potential business combination with Business Warrior Corporation (“BZWR”), pursuant to which we would acquire BZWR. As of the date of this Report, neither we nor BZWR have any legal obligation of any kind with respect to the proposed transaction. We are presently conducting due diligence on BZWR and working with legal counsel on draft documentation for the transaction.

BZWR is a publicly listed, revenue generating fintech company that offers PayPlan, a comprehensive lending software platform that includes marketing services for lenders and businesses. We believe that a potential combination with a fintech company that generates some revenue monthly would complement the development and commercial launch of our IPSIPay Express products and potentially other product offerings. In addition, we and BZWR have certain convertible note investors in common. Therefore, one purpose of the proposed transaction would be to convert the indebtedness of both our company and BZWR held by such note holders into equity securities of our company.

No assurances can be given, however, the business combination will ever take place. While this is a transaction we are presently interested in pursuing, we may elect to forego the transaction as we deemed appropriate. Moreover, even if we enter into definitive agreements with respect to the transaction, the transaction will be subject to material conditions to closing which may not be satisfied.

Inflation

Macro-economic conditions could affect consumer spending adversely and consequently our future operations when we fully launch our e-wallet products commercially. The U.S. has entered a period of significant inflation, and this may impact consumer’s desire to adopt our products and services and may increase our costs overall. However, as of the date of this report, we do not expect there to be any material impact on our liquidity as forecast in our business plan due to recent inflationary concerns in the U.S.

Foreign Exchange Risks

We intend to operate in several foreign countries. Changes and fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate between the US Dollar and other foreign currencies may in future have an effect our results of operations.

Results of Operations for the years Ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022

Net revenue

We recorded minimal revenues of $410 and $847 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We pivoted to focus our attention on the IPSIPay Express joint venture, we expect to generate initial revenues through the joint venture in the foreseeable future. We are focusing all of our efforts on developing and launching IPSIPay Express, which we believe has a higher possibility for revenue generation in the near and longer term.

Cost of goods sold

Cost of goods sold was $3,547 and $5,052 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and consists primarily of bank and merchant related fees and chargebacks.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses were $3,576,352 and $5,452,579 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, a decrease of $1,876,227 or 34.4%. The decrease is primarily due to the following;

Depreciation

Depreciation was $380,634 and $132,394 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $248,240. The increase is primarily due to the September 2022 commencement of amortization of the platform prior to its novation to a third party during the current year.

Investment impairment charge

Investment impairment charge was $0 and $1 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, the amount is immaterial.

Loss on debt conversion

Loss on debt conversion was $90,761 and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $90,761. The loss on debt conversion during the current year represents a loss realized on the conversion of convertible notes, into equity at fixed conversion prices of $0.345 per share, when the stock price ranged from $0.35 per share to $0.60 per share, resulting in a loss of $90,761. A total of $432,500 was converted from convertible debt to equity during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Loss on convertible notes

Loss on convertible notes was $73,562 and $4,602,709 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, a decrease of $4,529,147 or 98.4%. The decrease is due the following; (i) in the current year, we extended the maturity date of two convertible notes and issued the noteholders additional warrants exercisable for 292,463 shares of common stock, which resulted in a loss on debt extinguishment of $64,256; and (ii) we early settled two convertible notes resulting in an early settlement penalty of $9,306. In the prior year we repaid one convertible note and modified the maturity date of two convertible notes, resulting in the triggering of a full rachet provision on certain warrants, the reduction in the conversion price of certain convertible notes and the exchange of certain warrants for promissory notes, discussed fully in note 16 to the financial statements.

Loss on novation

Loss on novation was $1,066,165 and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $1,066,165 or 100%. The loss on novation arose due the novation of the IPSIPay platform and all rights and obligations associated with the service agreement with Frictionless to a third party.

Fair value of warrants issued

Fair value of warrants issued was $14,176 and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $14,176 or 100.0%. We issued a replacement warrant exercisable for 33,334 shares to an investor during the current period.

