Form: 424B3

Prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)

November 12, 2024

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration Statement No. 333-279165

PROXY STATEMENT FOR SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF

THUNDER BRIDGE CAPITAL PARTNERS IV, INC.

AND

PROSPECTUS FOR UP TO 6,561,525 ORDINARY SHARES, 4,860,168 WARRANTS, AND
4,860,168 ORDINARY SHARES
UNDERLYING WARRANTS OF

COINCHECK GROUP N.V.

RESULTING FROM THE CONVERSION INTO A DUTCH PUBLIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (NAAMLOZE VENNOOTSCHAP) AND CHANGE OF NAME OF

COINCHECK GROUP B.V.

Dear Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc. Stockholders:

On behalf of the board of directors (the “Thunder Bridge Board”) of Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Thunder Bridge”), Thunder Bridge cordially invites you to attend a stockholders meeting (the “Stockholders Meeting”) of Thunder Bridge stockholders, to be held at 101 Constitution Ave., NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001, USA at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on December 5, 2024.

On March 22, 2022, Thunder Bridge, Coincheck Group B.V., a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) (“PubCo”) (which will be converted into a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) to be renamed Coincheck Group N.V. immediately prior to the Business Combination), M1 Co G.K., a Japanese limited liability company (godo kaisha) (“M1 GK”), Coincheck Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub”), and Coincheck, Inc., a Japanese joint stock company (kabushiki kaisha) (“Coincheck”), entered into a Business Combination Agreement, which was subsequently amended on May 31, 2023, May 28, 2024 and October 8, 2024 (as so amended, the “BCA” or “Business Combination Agreement”), providing for, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, a business combination between Thunder Bridge and PubCo, pursuant to which, among other things, M1 GK will effect a share exchange whereby Coincheck will become an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo and Merger Sub will merge with and into Thunder Bridge on the Closing Date and, following the Share Exchange Effective Time, Thunder Bridge will continue as the surviving corporation and, ultimately, a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (the “Merger”). A copy of the BCA is attached as Annex A to this proxy statement/prospectus, and a copy of the first amendment thereto, dated May 31, 2023 (the “BCA Amendment No. 1”), a copy of the second amendment thereto, dated May 28, 2024 (the “BCA Amendment No. 2”), and a copy of the third amendment thereto, dated October 8, 2024 (the “BCA Amendment No. 3”), are attached as Annex A-I to this proxy statement/prospectus. The Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the BCA are referred to herein as the “Business Combination.”

The BCA provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, the following transactions will occur in connection with the Business Combination:

(i)     Prior to the Merger, PubCo will issue its ordinary shares (“PubCo Ordinary Shares”) to a subsidiary (M1 GK) formed in Japan and, pursuant to a share exchange, M1 GK, at that time a wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo, will exchange all of its PubCo Ordinary Shares for all of the outstanding common shares of Coincheck (the “Share Exchange”), resulting in Coincheck becoming a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of M1 GK and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo. After giving effect to the Share Exchange, PubCo will change its legal form from a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) to a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap);

 

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(ii)    as a result of the Merger, each outstanding share of Thunder Bridge common stock (each, a “Thunder Bridge Share”) sold as part of a unit in Thunder Bridge’s initial public offering (the “IPO” or “Thunder Bridge’s IPO”; each unit, a “Thunder Bridge Unit”; and each Thunder Bridge Share, a “Public Share”), for the avoidance of doubt, not including any Sponsor Shares as described below, will be exchanged for one PubCo Ordinary Share;

(iii)   as a result of the Merger, each Thunder Bridge Share held by TBCP IV, LLC, Thunder Bridge’s sponsor (the “Sponsor”), as of the date of the BCA (the “Sponsor Shares”) will be exchanged for one PubCo Ordinary Share; and

(iv)   as a result of the Merger, each outstanding private warrant exercisable for Thunder Bridge Shares (a “Private Warrant”) and each outstanding public warrant exercisable for Thunder Bridge Shares sold as part of a unit in Thunder Bridge’s IPO (a “Public Warrant” and the Public Warrants together with the Private Warrants, the “Thunder Bridge Warrants”) will become a warrant exercisable for the number of PubCo Ordinary Shares that the holder thereof would have received if such warrant had been exercisable and exercised immediately prior to the Business Combination (each such warrant exercisable for PubCo Ordinary Shares, a “PubCo Warrant”).

The Thunder Bridge Units, Public Shares and Public Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) under the ticker symbols “THCPU,” “THCP” and “THCPW,” respectively. Prior to the Business Combination, each Thunder Bridge Unit will separate into its components consisting of one Public Share and one fifth of one Public Warrant. PubCo intends to apply to have the PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols “CNCK” and “CNCKW,” respectively. While trading on Nasdaq is expected to begin on the first business day following the Closing Date, there can be no assurance that the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants will be listed on Nasdaq or that a viable and active trading market will develop. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 52 for more information.

As described in this proxy statement/prospectus, Thunder Bridge stockholders are being asked to consider and vote upon the Business Combination and the other proposals set forth herein (the “Stockholder Proposals”) at the Stockholders Meeting in lieu of an annual meeting of Thunder Bridge stockholders. Each of the proposals is more fully described in this proxy statement/prospectus, which you should read carefully and in its entirety before voting. Only holders of record of Thunder Bridge Shares at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on October 25, 2024 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of the Stockholders Meeting and to vote and have their votes counted at the Stockholders Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

After careful consideration, the Thunder Bridge Board has unanimously approved the BCA and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Business Combination, and recommends that Thunder Bridge stockholders vote “FOR” adoption of the BCA and “FOR” the other matters to be considered at the Stockholders Meeting.

The board of directors of PubCo (the “PubCo Board”) and the board of directors of Merger Sub have unanimously approved the BCA and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Business Combination. Monex, as the sole shareholder of PubCo entitled to vote at the general meeting of PubCo, has approved the BCA and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Business Combination, and PubCo, as the sole shareholder of Merger Sub, has consented to the adoption of the BCA and approval of the Business Combination and the other transactions contemplated thereby.

Thunder Bridge and PubCo cannot complete the Business Combination unless the requisite number of Thunder Bridge stockholders vote to adopt the BCA. Thunder Bridge is sending its stockholders this proxy statement/prospectus to ask them to vote in favor of the matters described in this proxy statement/prospectus.

Contemporaneously with the execution of the BCA, Thunder Bridge, the Sponsor, PubCo, Coincheck and Monex entered into a Sponsor Support Agreement (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, the Sponsor agrees to vote its shares in favor of the Stockholder Proposals, agrees to waive its anti-dilution rights, and agrees to certain lockup obligations set forth therein.

 

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The following table illustrates the varying ownership amounts and percentages for PubCo after the Business Combination under four scenarios: one with no redemptions (0.0%) by Thunder Bridge stockholders; one with twenty-five percent (25%) redemptions by Thunder Bridge stockholders; one with fifty percent (50.0%) redemptions by Thunder Bridge stockholders; and one with maximum redemptions (100.0%) by Thunder Bridge stockholders. The ownership percentages below do not take into account any PubCo Ordinary Shares underlying the Thunder Bridge Warrants.

 

Following the 2024 Special Meeting(1)

   

Assuming no
redemptions

 

Assuming 25%
redemptions

 

Assuming 50%
redemptions

 

Assuming maximum
redemptions

   

Shares

 

%(2)

 

Shares

 

%(2)

 

Shares

 

%(2)

 

Shares

 

%(2)

Thunder Bridge Stockholders

 

2,924,485

 

2.1

 

2,193,364

 

1.6

 

1,462,243

 

1.1

 

 

Sponsor Shares

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

Coincheck Shareholder Shares

 

122,587,616 

 

89.4

 

122,587,616

 

89.9

 

122,587,616

 

90.3

 

122,587,616

 

91.4

Total PubCo Ordinary Shares Outstanding at Closing(3)

 

129,708,074

 

100.0

 

128,976,953

 

100.0

 

128,245,832

 

100.0

 

126,783,589

 

100.0

____________

(1)      The figures in the above table are presented only as illustrative examples and are based on the assumptions described above, which may be different from the actual amount of redemptions in connection with the Business Combination. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information.”

(2)      Percentages calculated on a fully-diluted basis giving effect to the issuance of all items listed under “Potential Sources of Dilution.” Actual percentages at Closing will vary.

(3)      Excludes any grants or vesting of restricted stock units or performance stock units pursuant to the Omnibus Incentive Plan.

The Sponsor, PubCo and their respective affiliates may, subject to applicable law, purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of the Business Combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining Thunder Bridge stockholder approval of the Business Combination or (ii) reduce the number of shares exercising redemption rights. This may result in the completion of the Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible. None of the funds in the trust account that holds a portion of the proceeds of the IPO and a portion of the proceeds of the concurrent sale of the Private Warrants (the “Trust Account”) will be used to purchase Public Shares in such transactions.

Pursuant to Thunder Bridge’s current certificate of incorporation, and irrespective of whether a Thunder Bridge stockholder votes for or against the Business Combination Proposal, such holder may demand that Thunder Bridge redeem its Public Shares for cash if the Business Combination is consummated. Thunder Bridge stockholders will be entitled to receive cash for these shares only if, no later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on December 3, 2024 (two business days prior to the date of the Stockholders Meeting), they:

(i)     submit a written demand to Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent that Thunder Bridge redeem their Public Shares for cash;

(ii)    certify in such written demand for redemption that they “ARE” or “ARE NOT” seeking to redeem more than an aggregate of 20% of the Public Shares together with their affiliates or any person(s) with whom they are acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)); and

(iii)   deliver such Public Shares to Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent (physically or electronically).

If the Business Combination is consummated and a Thunder Bridge stockholder properly demands redemption of its Public Shares, Thunder Bridge will redeem such Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the Trust Account based on the percentage of outstanding Public Shares represented by such redeemed Public Shares, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination. If the Business Combination is not completed, such Public Shares will not be redeemed for cash. Holders of Thunder Bridge Units must elect to separate the underlying Public Shares and Public Warrants prior to exercising redemption rights with respect to the Public Shares. Holders of Thunder Bridge Units may instruct their broker to do so, or if a holder holds Thunder Bridge Units registered in its own name, such holder must contact Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent directly and instruct it to do so. Thunder Bridge stockholders may elect to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares even if they vote for the Business Combination Proposal.

 

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YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF THUNDER BRIDGE SHARES YOU OWN. To ensure your representation at the Stockholders Meeting, please complete and return the enclosed proxy card or submit your proxy by following the instructions contained in this proxy statement/prospectus and on your proxy card. Please submit your proxy promptly whether or not you expect to participate in the Stockholders Meeting. Submitting a proxy now will NOT prevent you from being able to vote online during the Stockholders Meeting. If your Public Shares are held in “street name” or are in a margin or similar account, you should contact your broker, bank or other nominee to ensure that Public Shares held beneficially by you are voted in accordance with your instructions.

PubCo will qualify as a “foreign private issuer” under SEC rules and will report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with “foreign private issuer” status and will be subject to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act applicable to foreign private issuers. This means that, as long as it qualifies as a “foreign private issuer” under the Exchange Act, it will be exempt from and intends to take advantage of certain exemptions from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. public companies. Such exemptions include, among others, the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act and the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership.

Immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination, assuming no redemptions by Thunder Bridge stockholders, Monex will hold 84.1% of the voting power of the outstanding PubCo Ordinary Shares. As such, PubCo will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of Nasdaq. However, PubCo has elected not to take advantage of the “controlled company” exemption.

More information about Thunder Bridge, Coincheck and the Business Combination is contained in the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus. We urge you to read the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus, including the financial statements and annexes and other documents referred to therein, carefully and in their entirety. IN PARTICULAR, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE MATTERS DISCUSSED UNDER “RISK FACTORS” BEGINNING ON PAGE 52 OF THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS.

On behalf of the Thunder Bridge Board, I thank you for your support and look forward to the successful completion of the Business Combination.

     

Sincerely,

       

/s/ Gary A. Simanson

   

November 12, 2024

 

Gary A. Simanson
Chief Executive Officer

The accompanying proxy statement/prospectus is dated November 12, 2024 and is first being mailed to the stockholders of Thunder Bridge on or about that date.

NEITHER THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES REGULATORY AGENCY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE TRANSACTIONS DESCRIBED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS OR ANY OF THE SECURITIES TO BE ISSUED IN THE BUSINESS COMBINATION, PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR FAIRNESS OF THE BUSINESS COMBINATION OR RELATED TRANSACTIONS OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE DISCLOSURE IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY CONSTITUTES A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

 

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THUNDER BRIDGE CAPITAL PARTNERS IV, INC.
9912 Georgetown Pike, Suite D203
Great Falls, Virginia 22066

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD
ON DECEMBER 5, 2024

To the Stockholders of Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a special meeting of stockholders (the “Stockholders Meeting”) of Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Thunder Bridge,” “we,” “our” or “us”), which will be held at 101 Constitution Ave., NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001, USA on December 5, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time.