Interest expense

Interest expense was $424,177 and $199,788 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $224,389 or 112.3%. The increase is related to the additional $2,461,666 of convertible note funding raised during the current year to fund the company’s investment in the IPSIPay Express joint venture which is expected to become operational in the foreseeable future.

Amortization of debt discount

Amortization of debt discount was $770,372 and $263,200 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $507,172 or 192.7%. The increase is primarily due to the amortization of debt discount related to the valuation of warrants, derivative liabilities and OID’s and fees paid on the $2,461,666 of convertible debt raised during the current year.

Derivative liability movements

Derivative liability movements were $1,501,446 and $411,752 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The derivative liability arose due to the issuance of convertible securities with variable conversion prices and no floor conversion price. The credit during the current year represents the mark-to-market of the derivative liability outstanding as of December 31, 2023, primarily as a result of a decrease in the share price over the prior year.

Net loss from equity method investment

Net loss from equity method investment was $403,282 and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $403,282 or 100.0%. On April 28, 2023, we formed a new Delaware limited liability company called IPSIPay Express LLC as a three-way joint venture with two other entities to develop and market a proprietary consumer to merchant real-time payment platform initially focused on the fast-growing online gaming and entertainment sectors. On June 19, 2023, we entered into the IPEX Operating Agreement with OpenPath, Inc. and EfinityPay, LLC to memorialize the terms of our IPSIPay Express joint venture. The loss represents our proportionate share of the operating expenses of the joint venture and the additional loss associated with the increase in the basis of our investment from 11.11% to 22.22%, based on the net asset value of the joint venture.

Net loss from continuing operations

Net loss from continuing operations was $5,301,112 and $10,243,124 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, a decrease in loss of $4,942,012 or 48.2%. The decrease is primarily due to the decrease in general and administrative expenses, the decrease in the penalty on convertible notes and the movement in derivative liabilities, offset by, the loss on novation, the increase in interest expense and the increase in the amortization of debt discount, all discussed in detail above.

Operating loss from discontinued operations

Operating loss from discontinued operations was $40,821 and $88,300 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, a decrease of $47,479 or 53.8%. Beyond Fintech was disposed of in May 2023.

Loss on disposal of subsidiary

Loss on disposal of subsidiary was $495,424 and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, an increase of $495,424 or 100.0%. On May 12, 2023, the Company entered into an Agreement with Frictionless to unwind the equity ownership stakes that the Company and Frictionless have in each other and in Beyond Fintech. The Company assigned to Frictionless all common stock of Frictionless owned by the Company and all shares of common stock of Beyond Fintech owned by the Company. The consideration to the Company for the assignment of the Beyond Fintech Shares to Frictionless was $250,000, resulting in a net loss on disposal of $495,424.

Net loss

Net loss was $5,837,357 and $10,331,424 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, a decrease of $4,494,067 or 43.5%. the decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in net loss from continuing operations and the loss on disposal of subsidiary and investment, as discussed in detail above.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

To date, our primary sources of cash have been funds raised primarily from the sale of our debt and equity securities.

We have an accumulated deficit of $58,235,618 through December 31, 2023 and incurred negative cash flow from operations of $1,416,809 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our primary focus was on launching and operating e-wallets that enable consumers to deposit cash, convert it into a digital form and remit the funds to Mexico and other countries quickly and securely, which will require us to spend, substantial amounts in connection with implementing our business strategy. During the second quarter of 2023 we formed a new Delaware limited liability company called IPSIPay Express as a three-way joint venture with two other entities to develop and market a proprietary consumer to merchant real-time payment platform initially focused on the fast-growing online gaming and entertainment sectors. On June 19, 2023, we entered into the IPEX Operating Agreement to memorialize the terms of the joint venture.

At December 31, 2023, we had cash of $50,433 and working capital deficit of $8,143,976 including a derivative liability of $1,434,196. After eliminating the derivative liability our working capital deficit is $6,709,780. Subsequent to December 31, 2023, up to March 4, 2024, we raised $408,335 through the issuance of convertible notes to accredited investors.

We used cash of $1,416,809 and $3,061,953 in operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Overall cash used in operations decreased by $1,645,144 due to cost containment efforts to preserve cash balances.