You are cordially invited to attend the Stockholders Meeting, which will be held for sole purpose of considering and voting upon the following proposals:

1.      The Business Combination Proposal — To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve and adopt the Business Combination Agreement by and among Thunder Bridge, Coincheck Group B.V., a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) (“PubCo”) (which will be converted into a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) to be renamed Coincheck Group N.V. immediately prior to the Business Combination), M1 Co G.K., a Japanese limited liability company (godo kaisha) (“M1 GK”), Coincheck Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), and Coincheck, Inc., a Japanese corporation (kabushiki kaisha) (“Coincheck”), providing for, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, a business combination between Thunder Bridge and PubCo, pursuant to which, among other things, Merger Sub will merge with and into Thunder Bridge on the Closing Date, with Thunder Bridge continuing as the surviving corporation and, ultimately, a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo, and with Coincheck being a wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (the “Business Combination”).

2.      The Advisory Governance Proposals — To approve and adopt, on a non-binding advisory basis, certain differences between Thunder Bridge’s current Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws (the “existing charter”) and the proposed governance documents of PubCo, which are being presented separately in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as six sub-proposals (which we refer to, collectively, as the “Advisory Governance Proposals”):

(A)    Advisory Governance Proposal A — provides that there are no quorum requirements unless provided otherwise by Dutch law.

(B)    Advisory Governance Proposal B — provides that any action permitted to be taken by the shareholders of PubCo must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of shareholders and may not be effected by written consent of the shareholders.

(C)    Advisory Governance Proposal C — provides that any and all of the directors may be removed at any time by a resolution of the general meeting adopted with a simple majority of votes cast.

(D)    Advisory Governance Proposal D — provides that PubCo’s Articles of Association may only be amended by resolution of the general meeting, adopted at the proposal of the board.

(E)    Advisory Governance Proposal E — provides that at any general meeting, only such matters as specified in the agenda for the general meeting or as otherwise announced in a similar manner, with due observance of the statutory term of convocation, can be validly resolved upon, unless the resolution concerned is adopted unanimously in a meeting where PubCo’s entire issued share capital is represented.

(F)    Advisory Governance Proposal F — provides for a one-tier board, comprised of executive directors and non-executive directors.

 

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3.      The Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal — To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the 2024 Omnibus Incentive Plan to be effective after the closing of the Business Combination. We refer to this proposal as the “Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal.” A copy of the 2024 Omnibus Incentive Plan is attached to the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus as Annex C.

4.      The Stockholder Adjournment Proposal — To consider and vote upon a proposal to adjourn the Stockholders Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if it is determined by Thunder Bridge that more time is necessary or appropriate to approve one or more proposals at the Stockholders Meeting. We refer to this proposal as the “Stockholder Adjournment Proposal” and, together with the Business Combination Proposal, the Advisory Governance Proposals and the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal, as the “Stockholder Proposals.”

The board of directors of Thunder Bridge has fixed 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 25, 2024 as the Record Date for the determination of the stockholders of Thunder Bridge entitled to receive notice of the Stockholders Meeting. Only Thunder Bridge stockholders of record at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Record Date for the Stockholders Meeting are entitled to notice of the Stockholders Meeting and any adjournment or postponement of the Stockholders Meeting. Only Thunder Bridge stockholders of record at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Record Date for the Stockholders Meeting are entitled to vote at the Stockholders Meeting and any adjournment or postponement of the Stockholders Meeting.

Your attention is directed to the proxy statement/prospectus accompanying this notice (including the financial statements and annexes attached thereto) for a more complete description of the proposed Business Combination and related transactions and each of the Stockholder Proposals. We encourage you to read the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus carefully. If you have any questions or need assistance voting your shares, please call our proxy solicitor, Sodali & Co, toll-free at (800) 662-5200 or collect at (203) 658-9400.

Thunder Bridge stockholders may attend, vote and examine the list of Thunder Bridge stockholders entitled to vote at the Stockholders Meeting by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/thunderbridgecapitalpartnersiv/2024 and entering the control number found on their proxy card, voting instruction form or notice included in their proxy materials. To ensure your representation at the Stockholders Meeting, you are urged to complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card as soon as possible. If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm or bank, you must instruct your broker or bank on how to vote your shares.

If your shares are held in “street name” or are in a margin or similar account, you should contact your broker to ensure that votes related to the shares you beneficially own are properly counted. If you sold or transferred your shares after the record date, it is still important that you vote.

Your vote is important regardless of the number of shares you own. Whether you plan to attend the Stockholders Meeting or not, please sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card as soon as possible in the envelope provided.

Thank you for your participation. We look forward to your continued support.

     

By Order of the Board of Directors,

       

/s/ Gary A. Simanson

   

November 12, 2024

 

Gary A. Simanson
Director

If you return your signed proxy without an indication of how you wish to vote, your shares will be voted in favor of each of the Stockholder Proposals.

All holders (the “Public Stockholders”) of shares of Thunder Bridge common stock issued in Thunder Bridge’s initial public offering (the “Public Shares”) have the right to have their Public Shares redeemed for cash in connection with the proposed Business Combination. Public Stockholders are not required to affirmatively vote for or against the Business Combination Proposal, to vote on the Business Combination Proposal at all, or to be holders of record on the Record Date in order to have their shares redeemed for cash. This means that any Public Stockholder holding Public Shares may exercise redemption rights regardless of whether they are even entitled to vote on the Business Combination Proposal.

 

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To exercise redemption rights, holders must tender their Public Shares to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent, no later than two business days prior to the Stockholders Meeting. You may tender your Public Shares by either delivering your stock certificate to the transfer agent or by delivering your Public Shares electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s Deposit Withdrawal at Custodian System. If the Business Combination is not completed, then these Public Shares will not be redeemed for cash. If you hold the Public Shares in street name, you will need to instruct your bank or broker to withdraw the shares from your account in order to exercise your redemption rights. See “The Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge — Redemption Rights” for more specific instructions.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

ABOUT THIS PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS

 

1

TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

 

2

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

 

3

SUMMARY OF THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS

 

10

Parties to the Business Combination

 

10

The Proposals to be Submitted at the Stockholders Meeting

 

13

The Business Combination

 

13

The Stockholders Meeting

 

18

Regulatory Approvals

 

19

Appraisal Rights

 

19

Redemption Rights

 

19

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

 

20

Material Dutch Tax Consequences

 

21

Anticipated Accounting Treatment of the Business Combination

 

21

Interests of Certain Persons in the Business Combination

 

21

Comparative Per Share Information

 

22

Risk Factors

 

24

Risk Factors Summary

 

24

Recommendation to Stockholders of Thunder Bridge

 

30

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

31

SUMMARY HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THUNDER BRIDGE

 

43

SUMMARY HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF COINCHECK

 

45

SUMMARY UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL
INFORMATION

 

48

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

50

RISK FACTORS

 

52

Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Business and Industry

 

52

Risks Relating to Crypto Assets

 

74

Risks Relating to Government Regulation and Privacy Matters

 

78

Risks Relating to Third Parties

 

80

Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

 

83

Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Employees and Other Service Providers

 

84

General Risk Factors

 

85

Risks Related to Thunder Bridge and the Business Combination

 

85

Risks Relating to Tax Matters

 

105

Risks Relating to PubCo and its Shares Following the Business Combination

 

108

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF THE REDEMPTION RIGHTS AND THE BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

113

MATERIAL JAPANESE TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF ACQUIRING, OWNING OR DISPOSING OF PUBCO ORDINARY SHARES OR PUBCO WARRANTS

 

131

MATERIAL DUTCH TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF ACQUIRING, OWNING OR DISPOSING OF PUBCO ORDINARY SHARES OR PUBCO WARRANTS

 

132

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

139

THE STOCKHOLDERS MEETING OF THUNDER BRIDGE

 

151

Date, Time and Place of the Stockholders Meeting

 

151

Purpose of the Stockholders Meeting

 

151

Recommendation of the Thunder Bridge Board

 

151

Record Date and Voting

 

151

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Page

Voting Your Shares

 

151

Who Can Answer Your Questions About Voting Your Shares

 

152

Quorum and Vote Required for the Thunder Bridge Proposals

 

152

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

 

152

Revocability of Proxies

 

152

Redemption Rights

 

152

Appraisal or Dissenters’ Rights

 

153

Solicitation of Proxies

 

154

Stock Ownership

 

154

PROPOSALS TO BE CONSIDERED BY THUNDER BRIDGE’S STOCKHOLDERS

 

155

PROPOSAL NO. 1 — THE BUSINESS COMBINATION PROPOSAL

 

155

Overview

 

155

Background of the Proposed Business Combination

 

155

Thunder Bridge Board’s Reasons for the Approval of the Business Combination

 

159

Certain Historical and Prospective Financial Information Provided to the Thunder Bridge Board

 

162

Satisfaction of 80% Test

 

164

Certain Engagements in Connection with the Business Combination and Related Transactions

 

165

Interests of Thunder Bridge’s Directors and Officers in the Business Combination

 

166

Board of Directors and Executive Officers After Completion of the Business Combination

 

167

Accounting Treatment of the Business Combination

 

167

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Business Combination

 

167

No Appraisal Rights

 

167

Dilution

 

167

Listing of Post-Combination Company’s Ordinary Shares

 

170

Potential Actions to Secure Requisite Stockholder Approvals

 

170

Vote Required For Approval

 

170

Recommendation of the Thunder Bridge Board

 

170

THE BUSINESS COMBINATION AGREEMENT

 

171

Structure of the Business Combination

 

171

The Business Combination

 

171

Closing

 

172

Representations and Warranties

 

172

Material Adverse Effect

 

173

Covenants and Agreements

 

174

Closing Conditions

 

180

Termination; Effectiveness

 

182

Waiver; Amendment

 

183

Fees and Expenses

 

183

CERTAIN AGREEMENTS RELATED TO THE BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

184

Sponsor Support Agreement

 

184

Monex Support Agreement

 

185

Lock-Up Agreement

 

185

Registration Rights Agreement

 

186

PROPOSAL NOS. 2A-2F — THE GOVERNANCE PROPOSALS

 

187

Overview

 

187

Proposal 2A: Stockholder Meeting Quorum

 

187

Proposal 2B: Action by Written Consent

 

187

Proposal 2C: Removal of Directors; Vacancies

 

187

Proposal 2D: Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation/Articles of Association

 

188

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Page

Proposal 2E: Stockholder/Shareholder Proposals

 

188

Proposal 2F: Composition of Board of Directors

 

189

Vote Required for Approval

 

190

Recommendation of the Thunder Bridge Board

 

190

PROPOSAL NO. 3 — THE OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN PROPOSAL

 

191

Overview

 

191

Material Terms of the Omnibus Incentive Plan

 

191

Vote Required for Approval

 

197

Recommendation of the Thunder Bridge Board

 

197

PROPOSAL NO. 4 — THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

 

198

The Adjournment Proposal

 

198

Consequences if the Adjournment Proposal is Not Approved

 

198

Vote Required for Approval

 

198

Recommendation of the Thunder Bridge Board

 

198

INFORMATION ABOUT PUBCO

 

199

Incorporation

 

199

Memorandum and Articles of Association

 

199

Principal Executive Office

 

199

Financial Year

 

199

Subsidiaries

 

200

Sole Shareholder

 

200

Board of Directors

 

200

Legal Proceedings

 

200

Properties

 

200

Employees

 

200

INFORMATION ABOUT COINCHECK

 

201

Overview

 

201

Our Mission

 

202

Our History

 

202

Our Market Opportunity

 

203

Our Strengths

 

208

Our Services

 

212

Our Features

 

223

Competition

 

225

Employees

 

225

Facilities

 

225

Intellectual Property

 

225

Legal Proceedings

 

226

Regulatory Environment

 

226

COINCHECK MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

235

Overview

 

235

Key Business Metrics and Trends

 

240

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

 

245

Components of Results of Operations

 

249

Historical Results of Operations

 

251

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

255

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

256

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

 

261

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

261

iii

Table of Contents

 

Page

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

261

Changes in Accounting Policies

 

263

CERTAIN COINCHECK RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

265

INFORMATION ABOUT THUNDER BRIDGE

 

267

Initial Business Combination

 

268

Submission of Our Initial Business Combination to a Stockholder Vote

 

268

Permitted Purchases of Our Securities

 

268

Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders

 

269

Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination

 

269

Facilities

 

272

Employees

 

272

Directors and Executive Officers

 

272

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

 

277

Director Independence

 

277

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

277

Director Nominations

 

279

Code of Ethics, Corporate Governance Guidelines and Committee Charters

 

279

Conflicts of Interest

 

279

Executive Compensation

 

281

Audit Fees

 

282

Pre-Approval Policy

 

282

Legal Proceedings

 

282

THUNDER BRIDGE MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

283

Overview

 

283

Results of Operations

 

285

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

286

Critical Accounting Policies

 

288

CERTAIN THUNDER BRIDGE RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

293

MANAGEMENT OF THE POST-COMBINATION COMPANY FOLLOWING THE BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

296

Board Structure

 

296

Management and Board of Directors

 

296

Foreign Private Issuer Status

 

298

Controlled Company Exception

 

299

Board Committees

 

300

Audit Committee

 

300

Compensation Committee

 

301

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

301

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

302

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

302

Compensation of Directors and Officers

 

302

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

 

302

Share Incentive Plans

 

303

Omnibus Incentive Plan

 

303

COMPARISON OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS

 

304

General

 

304

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Table of Contents

 

Page

Comparison of Stockholders’ Rights

 

304

DESCRIPTION OF THE POST-COMBINATION COMPANY’S SECURITIES

 

317

Post-Combination Company Overview

 

317

Share Capital

 

317

Distributions

 

320

General Meetings

 

320

Shareholder decision-making

 

322

Board of Directors

 

323

Warrants

 

326

Listing of Securities

 

327

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

327

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Dutch Law

 

328

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

328

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

329

Lock-up Agreements and Registration Rights

 

329

Rule 144

 

330

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

 

330

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT OF THUNDER BRIDGE

 

331

PRICE RANGE OF SECURITIES AND DIVIDENDS

 

333

Thunder Bridge

 

333

Dividends

 

333

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

334

Other Matters

 

334

Legal Matters

 

334

Experts

 

334

Delivery of Documents to Stockholders

 

334

Transfer Agent; Warrant Agent and Registrar

 

334

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

335

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

F-1

     

ANNEX A — BUSINESS COMBINATION AGREEMENT

 

A-1

ANNEX A-I — AMENDMENTS TO BUSINESS COMBINATION AGREEMENT

 

A-I-1

ANNEX B — PROPOSED AMENDED AND RESTATED PUBCO GOVERNING DOCUMENTS

 

B-1

ANNEX C — 2024 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

C-1

ANNEX D — SPONSOR SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

D-1

ANNEX E — MONEX SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

E-1

ANNEX F — FORM OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

F-1

ANNEX G — FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

 

G-1

ANNEX G-I — FORM OF AMENDMENT TO LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

 

G-I-1

ANNEX H — FORM OF PROXY CARD

 

H-1

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ABOUT THIS proxy statement/prospectus

This document, which forms part of a registration statement on Form F-4 filed with the SEC, by Coincheck Group B.V., a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) (“PubCo”) (which will be converted into a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap), to be renamed Coincheck Group N.V., immediately prior to the Business Combination) (File No. 333-279165) (the “Registration Statement”), constitutes a prospectus of PubCo under Section 5 of the Securities Act, with respect to the ordinary shares of PubCo to be issued if the Business Combination described below is consummated. This document also constitutes a notice of meeting and a proxy statement under Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to the special meeting in lieu of the 2024 annual meeting of Thunder Bridge stockholders at which Thunder Bridge stockholders will be asked to consider and vote on a proposal to approve the Business Combination by the approval and adoption of the BCA, among other matters.

This proxy statement/prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, or the solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

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TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

Coincheck has proprietary rights to trademarks used in this proxy statement/prospectus that are important to its business, many of which are registered under applicable intellectual property laws. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus may appear without the “®” or “TM” symbols, but the lack of such symbols is not intended to indicate, in any way, that Coincheck will not assert, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, its rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. The use or display herein of other companies’ trademarks, trade names or service marks is not intended to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of Coincheck by, any other companies, or a sponsorship or endorsement of any such other companies by Coincheck. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company appearing in this proxy statement/prospectus is the property of its respective holder.

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FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

Unless otherwise stated or unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and “the Company” refer to PubCo and Coincheck, as the context requires. The following terms used in this proxy statement/prospectus have the meanings indicated below:

Term

 

Description

Address

 

An alphanumeric reference to where crypto assets can be sent or stored.

Advisory Governance Proposals

 

The non-binding proposals to approve certain governance provisions contained in the proposed governance documents of the Post-Combination Company.

Bitcoin (“BTC”)

 

The first system of global, decentralized, scarce, digital money as initially introduced in a white paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Block

 

Synonymous with digital pages in a ledger. Blocks are added to an existing blockchain as transactions occur on the network. Miners are rewarded for “mining” a new block.

Blockchain

 

A cryptographically secure digital ledger that maintains a record of all transactions that occur on the network and follows a consensus protocol for confirming new blocks to be added to the blockchain.

BCA

 

The Business Combination Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2022 and subsequently amended as of May 31, 2023, May 28, 2024 and October 8, 2024, by and among Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc., Coincheck Group B.V., M1 Co G.K., Coincheck Merger Sub, Inc. and Coincheck, Inc.

Business Combination

 

The transactions contemplated by the BCA.

Business Combination Proposal

 

The proposal to approve and adopt the BCA.

Closing

 

The closing of the Business Combination.

Closing Date

 

The date on which the Closing is completed.

Code

 

The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Coincheck

 

Coincheck, Inc., a Japanese joint stock company (kabushiki kaisha).

Coincheck NFT Marketplace

 

Coincheck’s service that enables non-fungible tokens to be traded between users or purchased by users from Coincheck.

Coincheck Shareholders

 

Monex Group, Inc., Koichiro Wada and Yusuke Otsuka.

Cold storage/Cold wallet

 

The storage of private keys in any fashion that is disconnected from the internet in order to protect data from unauthorized access. Common cold storage examples include offline computers, USB drives or paper records.

Cover counterparties

 

Counterparties with which cover transactions are executed.

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Term

 

Description

Cover transactions

 

Transactions executed by Coincheck on an external exchange or on Coincheck’s Exchange platform in order to hedge Coincheck’s own position arising from transactions in crypto assets with users of Coincheck’s Marketplace platform.

Crypto

 

A broad term for any cryptography-based market, system, application, or decentralized network.

Crypto asset (or “token”)

 

A digital asset built using blockchain technology, including cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Under Japan’s Payment Services Act, digital assets that constitute a “security token” (i.e., electronically recorded transferable rights (“ERTRs”) or electronically recorded transferable rights to be indicated on securities (“ERTRISs”) under Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (“FIEA”)) are excluded from the definition of crypto assets. Accordingly, crypto assets consist only of digital assets that have been determined not to constitute ERTRs or ERTRISs.

Cryptocurrency

 

Bitcoin and alternative coins, or “altcoins,” launched after the success of Bitcoin. This category of crypto asset is designed to work as a medium of exchange, store of value, or to power applications and excludes security tokens.

Customers (or “users”)

 

Parties who hold accounts and utilize the services provided on crypto asset platforms. This definition, as used in the description of our business, generally does not include cover counterparties, and thus such definition differs from the definition of “customer” under IFRS 15.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of Coincheck’s audited financial statements and unaudited interim financial statements included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus, “customers” refers to customers that meet the definition of a customer under IFRS 15, including the parties described in the preceding paragraph as well as cover counterparties.

DeFi

 

Short for “Decentralized Finance,” referring to a peer-to-peer software-based network of protocols that can be used to facilitate traditional financial services like borrowing, lending, trading derivatives, insurance and more through smart contracts.

Ethereum (“ETH”)

 

A decentralized global computing platform that supports smart contract transactions and peer-to-peer applications, or “Ether,” the native crypto assets on the Ethereum network.

Exchange Act

 

The U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Exchange platform

 

An exchange platform on which Coincheck mediates transactions between users selling and users purchasing cryptocurrency, and transacts to facilitate Coincheck’s cover transactions.

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Term

 

Description

FEFTA

 

The Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act of Japan (Act No. 228 of 1948). Under FEFTA, Japan’s Ministry of Finance and its ministries with jurisdiction over a target entity’s business review foreign direct investments and impose certain restrictions on such investments made by foreign investors.

Fork

 

A fundamental change to the software underlying a blockchain which results in two different blockchains, the original, and the new version. In some instances, the fork results in the creation of a new token.

Founder Shares

 

The 5,913,195 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Thunder Bridge purchased by the Sponsor in January 2021, which were converted to 5,913,195 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Thunder Bridge on June 29, 2023.

Hot wallet

 

A wallet that is connected to the Internet, enabling it to broadcast transactions.

IFRS

 

The International Financial Reporting Standards accounting standards issued by the IFRS Foundation and the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”).

Initial Exchange Offering (“IEO”)/Initial Token
Offering

 

A fundraising event where a crypto start-up raises money through a cryptocurrency exchange. An IEO is a type of Initial Token Offering where a company or project electronically issues utility tokens to procure funds, with a cryptocurrency exchange acting as the main party for screening the project and selling the issuer tokens. Interested supporters can buy tokens with fiat currency or cryptocurrency. The token may be exchangeable in the future for a new cryptocurrency to be launched by the project, or a discount or early rights to a product or service proposed to be offered by the project.

IPO

 

Thunder Bridge’s initial public offering of Thunder Bridge Units, consummated on July 2, 2021.

Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (the “JVCEA”)

 

The JVCEA is a self-regulatory organization for the Japanese cryptocurrency industry under the Payment Services Act, which is formally recognized by the Financial Services Agency of Japan (the “JFSA”). The JVCEA was established in 2018 after a hacking incident of NEM digital tokens occurred with an operational focus on the inspection of the security of domestic exchanges and the enforcement of stricter regulations. The members of the JVCEA consist of the 33 licensed class 1 Japanese virtual currency exchange service providers as of August 9, 2024.

JOBS Act

 

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended.

M1 GK

 

M1 Co G.K., a Japanese limited liability company (godo kaisha).

Marketplace platform

 

As of June 30, 2024, Coincheck’s platform that supports 28 different types of cryptocurrencies and enables users to trade cryptocurrencies with Coincheck in yen or with other cryptocurrencies.

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Term

 

Description

Marketplace platform business

 

Coincheck’s business is related to the marketplace platform, where Coincheck buys and sells crypto assets to users on the marketplace platform and executes cover transactions on an external exchange or Coincheck’s Exchange platform for the purpose of hedging Coincheck’s own position.

Merger Sub

 

Coincheck Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Miner

 

Individuals or entities who operate a computer or group of computers that add new transactions to blocks and verify blocks created by other miners. Miners collect transaction fees and are rewarded with new tokens for their service.

Mining

 

The process by which new blocks are created, and thus new transactions are added to the blockchain.

Monex

 

Monex Group, Inc., a Japanese joint stock company (kabushiki kaisha) listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Monex Support Agreement

 

The Monex Support Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2022, by and among Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc., Monex Group, Inc., and Coincheck Group B.V., attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex E.

Nasdaq

 

Nasdaq Global Market.

NEM (“XEM”)

 

NEM (abbreviated as “XEM” on exchange platforms) is a type of open-source cryptocurrency developed for the “New Economic Movement” network. NEM is a crypto asset with a strong community in Japan in particular, and the goal of NEM is to establish a new economic framework based on the principles of decentralization, economic freedom and equality rather than the existing frameworks managed by countries and governments.

Network

 

The collection of all miners that use computing power to maintain the ledger and add new blocks to the blockchain. Most networks are decentralized, which reduce the risk of a single point of failure.

Non-fungible token (“NFT”)

 

A unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain which allows for a verified and public proof of ownership, first launched on the Ethereum blockchain.

Off-chain

 

A type of transaction that is not directly recorded on a blockchain.

Omnibus Incentive Plan

 

The 2024 Omnibus Incentive Plan, which will become effective following the Business Combination. A copy of the Omnibus Incentive Plan is attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex C.

Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal

 

The proposal to approve the Omnibus Incentive Plan.

On-chain

 

A type of transaction that is directly recorded as data on a blockchain.

Post-Combination Company

 

PubCo following its conversion into a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) and the consummation of the Business Combination.

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Term

 

Description

Private Placement Units

 

The units, consisting of one share of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock and one fifth of one Thunder Bridge Private Warrant, sold by Thunder Bridge to the Sponsor simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO.

Private Warrants

 

The warrants included in the units sold to the Sponsor in a private placement, which closed simultaneously with the IPO.

Protocol

 

A type of algorithm or software that governs how a blockchain operates.

PubCo

 

Coincheck Group B.V., incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands as a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) which will convert its legal form to a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) to be renamed Coincheck Group N.V. immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.

PubCo Ordinary Shares

 

The ordinary shares in the share capital of PubCo.

PubCo Reorganization

 

PubCo will, immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, convert its legal form, without ceasing to exist, from a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) to a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) by amending and restating its governing documents.

PubCo Restructuring

 

Monex, the sole shareholder of both PubCo and M1 GK, will cause PubCo and M1 GK to undergo a restructuring resulting in M1 GK holding 122,587,616 ordinary shares in the share capital of, and then becoming, PubCo’s direct, wholly-owned subsidiary.

PubCo Warrant

 

Warrants to purchase PubCo Ordinary Shares.

Public key or private key

 

Each public address has a corresponding public key and private key that are cryptographically generated. A private key allows the recipient to access any funds belonging to the address, similar to a bank account password. A public key helps validate transactions that are broadcasted to and from the address. Addresses are shortened versions of public keys, which are derived from private keys.

Public Shares

 

The shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock issued as part of the Thunder Bridge Units sold in the IPO.

Public Stockholders

 

The holders of Public Shares.

Public Warrants

 

The Thunder Bridge Warrants included in the Thunder Bridge Units sold in the IPO, each of which is exercisable for one share of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, in accordance with its terms.

Registration Rights Agreement

 

The Registration Rights Agreement to be entered into by and among PubCo, the Sponsor, Monex and certain other persons at the Closing in the form attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex F.

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Term

 

Description

SEC

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities Act

 

The U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Security token

 

A security using encryption technology. This includes digital forms of traditional equity or fixed income securities, or may be assets deemed to be a security based on their characterization as an investment contract or note.

Share Exchange

 

PubCo will cause M1 GK to implement a share exchange pursuant to which all of the ordinary shares of Coincheck will be exchanged for PubCo Ordinary Shares held by M1 GK, causing Coincheck to become a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of M1 GK.

Smart contract

 

Software that digitally facilitates or enforces a rules-based agreement or terms between transacting parties.

Sponsor

 

TBCP IV, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Sponsor Support Agreement

 

The Sponsor Support Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2022, by and among TBCP IV, LLC, Gary A. Simanson, Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc., Coincheck Group B.V., Coincheck, Inc., and Monex Group, Inc., attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex D.

Stablecoin

 

Crypto assets designed to minimize price volatility. A stablecoin is designed to track the price of an underlying asset such as fiat money or an exchange-traded commodity (such as precious metals or industrial metals). Stablecoins can be backed by fiat money or other crypto assets.

Stockholder Adjournment Proposal

 

The proposal to adjourn the Stockholders Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if it is determined by Thunder Bridge that more time is necessary or appropriate to approve one or more proposals at the Stockholders Meeting.

Stockholders Meeting

 

The special meeting in lieu of the 2024 annual meeting of the stockholders of Thunder Bridge that is the subject of this proxy statement/prospectus.

Thunder Bridge

 

Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Thunder Bridge Board

 

The board of directors of Thunder Bridge.

Thunder Bridge Charter

 

The amended and restated certificate of incorporation of Thunder Bridge, as amended on June 22, 2023.

Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock

 

The shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Thunder Bridge.

Thunder Bridge Common Stock

 

The Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock and the Founder Shares.

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Term

 

Description

Thunder Bridge Warrants

 

Warrants to purchase shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock as contemplated under the Thunder Bridge Warrant Agreement, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Thunder Bridge Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share.

Thunder Bridge Unit

 

One share of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock and one fifth of one Thunder Bridge Public Warrant sold in the IPO.

Trust Account

 

The trust account that holds a portion of the proceeds of the IPO and the concurrent sale of the Private Placement Units.

UI

 

Short for “user interface design,” referring to a human-first approach to product design that focuses on the effectiveness of products.

UX

 

Short for “user experience design,” referring to a human-first approach to product design that focuses on the aesthetic experience of products.

Wallet

 

A place to store public and private keys for crypto assets. Wallets are typically software, hardware or paper records.

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SUMMARY OF THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS

This summary highlights selected information from this proxy statement/prospectus and does not contain all of the information that might be important to you. To better understand the Business Combination and the proposals to be considered at the Stockholders Meeting, you should read this proxy statement/prospectus carefully and in its entirety, including the annexes. See also the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Parties to the Business Combination

Thunder Bridge

Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV, Inc. (“Thunder Bridge”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on January 7, 2021. Thunder Bridge was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses. In January 2021, Thunder Bridge issued an aggregate of 6,468,750 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”) to TBCP IV, LLC (the “Sponsor”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. In connection with the partial exercise of the over-allotment option and the expiration of the over-allotment option on August 9, 2021, 555,554 shares of Class B common stock were forfeited for no consideration. On June 29, 2023, the 5,913,195 shares of Class B common stock held by the Sponsor were converted into 5,913,195 shares of Class A common stock. The Founder Shares had an aggregate market value of approximately $62.6 million, based on the last sale price of $10.59 per share on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024.

On July 2, 2021, Thunder Bridge consummated its IPO of 22,500,000 units. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one fifth of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock for $11.50 per share. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $225,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of its IPO, Thunder Bridge consummated the sale of 625,000 private placement units (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $6,250,000. Such units had an aggregate market value of approximately $6.6 million based on the last sale price of $10.50 per unit on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024.

On August 9, 2021, the underwriter exercised the over-allotment option in part and purchased an additional 1,152,784 Units (“Over-Allotment Units”). The Over-Allotment Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $11,527,840. Simultaneously with the closing of the over-allotment, Thunder Bridge sold an additional 23,550 Private Placement Units to the Sponsor at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,550. Such units had an aggregate market value of approximately $347 thousand based on the last sale price of $10.50 per unit on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024.

Following the closing of Thunder Bridge’s IPO on July 2, 2021, an amount of $225,000,000 ($10.00 per unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the units in the IPO and the Private Placement Units were placed in the Trust Account and the remaining proceeds became available to be used to provide for business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective business combinations and continuing general and administrative expenses. Following the 2024 Special Meeting (as defined below), Thunder Bridge had approximately $31.2 million held in the Trust Account.

On June 21, 2023, Thunder Bridge’s shareholders voted to amend the Thunder Bridge Charter to extend the date on which Thunder Bridge is required to liquidate from July 2, 2023 to July 2, 2024, and to permit the conversion of the Thunder Bridge Class B common stock into shares of Class A common stock. In connection with the vote to amend the Thunder Bridge Charter, the holders of 20,135,697 shares of Class A common stock properly exercised their right to redeem their shares for cash at a redemption price of approximately $10.28 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $207.1 million.

On June 26, 2024, Thunder Bridge’s shareholders voted to amend the Thunder Bridge Charter to extend the date on which Thunder Bridge is required to liquidate from July 2, 2024, to January 2, 2025 (the “2024 Special Meeting”). Additionally, the Thunder Bridge shareholders voted to ratify Grant Thornton LLP as Thunder Bridge’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024. In connection with the vote to amend the Thunder Bridge Charter, the holders of 592,601 shares of Thunder Bridge’s Class A common stock properly exercised their right to redeem their shares at a redemption price of approximately $10.64, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $6.3 million.

Thunder Bridge’s principal executive offices are located at 9912 Georgetown Pike, Suite D203, Great Falls, Virginia 22066 and its phone number is (202) 431-0507.

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Merger Sub

Coincheck Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coincheck Group, B.V. formed solely for the purpose of effectuating the Business Combination described herein. Merger Sub was incorporated under the laws of Delaware as a corporation in February 2022. Merger Sub owns no material assets and does not operate any business. The mailing address of Merger Sub’s registered agent is Corporate Creations Network Inc., 3411 Silverside Road, Tatnall Building #104, Wilmington, Delaware 19810. After the consummation of the Business Combination, Merger Sub will cease to exist as a separate legal entity.

Coincheck

Coincheck, Inc. (“Coincheck”) was incorporated under the laws of Japan in 2012 as ResuPress K.K. and subsequently changed its corporate name to Coincheck, Inc. in 2017. Since April 2018, Coincheck has been a consolidated subsidiary of Monex. Monex is a holding company for diverse regulated financial businesses and is listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. As a public company, Monex reports its annual and quarterly financial results as required by the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (“FIEA”) in Japan, and had a market capitalization of ¥188 billion as of June 30, 2024 and total assets on a consolidated basis of ¥785.2 billion, compared to Coincheck’s total assets of ¥771.3 billion, as of June 30, 2024.

Coincheck is a leading company in the Japanese crypto exchange industry, operating cryptocurrency exchanges in Japan. Since the launch of our crypto asset exchange service “Coincheck” in 2014, we have provided our customers with the opportunity to become familiar with the “new value exchange” that we believe will be created by crypto assets and blockchain by offering a service that is easy to use for anyone, regardless of financial or IT literacy.

During the year ended March 31, 2022, 99.6% of Coincheck’s total revenue was derived from transaction revenue from transactions on Coincheck’s Marketplace platform business. Coincheck’s total revenue increased over the period, although total revenue subsequently declined sharply in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 due to declines in the value of Bitcoin and other crypto assets traded on the Marketplace platform contributing to declines in total trading volume. However, transaction revenue from transactions on Coincheck’s Marketplace platform business accounted for 98.9%, 99.6% and 99.1% of Coincheck’s total revenue in the years ended March 31, 2023 and 2024 and in the three months ended June 30, 2024, respectively. In addition, Coincheck provides custody services to its customers for their crypto assets. As of March 31, 2023 and 2024 and June 30, 2024, Coincheck recognized ¥288,639 million, ¥649,211 million and ¥656,999 million, respectively, of safeguard liabilities on its statement of financial position with respect to such custody obligations, which corresponds to the amount of crypto assets deposited by customers excluding any crypto assets lent to Coincheck.

Coincheck is registered as a crypto asset exchange service provider with the Financial Services Agency of Japan (“JFSA”) under Japan’s Payment Services Act. Such registration makes Coincheck subject to the ongoing regulation and supervision of the JFSA with respect to exchange services for crypto assets but does not authorize Coincheck to offer trading in securities under the FIEA. Coincheck also conducts its operations subject to the rules of the Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (“JVCEA”), an industry self-regulatory organization. Those rules set forth the process for determining which digital assets will be considered “crypto assets” eligible to be traded on a crypto asset exchange.

The crypto exchange industry, in Japan and globally, is characterized by a rapid pace of change, volatility in the value of crypto assets, and an evolving regulatory environment. Marketplaces for NFTs, which Coincheck also operates, are also subject to an uncertain and evolving regulatory environment. NFTs are currently not regulated as “crypto assets” under Japan’s Payment Services Act, and it is uncertain how the legal and regulatory framework around NFTs will develop and how such developments will impact the Coincheck NFT Marketplace. The value of Bitcoin and many other crypto assets decreased significantly during 2022, including declines seen in November 2022 following the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of FTX Trading Ltd. (“FTX”), a Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange, and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO. On June 5, 2023, the SEC filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Binance and other related entities, as well as Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s co-founder and CEO. The complaint consists of thirteen charges, including misleading investors and operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency in violation of U.S. securities laws. Furthermore, on June 6, 2023, the SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Coinbase for operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency, and for the unregistered offer and sale of securities in connection with its staking-as-a-service program. On November 2, 2023, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, was found guilty

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of all seven criminal counts of fraud against him, and on November 21, 2023, Binance and Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder and CEO of Binance, pled guilty to federal criminal charges that Binance violated and caused a financial institution to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, with Binance entering into a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in addition to the confiscation of certain assets and Changpeng Zhao stepping down as CEO and accepting an individual fine of $50 million. On May 31, 2024, Japanese crypto exchange operator DMM Bitcoin Co., Ltd. (“DMM Bitcoin”) announced that it had lost 4,502.9 Bitcoin (approximately ¥48.2 billion) of customer assets held in cold wallets as a result of a hacking incident in which such assets were transmitted outside of the company through an “unauthorized leak.” On June 27, 2024, Coinbase filed lawsuits against both the SEC and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) in order to shed light on their approaches to regulation in the industry and gain access to internal records to uncover alleged efforts by the financial regulators to pressure financial institutions to deny crypto firms access to the federal banking system. On July 1, 2024, the SEC filed suit against Silvergate Capital Corporation (“Silvergate”), the parent company of a bank which allegedly helped to facilitate fraud at FTX before its collapse, former CEO Alan Lane and former Chief Risk Officer Kathleen Fraher, claiming that they misled investors regarding the strength of Silvergate’s Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance program and the monitoring of crypto customers, including FTX, by Silvergate’s wholly owned subsidiary, Silvergate Bank. The SEC also charged Silvergate and its former Chief Financial Officer, Antonio Martino, with misleading investors about Silvergate’s losses from expected securities sales following the collapse of FTX. All parties charged, with the exception of Antonio Martino, have agreed to settle with the SEC. On July 2, 2024, in relation to the civil complaint filed by the SEC against Binance and other related entities, a U.S. federal court dismissed several claims, including that Binance’s fiat-backed stablecoin, BUSD, qualifies as an investment contract, although certain other claims by the SEC were allowed to proceed.

On August 7, 2024, Ripple Labs was fined $125 million in relation to the complaint initially filed by the SEC in December 2020 with respect to the institutional sales of the XRP token, which a Manhattan court judge ruled were unregistered securities offerings; the SEC has since filed an appeal. On September 24, 2024, the SEC spoke before the United States Congress to address concerns surrounding the impediment of financial innovation and reduction of consumer protections related to the SEC’s new rules on digital asset custody under SAB 121. On September 27, 2024, the SEC gave “no-objection” to the Bank of New York Mellon’s request to safeguard digital assets without needing to list them as balance sheet liabilities, as is currently required under SAB 121, and which many financial institutions view as restrictive, and as a result could lead to an increase in the number of financial institutions able to target institutional clients wanting to invest in digital assets through ETFs. On September 27, 2024, the SEC also filed settled charges against Mango DAO and Blockworks Foundation for engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of crypto assets called “MNGO” tokens, as well as settled charges against Blockworks Foundation and Mango Labs LLC for engaging in unregistered broker activity in connection with various crypto assets being offered and sold as securities on the Mango Market platform. These events have created heightened uncertainty about the markets for crypto assets and calls for strengthened global regulation. In evaluating Coincheck, you should carefully consider the risks relating to its business, including regulatory and compliance risks, disclosed under “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Business and Industry,” in addition to the other information disclosed in this proxy statement/prospectus.

The mailing address of Coincheck’s principal executive offices is SHIBUYA SAKURA STAGE SHIBUYA SIDE 27F, 1-4 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-6227, Japan, and its telephone number is +81-3-6416-5370.

Coincheck Group B.V.

Coincheck Group B.V. (“PubCo”) was incorporated by Monex Group, Inc. under the laws of the Netherlands as a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) in February 2022 for the purpose of effectuating the Business Combination described herein and becoming the parent company of the combined business following the consummation of the Business Combination. After giving effect to the Share Exchange, PubCo will change its legal form to a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) and be renamed Coincheck Group N.V.

PubCo was incorporated with an aggregate share capital of one (1) share of par value EUR 0.01, which share is issued and outstanding with Monex as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus. For descriptions of PubCo’s securities, please see the section titled “Description of the Post-Combination Company’s Securities.”

The mailing address of PubCo’s registered office is Hoogoorddreef 15, 1101 BA, Amsterdam, Netherlands and its telephone number is +31 20-522-2555.

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The Proposals to be Submitted at the Stockholders Meeting

Proposal No. 1 The Business Combination Proposal

Thunder Bridge is proposing that its stockholders approve and adopt the BCA (the “Business Combination Proposal”), pursuant to which, and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to the Closing therein, (1) PubCo will issue ordinary shares to M1 GK and, pursuant to the Share Exchange, M1 GK, at that time a wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo, will exchange all of its ordinary shares of PubCo for all of the outstanding common shares of Coincheck, resulting in Coincheck becoming a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of M1 GK and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo. After giving effect to the Share Exchange, PubCo will change its legal form from a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) to a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap); (2) Merger Sub will merge with and into Thunder Bridge on the Closing Date, with Thunder Bridge continuing as the surviving corporation; (3) as a result of the Merger, each outstanding Public Share, for the avoidance of doubt, not including any Sponsor Shares as described below, will be exchanged for one PubCo Ordinary Share; (4) as a result of the Merger, each Sponsor Share will be exchanged for one PubCo Ordinary Share; and (5) as a result of the Merger, each outstanding Private Warrant and each outstanding Public Warrant will become a PubCo Warrant exercisable for the number of PubCo Ordinary Shares that the holder thereof would have received if such warrant had been exercisable and exercised immediately prior to the Business Combination.

Business Combination Agreement

In connection with the completion of the Business Combination, the Coincheck Shareholders will collectively receive 122,587,616 PubCo Ordinary Shares as consideration for their existing equity interests in Coincheck.

The obligations of the parties to the BCA to effect the Closing are subject to a number of closing conditions, including, among others:

With respect to the obligations of all of the parties to the BCA:

a)      The applicable waiting period(s) under the FEFTA in respect of the Business Combination (and any extension thereof, or any timing agreements, understandings or commitments obtained by request or other action of a governmental authority) will have expired or been terminated, and no governmental authority having the power to regulate Coincheck shall have opposed, and failed to withdraw its opposition to, the Business Combination;

b)      There will not be in force any governmental order enjoining or prohibiting the consummation of the Business Combination;

c)      Thunder Bridge will have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act);

d)      Necessary approvals will have been duly obtained by: (i) Thunder Bridge in accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), the Thunder Bridge organizational documents and the rules and regulations of Nasdaq; (ii) PubCo in accordance with applicable laws and PubCo’s governing documents; and (iii) Merger Sub in accordance with the DGCL and Merger Sub’s governing documents;

e)      The registration statement on Form F-4 filed with the SEC by PubCo will have become effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the registration statement will have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose will have been initiated or threatened by the SEC and not withdrawn;

f)      The PubCo Ordinary Shares to be issued in connection with the Business Combination will have been approved for listing on Nasdaq; and

g)      The PubCo Reorganization will have been consummated.

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With respect to the obligations of Thunder Bridge:

a)      Certain representations of PubCo contained in the BCA (including representations and warranties of PubCo with respect to its corporate organization and due authorization to enter into the BCA and consummate the Business Combination) will be true and correct (without giving any effect to materiality or “Material Adverse Effect” qualifiers) in all material respects, in each case as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, which representations and warranties will have been true and correct in all material respects at and as of such date;

b)       The representations and warranties of PubCo with respect to PubCo’s and its subsidiaries’ current capitalization and of Coincheck with respect to Coincheck’s current capitalization and absence of changes since the last balance sheet date will be true and correct in all respects of the Closing Date. Other representations and warranties of Coincheck contained in the BCA will be true and correct (without giving effect to materiality or “Material Adverse Effect” qualifiers) as of the Closing Date as though then made (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, which representations and warranties will have been true and correct at and as of such date), except where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to imminently result in, a “Material Adverse Effect” as defined in the BCA;

c)      The covenants and agreements of Coincheck to be performed as of or prior to the Closing will have been performed in all material respects;

d)      Coincheck will have delivered to Thunder Bridge a certificate signed by an officer of Coincheck, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in the foregoing clauses (a) through (c) have been fulfilled; and

e)      Thunder Bridge will have received a duly executed Lock-up Agreement from each Coincheck Shareholder other than Monex.

With respect to the obligations of Coincheck, among others:

a)      Certain representations of Thunder Bridge contained in the BCA (including representations and warranties of Thunder Bridge with respect to its corporate organization and authorization to enter into the BCA and consummate the Business Combination) will be true and correct (without giving any effect to materiality or material adverse effect qualifiers) in all material respects, in each case as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly related to an earlier date, which representations and warranties will have been true and correct in all material respects at and as of such date;

b)      Representations and warranties of Thunder Bridge with respect to its business activities and capitalization will be true and correct in all respects as of the Closing Date;

c)      Each of the other representations and warranties of Thunder Bridge contained in the BCA (without giving any effect to materiality or material adverse effect qualifiers) will be true and correct, in each case as of the Closing Date, except with respect to such representations and warranties that are made as of an earlier date, which representations and warranties will be true and correct at and as of such date, except for, in each case, any failure to be so true and correct that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on Thunder Bridge;

d)      The covenants of Thunder Bridge to be performed as of or prior to the Closing will have been performed in all material respects;

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e)      The available cash of Thunder Bridge at Closing will not be less than $100,000,000; and

f)      Thunder Bridge will have delivered to Coincheck a certificate signed by an officer of Thunder Bridge, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in the foregoing clauses (a) through (e) have been fulfilled.

Organizational Structure prior to the Business Combination

The diagram below depicts a simplified version of the organizational structures of Thunder Bridge and Coincheck prior to the Business Combination:

Intermediate Organizational Structure showing Business Combination

The diagram below shows the reorganization steps and share exchanges involved in the Business Combination:

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Organizational Structure following the Business Combination

The diagram below depicts a simplified version of the organizational structure of PubCo after giving effect to the Business Combination (assuming no redemption by Public Stockholders):

Other Agreements Relating to the Business Combination

Sponsor Support Agreement

In connection with Thunder Bridge’s entrance into the BCA, Thunder Bridge also entered into the Sponsor Support Agreement with the Sponsor, Gary A. Simanson (as managing member of the Sponsor), PubCo, Coincheck and Monex, in the form attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex D, pursuant to which, among other things, the Sponsor agreed to vote any of the shares of Company Common Stock held by it in favor of the Business Combination, not to redeem any such shares at the special meeting of stockholders to be held in connection with the Business Combination, and to waive certain anti-dilution rights of the Founders Shares.

In addition, the Sponsor agreed not to transfer any of its PubCo Ordinary Shares for a period of 365 days, subject to early release as follows: (i) one-third of its PubCo Ordinary Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $15.00 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days; (ii) one-third of its PubCo Ordinary Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $17.50 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days; and (iii) one-third of its PubCo Ordinary Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $20.00 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days.

For more information on the Sponsor Support Agreement, please see the section entitled “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combination — Sponsor Support Agreement.”

Monex Support Agreement

Contemporaneously with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, Thunder Bridge, PubCo and Monex entered into the Monex Support Agreement, in the form attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex E, pursuant to which, among other things, Monex (in its capacity as the sole shareholder of PubCo) agreed

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to (i) vote in favor of the PubCo Restructuring and PubCo Reorganization, in each case as contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement and the Transactions, (ii) deliver a duly executed copy of the Registration Rights Agreement on the Closing Date, and (iii) the lock-up restrictions in the Monex Support Agreement. In addition, PubCo (in its capacity as the sole shareholder of Merger Sub) agreed to deliver a written consent approving the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby.

In addition, Monex agreed not to transfer any of its PubCo Ordinary Shares for a period of 365 days after the Closing, subject to early release as follows: (i) one-third of its PubCo Ordinary Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $15.00 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days; (ii) one-third of its PubCo Ordinary Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $17.50 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days; and (iii) one-third of its PubCo Ordinary Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $20.00 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days.

For more information on the Monex Support Agreement, please see the section entitled “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combination — Monex Support Agreement.”

Lock-Up Agreements

In connection with Thunder Bridge’s entry into the BCA, Coincheck Shareholders (other than Monex) entered into lock-up agreements, which were subsequently amended on October 8, 2024 (as so amended, the “Lock-Up Agreements” and each, a “Lock-Up Agreement”), with respect to their ordinary shares of Coincheck and PubCo Ordinary Shares (the “Lock-Up Shares”), in the form attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex G (as amended pursuant to the form of amendment attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex G-I), pursuant to which, each such Coincheck Shareholders agreed not to transfer any Lock-Up Shares for a period of 365 days after the Closing, subject to early release as follows: (i) one-third of its Lock-Up Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $15.00 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days; (ii) one-third of its Lock-Up Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $17.50 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days; and (iii) one-third of its Lock-Up Shares following the Closing, if the last reported sale price of PubCo Ordinary Shares exceeds $20.00 per share for 20 out of any 30 consecutive trading days.

For more information on the Lock-Up Agreements, please see the section entitled “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combination — Lock-Up Agreements.”

Registration Rights Agreement

At the Closing, PubCo, the Sponsor, Monex and certain persons will enter into a registration rights agreement, in the form attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex F, providing for the right to three demand registrations for Sponsor, unlimited demand registrations for Monex and unlimited piggy-back registrations with respect to the PubCo Ordinary Shares held by Monex or by the Sponsor and its permitted successors and assigns.

For more information on the Registration Rights Agreement, please see the section entitled “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combination — Registration Rights Agreement.”

Proposal No. 2 The Advisory Governance Proposals

Thunder Bridge is proposing that its stockholders approve and adopt, on a non-binding advisory basis, certain differences between Thunder Bridge’s current Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws (the “existing charter”) and the proposed governance documents of PubCo, which are being presented separately in accordance with the requirements of the SEC as six Advisory Governance Proposals. By presenting these proposals separately, we intend to provide stockholders a means to communicate their separate views on important governance provisions to the board of directors:

(A)    Advisory Governance Proposal A — provides that there are no quorum requirements unless otherwise provided by Dutch law.

(B)    Advisory Governance Proposal B — provides that any action permitted to be taken by the shareholders of PubCo must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of shareholders and may not be effected by written consent of the shareholders.

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(C)    Advisory Governance Proposal C — provides that any and all of the directors may be removed at any time by a resolution of the general meeting adopted with a simple majority of votes cast.

(D)    Advisory Governance Proposal D — provides that PubCo’s articles of association may only be amended by resolution of the general meeting, adopted at the proposal of the board of directors.

(E)    Advisory Governance Proposal E — provides that at any general meeting, only such matters as specified in the agenda for the general meeting or as otherwise announced in a similar manner, with due observance of the statutory term of convocation, can be validly resolved upon, unless the resolution concerned is adopted unanimously in a meeting where PubCo’s entire issued share capital is represented.

(F)    Advisory Governance Proposal F — provides for a one-tier board of directors, comprised of executive directors and non-executive directors.

Proposal No. 3 The Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal

Thunder Bridge is proposing that its stockholders consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the Omnibus Incentive Plan to be effective after the closing of the Business Combination. We refer to this proposal as the “Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal.” A summary of the Omnibus Incentive Plan is set forth in the section entitled “Proposal No. 3 — The Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal” and a copy of the Omnibus Incentive Plan is attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex C.

Proposal No. 4 The Stockholder Adjournment Proposal

Thunder Bridge is proposing that its shareholders consider and vote on a proposal to allow the Thunder Bridge Board to adjourn the Stockholders Meeting to a later date or dates, including, if necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if it is determined by Thunder Bridge that more time is necessary or appropriate to approve one or more Stockholder Proposals at the Stockholders Meeting (the “Stockholder Adjournment Proposal”). A summary of the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal is set forth in the section entitled “Proposal No. 4 — The Stockholder Adjournment Proposal” of this proxy statement/prospectus.

The Stockholders Meeting

Date, Time and Place of Stockholders Meeting

The Stockholders Meeting will be held at 101 Constitution Ave., NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001, USA at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on December 5, 2024, or at such other date, time and place to which such meeting may be adjourned and also via live webcast at https://www.cstproxy.com/thunderbridgecapitalpartnersiv/2024 to consider and vote upon the Stockholder Proposals, as a virtual meeting.

Record Date; Outstanding Shares; Stockholders Entitled to Vote

Thunder Bridge has fixed 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 25, 2024, as the Record Date for determining the Thunder Bridge stockholders entitled to notice of and to attend and vote at the Stockholders Meeting.

As of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on such date, there were 9,485,736 shares of Class A Common Stock, of which 5,913,195 shares are Founder Shares, outstanding and entitled to vote. The shares of Class A Common Stock and the Founder Shares vote together as a single class, except in the election of directors, as to which only the Founder Shares vote, and each share is entitled to one vote per share at the Stockholders Meeting. The Sponsor owns 5,913,195 Founder Shares, one share of Class B common stock of Thunder Bridge and 648,056 shares of Class A common stock of Thunder Bridge underlying the Private Placement Units. The Class B common stock is convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis at any time at the option of the holder, or automatically upon the closing of the Business Combination. Pursuant to the letter agreement among Thunder Bridge, the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s directors and officers, (i) the 5,913,195 Founder Shares owned by the Sponsor and (ii) any other shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock owned by the Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors will be voted in favor of the Business Combination at the Stockholders Meeting. Pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Sponsor agreed to vote any of the shares of Company Common Stock held by it in favor of the Business Combination, not to redeem any such shares at the special meeting of stockholders to be held in connection with the Business Combination, and to waive certain anti-dilution rights of the Founders Shares.

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Proxy Solicitation

Proxies with respect to the Stockholders Meeting may be solicited by telephone, by facsimile, by mail, on the internet or in person. Thunder Bridge has engaged Sodali & Co to assist in the solicitation of proxies. If a stockholder grants a proxy, it may still vote its shares at the virtual meeting if it revokes its proxy before the Stockholders Meeting. A stockholder may also change its vote by submitting a later-dated proxy, as described in the section entitled “The Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge — Revocability of Proxies.”

Quorum and Required Vote

A quorum of Thunder Bridge stockholders is necessary to hold the Stockholders Meeting. The presence, in person or by proxy, of Thunder Bridge stockholders representing a majority of the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock issued and outstanding on the Record Date and entitled to vote on the Stockholder Proposals to be considered at the Stockholders Meeting will constitute a quorum for the Stockholders Meeting.

Each of the Business Combination Proposal and the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal is interdependent upon the others and must be approved in order for Thunder Bridge to complete the Business Combination as contemplated by the BCA. The Business Combination Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding Thunder Bridge Common Stock. The Advisory Governance Proposals, the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal and the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal require the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented in proxy and entitled to vote thereon.

Regulatory Approvals

The consummation of the Business Combination is subject to certain required regulatory approvals, including under FEFTA. The parties to the BCA have agreed to cooperate with each other to make all necessary filings and submissions under FEFTA and all other filings required by the antitrust, competition, and foreign investment laws of any other jurisdiction.

See “Stockholder Proposal No. 1 — The Business Combination Proposal — Regulatory Approvals Required for the Business Combination” for additional information.

Appraisal Rights

Thunder Bridge’s stockholders do not have appraisal rights under the DGCL or otherwise in connection with the Business Combination Proposal or the other Stockholder Proposals.

Redemption Rights

Pursuant to Thunder Bridge’s charter, a Public Stockholder may request that Thunder Bridge redeem all or a portion of such Public Stockholder’s Public Shares for cash if the Business Combination is consummated. You will be entitled to receive cash for any Public Shares to be redeemed only if you:

(a)     hold Public Shares or hold Public Shares through Thunder Bridge Units and you elect to separate your Thunder Bridge Units into the underlying Public Shares and Public Warrants prior to exercising your redemption rights with respect to the Public Shares; and

(b)     prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on December 3, 2024 (two business days prior to the vote at the Stockholders Meeting), (i) submit a written request to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”), that Thunder Bridge redeem your Public Shares for cash and (ii) deliver your share certificates (if any) and other redemption forms to the transfer agent, physically or electronically through The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”).

As noted above, holders of Thunder Bridge Units must elect to separate the underlying Public Shares and Public Warrants prior to exercising redemption rights with respect to the Public Shares. If holders hold their Thunder Bridge Units in an account at a brokerage firm or bank, holders must notify their broker or bank that they elect to separate the Thunder Bridge Units into the underlying Public Shares and Public Warrants, or if a holder holds Thunder Bridge Units registered in its own name, the holder must contact the Transfer Agent directly and instruct it to do so.

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Public Stockholders may elect to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares regardless of whether they vote for or against the Business Combination Proposal. If the Business Combination is not consummated, the Public Shares will not be redeemed for cash. If a Public Stockholder properly exercises its right to redeem its Public Shares and timely delivers its share certificates (if any) and other redemption forms to the Transfer Agent, Thunder Bridge will redeem each such Public Share for a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares. Following the 2024 Special Meeting, this would have amounted to approximately $10.68 per Public Share.

If a Public Stockholder exercises its redemption rights, then it will be exchanging its redeemed Public Shares for cash and will no longer own such shares. Any request to redeem Public Shares, once made, may not be withdrawn once submitted to Thunder Bridge unless the Thunder Bridge Board determines (in its sole discretion) to permit the withdrawal of such redemption request (which it may do in whole or in part). The holder can make such request by contacting the Transfer Agent, at the address or email address listed in this proxy statement/prospectus. Thunder Bridge will be required to honor such request only if made prior to the deadline for exercising redemption requests. See “The Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge — Redemption Rights” for a detailed description of the procedures to be followed if you wish to redeem your Public Shares for cash. If the Business Combination is not completed, such Public Shares will not be redeemed for cash.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such Public Stockholder or any other person with whom such Public Stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its Public Shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares. Accordingly, if a Public Stockholder, alone or acting in concert or as a group, seeks to redeem more than 15% of the Public Shares, then any such shares in excess of that 15% limit would not be redeemed for cash.

In order for Public Stockholders to exercise their redemption rights in respect of the Business Combination Proposal, Public Stockholders must properly exercise their right to redeem the Public Shares they hold no later than the close of the vote on the Business Combination Proposal and deliver their share certificates (if any) and other redemption forms (either physically or electronically) to the transfer agent prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on December 3, 2024 (two business days prior to the vote at the Stockholders Meeting). Immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination, Thunder Bridge will satisfy the exercise of redemption rights by redeeming the Public Shares issued to the Public Stockholders that validly exercised their redemption rights.

Holders of Thunder Bridge’s Private Placement Units will not have redemption rights with respect to any of those securities (including any shares underlying such Private Placement Units).

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

Subject to the limitations and qualifications described in “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations of the Redemption Rights and the Business Combination — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination” below (including the discussion of Section 367(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)), the transfer by U.S. holders (as defined below) of their Thunder Bridge Common Stock to PubCo pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, taken together with the related transactions, should qualify either as a transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code or as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code.

Thunder Bridge and PubCo have agreed pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement to report the Business Combination as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code. If the Business Combination is treated as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, a U.S. holder of Public Warrants that are converted to PubCo Warrants likely would not recognize gain or loss. However, the qualification of the Business Combination as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code is uncertain. If the Business Combination is not treated as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, a U.S. holder that solely owns Public Warrants generally will be required to recognize gain or loss upon the conversion of those Public Warrants to PubCo Warrants and a U.S. holder that owns Public Warrants and Thunder Bridge Common Stock generally will be required to recognize gain (but may not be permitted to recognize loss) upon receipt of the PubCo Warrants.

Section 367(a) of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder impose certain additional requirements for U.S. holders to qualify for tax-deferred treatment with respect to the exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or the conversion of the Public Warrants. If those additional requirements are not met, it could

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result in holders recognizing a greater amount of gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes than they would have recognized if the Business Combination and related transactions had not qualified for non-recognition of gain or loss or Section 367(a) of the Code had not applied.

For a more complete discussion of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of the Business Combination, see “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations of the Redemption Rights and the Business Combination — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination.”

Holders of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Public Warrants should read carefully the information included under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations of the Redemption Rights and the Business Combination” for a detailed discussion of material U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the Business Combination, including the receipt of cash pursuant to the exercise of redemption rights with respect to the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, and the material U.S. federal tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants after the Business Combination.

Material Dutch Tax Considerations

Holders of Public Shares and/or Public Warrants who exchange their Public Shares or Public Warrants for PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants should read “Material Dutch Tax Considerations of Acquiring, Owning or Disposing of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants” beginning on page 132 of this proxy statement/prospectus for a discussion of material Dutch tax consequences of the acquisition, holding, settlement, redemption and disposal of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants after the Business Combination. Prospective holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are urged to consult their own tax advisors to determine the tax consequences applicable to them (including the application and effect of any local, income and other tax laws) of the acquisition, holding, settlement, redemption and disposal of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

Holders of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Public Warrants are urged to consult their tax advisors to determine the tax consequences to them (including the application and effect of any state, local or other income and other tax laws) of the Business Combination, including the U.S. federal income tax consequences and the Japanese and Dutch tax consequences of the acquisition, holding, redemption and disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or acquisition, holding, exercise or disposition of PubCo Warrants.

Anticipated Accounting Treatment of the Business Combination

The Business Combination will be accounted for similar to a capital reorganization. Under this method of accounting, Thunder Bridge will be treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the Business Combination will be treated as the equivalent of Coincheck issuing shares at the Closing of the Business Combination for the net assets of Thunder Bridge as of the Closing Date, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of Thunder Bridge will be stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded.

This determination was primarily based on the expectation that the existing Coincheck stockholders have created and will control PubCo and its subsidiaries used to effect the Business Combination, will have a majority of the voting power of PubCo under the minimum and Maximum Redemption Scenarios, and will comprise a majority of the governing body of PubCo.

The Business Combination is not within the scope of IFRS 3 since there is no change in control based on the continued control of PubCo by existing Coincheck stockholders and Thunder Bridge does not meet the definition of a business in accordance with IFRS 3; as such, the Business Combination is accounted for within the scope of IFRS 2. Any excess of fair value of Coincheck shares issued over the fair value of Thunder Bridge’s identifiable net assets acquired represents compensation for the service of a stock exchange listing for its shares and is expensed as incurred.

Interests of Certain Persons in the Business Combination

When you consider the recommendation of the Thunder Bridge Board in favor of adoption of the Business Combination Proposal, each of the Advisory Governance Proposals, the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal and the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal, you should keep in mind that Thunder Bridge’s directors and officers have interests in the Business Combination that are different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder. The existence of any financial and personal interests of one or more of Thunder Bridge’s directors may be argued to

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result in a conflict of interest on the part of such director(s) between what he, she or they may believe is in the best interests of Thunder Bridge and its stockholders and what he, she or they may believe is best for himself, herself or themselves in determining to recommend that stockholders vote for the Stockholder Proposals. See the section entitled “Proposal No. 1 — The Business Combination Proposal — Interests of Thunder Bridge’s Directors and Officers and Others in the Business Combination” in this proxy statement/prospectus for a further discussion of such interests and potential conflicts of interest.

Comparative Per Share Information

The following table sets forth the historical comparative share information for Thunder Bridge and Coincheck on a stand-alone basis and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined share information for the year ended March 31, 2024 and for the three months ended June 30, 2024, after giving effect to the Business Combination, assuming two redemption scenarios as follows:

        Assuming No Redemption:    This presentation assumes no Thunder Bridge shareholders exercise redemption rights with respect to their Class A Shares upon the consummation of the Business Combination.

        Assuming Maximum Redemption:    This presentation assumes the redemption of 2.9 million shares of Thunder Bridge Class A common stock, inclusive of interest earned on the Trust Account, resulting in a total aggregate redemption of ¥5,016 million from the Trust Account.

This information is only a summary and should be read together with the selected historical financial information summary included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus, and the historical financial statements of Thunder Bridge and Coincheck and related notes that are included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus. The unaudited pro forma combined per share information of Thunder Bridge and Coincheck is derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

The unaudited pro forma combined earnings per share information below does not purport to represent the earnings per share which would have occurred had the companies been combined during the periods presented, nor earnings per share for any future date or period. The unaudited pro forma combined book value per share information below does not purport to represent what the value of Thunder Bridge and Coincheck would have been had the companies been combined during the periods presented.

(in millions of yen, except share and per share amounts)

 

Coincheck
(IFRS
Historical)

 

Thunder Bridge
(US GAAP
Historical

As Converted to
IFRS)

 



Combined Pro Forma

(Assuming No
Redemption)

 

(Assuming Max
Redemption)

As of and for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2024

       

 

   

 

   

 

Total equity (deficit)

 

12,881

 

(2,446

)

 

6,928

 

 

1,956

 

Net profit (loss)

 

437

 

(20

)

 

357

 

 

357

 

Common stock issued and outstanding(1)

 

2,021,967

 

6,561,250

 

 

129,708,074

 

 

126,783,589

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted(1)

 

2,021,967

 

3,517,087

 

 

129,708,074

 

 

126,783,589

 

Total equity (deficit) per share(1)

 

6,370.53

 

(372.79

)

 

53.41

 

 

15.43

 

Earnings (loss) per share – basic and diluted

 

215.82

 

14.05

 

 

2.75

 

 

2.82

 

         

 

   

 

   

 

As of and for the Year Ended March 31, 2024

       

 

   

 

   

 

Net profit (loss)

 

1,967

 

299

 

 

(15,186

)

 

(15,225

)

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted(1)

 

2,021,967

 

8,357,929

 

 

129,708,074

 

 

126,783,589

 

Earnings (loss) per share – basic and diluted

 

972.89

 

36.01

 

 

(117.08

)

 

(120.09

)

____________

(1)      Includes Class A common stock subject to possible redemption

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(in millions of yen, except share and per share amounts)

 

Coincheck
(IFRS
Historical)

 

Thunder
Bridge
(US GAAP
Histori
cal As
Converted
to IFRS)

 



Combined Pro Forma

Assuming No
Redemption

 

25%
Redemptions

 

50%
Redemptions

 

75%
Redemptions

 

Assuming
Max
Redemption

As of and for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2024

       

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

Total equity (deficit)

 

12,881

 

(2,446

)

 

6,928

 

 

5,685

 

 

4,442

 

 

3,199

 

 

1,956

 

Net profit (loss)

 

437

 

(20

)

 

357

 

 

357

 

 

357

 

 

357

 

 

357

 

Common stock issued and outstanding(1)

 

2,021,967

 

6,561,250

 

 

129,708,074

 

 

128,976,953

 

 

128,245,832

 

 

127,514,711

 

 

126,783,589

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted(1)

 

2,021,967

 

3,517087

 

 

129,708,074

 

 

128,976,953

 

 

128,245,832

 

 

127,514,711

 

 

126,783,589

 

Total equity (deficit) per share(1)

 

6,370.53

 

(372.79

)

 

53.41

 

 

44.08

 

 

34.64

 

 

25.09

 

 

15.43

 

Earnings (loss) per share – basic and diluted

 

215.82

 

14.05

 

 

2.75

 

 

2.77

 

 

2.78

 

 

2.80

 

 

2.82

 

As of and for the Year Ended March 31, 2024

       

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

Net profit (loss)

 

1,967

 

299

 

 

(15,186

)

 

(15,196

)

 

(15,206

)

 

(15,215

)

 

(15,225

)

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted(1)

 

2,021,967

 

8,357,929

 

 

129,708,074

 

 

128,976,953

 

 

128,245,832

 

 

127,514,711

 

 

126,783,589

 

Earnings (loss) per share – basic and diluted

 

972.89

 

36.01

 

 

(117.08

)

 

(117.82

)

 

(118.57

)

 

(119.32

)

 

(120.09

)

____________

(1)      Includes Class A common stock subject to possible redemption

Market Information and Holders of Record

Thunder Bridge Class A common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “THCP.” As of November 8, 2024, Thunder Bridge had 9,485,736 shares of Class A common stock outstanding and approximately 1 stockholder of record.

The following table presents the closing sale price per share of Thunder Bridge Class A common stock on March 21, 2022, the last trading day before the date the Business Combination Agreement was executed, and November 11, 2024, the last practicable trading day prior to the date of this proxy statement/prospectus.

Date

 

THCP
Closing
Price

March 21, 2022

 

$

9.65

November 8, 2024

 

$

10.59

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Risk Factors

In evaluating the Stockholder Proposals set forth in this proxy statement/prospectus, you should carefully read this proxy statement/prospectus, including the annexes, and especially consider the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors.”

Risk Factors Summary

The transactions described in this proxy statement/prospectus involve various risks, and you should carefully read and consider the factors discussed under “Risk Factors.” The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described below, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect PubCo and Thunder Bridge’s ability to effect the Business Combination, and may have an adverse effect on the business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations of Thunder Bridge prior to the Business Combination and that of PubCo subsequent to the Business Combination. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Business and Industry

        Our total revenue is substantially dependent on the prices of crypto assets and volume of transactions conducted on our Marketplace platform. If such prices or volumes decline, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be adversely affected, as well as our stock price following the listing of PubCo’s shares.

        Our operating results have and are expected to significantly fluctuate from period to period.

        If the utility and usage of crypto assets, the development of which is difficult to predict, do not grow as we expect, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

        Changes in economic conditions and consumer sentiment in Japan could cause demand for our products and services to be lower than we anticipate.

        Cyberattacks and security breaches of our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace, or those impacting our customers or third parties, could adversely impact our brand and reputation and our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        Due to our limited operating history, it may be difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in any given period.

        The majority of our revenue is from transactions in certain crypto assets, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum or other specific crypto assets. If demand for any particular crypto asset declines and is not replaced by new demand, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

        We are subject to extensive regulation in Japan and any adverse changes to, or our failure to comply with, any laws and regulations could adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition.

        We could be subject to administrative sanctions, including fines, or legal claims if we are found to have offered services in violations of the laws of jurisdictions other than Japan or to have violated international sanctions regimes.

        We operate in a highly competitive industry and our business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected if we are unable to respond to and compete against our competitors effectively.

        We compete against a growing number of decentralized and noncustodial platforms and our business may be adversely affected if we fail to compete effectively against them.

        If we cannot keep pace with rapid industry changes to provide new and innovative products and services, the use of our products and services, and consequently our total revenue, could decline, which could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

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        We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate this material weakness, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, this may impair our and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations, which may adversely affect investor confidence.

        A particular crypto asset’s status as a “security” in any relevant jurisdiction remains subject to a high degree of uncertainty.

        We also operate Coincheck NFT Marketplace, which may expose us to legal, regulatory, and other risks that could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        We currently rely on third-party service providers for certain aspects of our operations, and any interruptions in services provided by these third parties may impair our ability to support our customers.

        Any significant disruption in our products and services, in our information technology systems, or in any of the blockchain networks we support, could result in a loss of customers or funds and adversely impact our brand and reputation and our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        We suffered a significant loss of customer funds due to hacking in 2018 and any future failure to safeguard and manage our customers’ crypto assets could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        The loss or destruction of private keys required to access any crypto assets held in custody for our customers may be irreversible. If we are unable to access private keys or if we experience a hack or other data loss relating to our ability to access any crypto assets, it could cause regulatory scrutiny, reputational harm and other losses.

        If we fail to retain existing customers or add new customers, or if our customers decrease their level of engagement with our products, services and platform, our business, operating results, and financial condition may be significantly harmed.

        Many of our customers are first-time users and our trading volumes and revenues could be reduced if these customers stop trading crypto assets altogether or stop using our cryptocurrency exchanges for their trading activities.

        If we expand our international activities, our obligations to comply with the laws, rules, regulations, and policies of a variety of jurisdictions will increase and we may be subject to investigations and enforcement actions by non-Japanese regulators and governmental authorities.

        We may suffer losses due to staking and other related services that we have provided or may provide in the future to our customers.

        We may be exposed to transactional losses due to chargebacks as a result of fraud or uncollectibility that may adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        We may make acquisitions and investments, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, result in dilution to our stockholders, and adversely affect our financial results.

        If we fail to develop, maintain, and enhance our brand and reputation, our business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

        Our key business metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected by real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics.

        Unfavorable media coverage could negatively affect our business.

        Our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace may be exploited to facilitate illegal activity such as fraud, money laundering, gambling, tax evasion, and scams. If any of our customers use our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace to further such illegal activities, our business could be adversely affected.

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        Our compliance and risk management methods might not be effective and may result in outcomes that could adversely affect our reputation, operating results, and financial condition.

        We may suffer losses due to abrupt and erratic market movements.

Risks Relating to Crypto Assets

        Negative publicity associated with crypto asset platforms, including instances of potential fraud, the bankruptcy of industry participants and the violation of applicable legal and regulatory requirements, may cause existing and potential customers to lose confidence in crypto asset platforms.

        Depositing and withdrawing crypto assets into and from our cryptocurrency exchanges involve risks, which could result in loss of customer assets, customer disputes and other liabilities, which could adversely impact our business.

        A temporary or permanent blockchain “fork” to any supported crypto asset could adversely affect our business.

        We currently support, and expect to continue to support, certain smart contract-based crypto assets. If the underlying smart contracts for these crypto assets do not operate as expected, they could lose value and our business could be adversely affected.

        From time to time, we may encounter technical issues in connection with the integration of supported crypto assets and changes and upgrades to their underlying networks, which could adversely affect our business.

        If miners or validators of any supported crypto asset demand high transaction fees, our operating results may be adversely affected.

        The nature of our business requires the application of complex financial accounting and tax rules, and there is limited guidance from accounting standard setting bodies and taxing authorities. If financial accounting standards undergo significant changes or taxing authorities announce new tax rules, our operating results could be adversely affected.

Risks Relating to Government Regulation and Privacy Matters

        Global regulation of crypto assets or crypto asset platforms may develop in ways that limit the potential for growth in usage and acceptance of crypto assets.

        We obtain and process a large amount of sensitive customer data. Any real or perceived improper use of, disclosure of, or access to such data could harm our reputation, as well as have an adverse effect on our business.

Risks Relating to Third Parties

        Our current and future services are dependent on payment networks and acquiring processors, and any changes to their rules or practices could adversely impact our business.

        We rely on third parties to perform certain key functions, and their failure to perform those functions could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        Our success depends in part upon continued distribution through app stores and effective operation with mobile operating systems, networks, technologies, products, hardware and standards that we do not control.

        We are exposed to credit risks due to our reliance on cryptocurrency exchange brokers, which may cause us to incur financial or reputational harm.

Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

        Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        We may be subject to claims for alleged infringement of proprietary rights of third parties.

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        Our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace contain third-party open source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the underlying open source software licenses could harm our business.

Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Employees and Other Service Providers

        The loss of one or more of our key personnel, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        In the event of employee or service provider misconduct or error, our business may be adversely impacted.

General Risk Factors

        Pandemics or disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have had and could in the future have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

        We may be adversely affected by natural disasters and other catastrophic events that could disrupt our business operations, and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.

Risks Related to Thunder Bridge and the Business Combination

        There can be no assurance that the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares will be approved for listing on Nasdaq or any other exchange or that the Post-Combination Company will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq or any other exchange.

        Subsequent to the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, or the Post-Combination Company may be subject to restructuring, impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on the Post-Combination Company’s financial condition, results of operations and the price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

        If the Business Combination’s benefits do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of Thunder Bridge’s securities or, following the Closing, PubCo’s securities, may decline.

        Thunder Bridge has identified a material weakness in its internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 relating to an ineffective control environment surrounding the lack of effectively designed controls to properly evaluate and assess certain period end expense accruals. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of Thunder Bridge’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis.

        The unaudited pro forma financial information included herein may not be indicative of what the Post-Combination Company’s actual financial position or results of operations would have been.

        The Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s executive officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of the Business Combination, regardless of how the Public Stockholders vote.

        Thunder Bridge may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, in which case it would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and it would redeem the Public Shares and liquidate.

        The Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s directors, executive officers or advisors or their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares from Public Stockholders, which may influence the vote on the Business Combination and reduce the public “float” of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.

        The nominal purchase price paid by the Sponsor for the Founder Shares may significantly dilute the implied value of the Public Shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of the Sponsor’s Founder Shares will be significantly greater than the amount the Sponsor paid

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to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares to materially decline.

        Public Stockholders who redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock may continue to hold any Public Warrants they own, which results in additional dilution to non-redeeming holders upon exercise of the Public Warrants.

        Thunder Bridge’s Sponsor, executive officers and directors have potential conflicts of interest in recommending that stockholders vote in favor of approval of the Business Combination Proposal and approval of the other proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus.

        There are risks to our stockholders who are not affiliates of the Sponsor of becoming stockholders of the Post-Combination Company through the Business Combination rather than acquiring securities of Coincheck directly in an underwritten public offering, including no independent due diligence review by an underwriter and conflicts of interest of the Sponsor.

        The resignation of Goldman Sachs as financial advisor to Thunder Bridge in connection with the Business Combination may indicate that Goldman Sachs is unwilling to be associated with the disclosure in this proxy statement/prospectus or the underlying business or financial analysis related to the Business Combination, and no shareholder or investor should place any reliance on the fact that Goldman Sachs was involved with any aspect of the Business Combination.

        Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

        Thunder Bridge stockholders who do not redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock will have reduced ownership and voting interest after the Business Combination and will exercise less influence over management.

        Thunder Bridge’s ability to successfully effect the Business Combination and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to successfully operate the business thereafter will be largely dependent upon the efforts of certain key personnel of Coincheck, all of whom we expect to stay with the Post-Combination Company following the Business Combination. The loss of such key personnel could negatively impact the operations and financial results of the combined business.

        Thunder Bridge’s board of directors did not obtain a fairness opinion in determining whether to proceed with the Business Combination and, as a result, the terms may not be fair from a financial point of view to the Public Stockholders.

        Unlike many blank check companies, Thunder Bridge does not have a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will Thunder Bridge redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for Thunder Bridge to consummate the Business Combination even if a substantial majority of Thunder Bridge’s stockholders do not agree.

        Public Stockholders will not have any rights or interests in funds from the Trust Account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate their investment, therefore, Public Stockholders may be forced to sell their securities, potentially at a loss.

        If third parties bring claims against Thunder Bridge, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

        Thunder Bridge’s directors may decide not to enforce indemnification obligations against the Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to the Public Stockholders.

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        Thunder Bridge’s stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against Thunder Bridge to the extent of distributions received by them.

        We may amend the terms of the Thunder Bridge Warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants.

        PubCo may redeem your unexpired Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your Public Warrants worthless.

        Thunder Bridge will require Public Stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock in connection with the Business Combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

        We may be the target of securities class action and derivative lawsuits which could result in substantial costs and may delay or prevent the Business Combination from being completed.

        The Thunder Bridge Warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of the Thunder Bridge Warrants could have a material effect on Thunder Bridge’s financial results.

        Certain agreements relating to the Business Combination include a jury trial waiver that may limit the ability of the respective signatories thereto, some of whom may be shareholders of the Post-Combination Company, to bring or demand a jury trial in any litigation for claims based upon, arising out of or related to such agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims.

        Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or our prospects.

        Market conditions, economic uncertainty or downturns could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and our ability to consummate a Business Combination.

        If Thunder Bridge is deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, Thunder Bridge would be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities would be severely restricted. As a result, in such circumstances, unless we are able to modify our activities so that we would not be deemed an investment company, we may abandon our efforts to complete an initial Business Combination and instead liquidate the company.

        Thunder Bridge has received a notice from the staff of the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC advising that we have fallen below the 400 total holders minimum to be compliant with the Total Stockholders Rule for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market. If Thunder Bridge cannot regain compliance, Thunder Bridge’s securities could be subject to delisting and the liquidity and the trading price of Thunder Bridge’s securities could be adversely affected.

        There is substantial doubt about Thunder Bridge’s ability to continue as a “going concern.”

Risks Relating to Tax Matters

        A 1% U.S. federal excise tax may be imposed on us with respect to our redemptions of Public Shares (in connection with the Business Combination or other Thunder Bridge stockholder vote pursuant to which Thunder Bridge stockholders would have a right to submit their shares for redemption).

        The imposition of additional or higher taxes, whether resulting from a change of tax laws or a different interpretation or application of tax laws, could affect demand for our exchange services and/or may otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results from operations and/or financial condition.

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        If PubCo ceases to be a Dutch tax resident for the purposes of a tax treaty concluded by the Netherlands and in certain other events, we could potentially be subject to a proposed Dutch dividend withholding tax in respect of a deemed distribution up to our entire market value less paid-up capital insofar as it exceeds EUR 50 million.

        We may not be eligible for withholding tax relief benefits in respect of income received by us under relevant treaties for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital and may be required to adopt additional measures to claim such benefits under the relevant tax treaties.

        PubCo operates so as to be treated exclusively as a resident of the Netherlands for tax purposes, but other jurisdictions may also claim taxation rights over PubCo.

Risks Relating to PubCo and its Shares Following the Business Combination

        The Post-Combination Company may issue additional ordinary shares or other equity securities, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares.

        Following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will incur significant increased expenses and administrative burdens as a public company, which could have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.

        PubCo will qualify as a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such PubCo is exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

        The Post-Combination Company will be a Dutch public company with limited liability, and its shareholders may have rights different to those of shareholders of companies organized in the United States.

        Our largest shareholder, Monex, will continue to exercise control over us after the Business Combination and may have interests that differ from or conflict with ours and exert influence over our management policies.

Recommendation to Stockholders of Thunder Bridge

The Thunder Bridge Board has unanimously approved the Stockholder Proposals.

The Thunder Bridge Board unanimously recommends that stockholders:

        Vote “FOR” the Business Combination Proposal;

        Vote “FOR” each of the Advisory Governance Proposals;

        Vote “FOR” the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal;

        Vote “FOR” the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal, if it is presented at the Stockholders Meeting.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE BUSINESS COMBINATION

The following questions and answers briefly address some commonly asked questions about the proposals to be presented at the Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge, including with respect to the proposed Business Combination. The following questions and answers may not include all the information that is important to Thunder Bridge stockholders. Stockholders are urged to read carefully this entire proxy statement/prospectus, including the financial statements and annexes attached hereto and the other documents referred to herein.

Q.     Why am I receiving this proxy statement/prospectus?

A.     You are receiving this proxy statement/prospectus in connection with the Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge. Thunder Bridge is holding the Stockholders Meeting to consider and vote upon the Stockholder Proposals described below. Your vote is important. You are encouraged to vote as soon as possible after carefully reviewing this proxy statement/prospectus.

Thunder Bridge’s stockholders are being asked to consider and vote upon the Stockholder Proposals described below.

The presence, in person or by proxy, of Thunder Bridge stockholders representing a majority of the issued and outstanding common stock on the Record Date and entitled to vote on the Stockholder Proposals to be considered at the Stockholders Meeting, will constitute a quorum for the Stockholders Meeting.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO VOTE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THIS PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS.

Q.     What matters will stockholders consider at the Stockholders Meeting?

A.     At the Thunder Bridge Stockholders Meeting, Thunder Bridge will ask its stockholders to vote in favor of the following proposals (the “Stockholder Proposals”):

        The Business Combination Proposal — a proposal to approve the Business Combination Agreement, as amended, providing for, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, a business combination between Thunder Bridge and PubCo, pursuant to which, among other things, M1 GK will effect a share exchange whereby Coincheck will become an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo and Merger Sub will merge with and into Thunder Bridge on the Closing Date and, following the Share Exchange Effective Time, Thunder Bridge will continue as the surviving corporation and, ultimately, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (collectively, the “Business Combination”).

        The Advisory Governance Proposals — to approve and adopt, on a non-binding advisory basis, certain differences between Thunder Bridge’s existing charter and the proposed governance documents of PubCo, which are being presented separately in accordance with the requirements of the SEC as six Advisory Governance Proposals:

(A)    Advisory Governance Proposal A — provides that there are no quorum requirements unless provided otherwise by Dutch law.

(B)    Advisory Governance Proposal B — provides that any action permitted to be taken by the shareholders of PubCo must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of shareholders and may not be effected by written consent of the shareholders.

(C)    Advisory Governance Proposal C — provides that any and all of the directors may be removed at any time by a resolution of the general meeting adopted with a simple majority of votes cast.

(D)    Advisory Governance Proposal D — provides that the Post-Combination Company’s Articles of Association may only be amended by resolution of the general meeting, adopted at the proposal of the board.

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(E)    Advisory Governance Proposal E — provides that at any general meeting, only such matters as specified in the agenda for the general meeting or as otherwise announced in a similar manner, with due observance of the statutory term of convocation, can be validly resolved upon, unless the resolution concerned is adopted unanimously in a meeting where PubCo’s entire issued share capital is represented.

(F)    Advisory Governance Proposal F — provides for a one-tier board, comprising executive directors and non-executive directors.

        The Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal — a proposal to approve the Omnibus Incentive Plan to be effective after the closing of the Business Combination.

        The Stockholder Adjournment Proposal — a proposal to adjourn the Stockholders Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if, based upon the tabulated vote at the time of the Stockholders Meeting, there are not sufficient votes to approve one or more proposals presented to stockholders for vote.

Q.     Are any of the Stockholder Proposals conditioned on one another?

A.     Each of the Business Combination Proposal and the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal is interdependent upon the others and each must be approved in order for Thunder Bridge to complete the Business Combination as contemplated by the BCA.

Q.     What vote is required to approve the Stockholder Approvals?

A.     The Business Combination Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding Thunder Bridge Common Stock. The Advisory Governance Proposals, the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal and the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal require the affirmative vote of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of Thunder Bridge’s common stock cast by the stockholders represented in person (which would include presence at a virtual meeting) or by proxy at the Stockholders Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, voting as a single class. Pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, in the form attached to this proxy statement/prospectus as Annex D, our Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founders Shares in favor of the BCA and the transactions contemplated by the BCA. As a result, none of the outstanding Thunder Bridge Public Shares need to be voted in favor in order to approve the BCA assuming all issued and outstanding Thunder Bridge Common Stock is voted.

Q.     What will happen upon the consummation of the Business Combination?

A.     See “Stockholder Proposal:1 The Business Combination Proposal” for further information on the consideration being paid in the Business Combination.

Q.     Why is Thunder Bridge proposing the Business Combination Proposal?

A.     Thunder Bridge was organized for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Since Thunder Bridge’s organization, the Thunder Bridge team has sought to identify suitable candidates in order to effect such a transaction. In its review of Coincheck, the Thunder Bridge Board considered a variety of factors weighing positively and negatively in connection with the Business Combination. After careful consideration, the Thunder Bridge Board has determined that the Business Combination presents a highly-attractive business combination opportunity and is in the best interests of Thunder Bridge stockholders. The Thunder Bridge Board believes that, based on its review and consideration, the Business Combination with Coincheck presents an opportunity to increase stockholder value. However, there can be no assurance that the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination will be achieved. Thunder Bridge shareholder approval of the Business Combination is required by the Business Combination Agreement.

Under Thunder Bridge’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, Thunder Bridge must provide all Public Stockholders with the opportunity to have their Public Shares redeemed for cash upon the consummation of Thunder Bridge’s initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder vote.

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Q.     What will Coincheck stockholders receive in the Exchange?

A.     Coincheck stockholders will receive shares of PubCo in exchange for common shares of Coincheck.

Q.     What equity stake will current Thunder Bridge stockholders and Coincheck Stockholders have in the Post-Combination Company after the Closing?

A.     It is anticipated that, upon the completion of the Business Combination, the ownership of the Post-Combination Company will be as follows:

 

Share ownership in the Post-Combination Company

   

Pro Forma Combined
(Assuming No
Redemptions Scenario)

 

Pro Forma Combined
(Assuming 25%
Redemptions Scenario)

 

Pro Forma Combined
(Assuming 50%
Redemptions Scenario)

 

Pro Forma Combined
(Assuming Maximum
Redemptions Scenario)(2)

Stockholder

 

Shares

 

%(1)