We invested a further $80,296 in our e-wallet platforms to enhance the product offering and to further develop the Beyond Wallet application (which was discontinued in May 2023). We also invested $999,000 in our IPSIPay Express joint venture to develop and market a proprietary consumer to merchant real-time payment platform initially focused on the fast-growing online gaming and entertainment sectors.

We generated cash from financing activities of $2,157,312 during the current year, primarily $2,461,666 from convertible notes issued to investors to bridge our working capital and repaid $304,354 of convertible notes. Cash utilized in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 included the repayment of a convertible note of $1,147,063.

At December 31, 2023, we had outstanding convertible notes, including interest thereon of $4,391,782 (before unamortized debt discount of $687,502) and outstanding promissory notes, including interest thereon of $1,062,007. The notes contain certain covenants, such as restrictions on: (i) distributions on capital stock, (ii) stock repurchases, and (iii) sales and the transfer of assets. The notes bear interest at a rates of 8% to 32.0% per annum. and are convertible into our common stock at conversion prices ranging from fixed conversion prices of$0.345 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock combinations, dilutive issuances and similar events), to variable conversion prices of 60% of lowest trading prices over a 20 trading day period. Should the investors choose not to convert these convertible notes, we may need to repay these notes together with interest thereon which will impact on our liquidity.

Pursuant to the IPSIPay Express joint venture agreement, we were required to invest another $500,000 in IPSIPay Express by November 30, 2023. In late 2023, we agreed with our joint venture partners that such investment was not required. Therefore our share of the outstanding equity interests of IPSIPay Express remains at 22.22%. There is no penalty for non-payment other than our share of the joint venture remaining at 22.22% and not increasing to 33.33%.

Given our losses and negative cash flows, we will be required to raise significant additional funds to progress our business as planned by issuing equity or equity-linked securities. Should this occur, our stockholders would experience dilution, perhaps significantly. Additional debt financing, if available, may involve covenants restricting our operations or our ability to incur additional debt. Any additional debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders and require significant debt service payments, which diverts resources from other activities. Moreover, there is a risk that financing may be unavailable to support our operations on favorable terms, or at all.

There is also a significant risk that none of our plans to raise financing will be implemented in a manner necessary to sustain us for an extended period of time. If adequate funds are not available to us when needed, we may be required to continue with reduced or discontinued operations or to obtain funds through arrangements that may require us to relinquish rights to technologies or potential markets, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our company. In addition, our inability to secure additional funding when needed could cause our business to fail or become bankrupt or force us to wind down or discontinue operations.

We do not have any off balance sheet financing arrangements as of the date of this Report.

Capital Expenditures

Our capital expenditure is dependent on our cash resources, currently we are not forecasting any additional capital expenditure for the 2024 fiscal year.

Critical Accounting Policies

Preparation of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, as well as related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Significant accounting policies are fundamental to understanding our financial condition and results as they require the use of estimates and assumptions which affect the financial statements and accompanying notes. See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10- K for further information.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K for information regarding recently issued accounting standards.

Contractual Obligations

We have contractual obligations in the form of notes and convertible notes which are described in the financial statements included as part of this Report.

Inflation

The effect of inflation on the Company’s operating results was not significant.

Interest rate sensitivity

We are not subject to interest rate sensitivity; our only debt consists of fixed rate convertible debt.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable because we are a smaller reporting company.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplemental Data 

805 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 Tel. 212.838.5100 Fax 212.838.2676 www.rbsmllp.com

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Innovative Payment Solutions, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows for each of the two years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The Company's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 3 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations, generated negative cash flows from operating activities, has an accumulated deficit and has stated that substantial doubt exists about Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management's evaluation of the events and conditions and management’s plans in regarding these matters are also described in Note 3. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. Based on the previous year’s audits and the reviews performed by RBSM during year ended December 31, 2023, RBSM determined there were no CAM’s for the audit of the year ended December 31, 2023.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2014. PCAOB ID 587

New York, NY

March 29, 2023

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

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

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

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

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1, 2022 TO DECEMBER 31, 2023

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

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

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

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INNOVATIVE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS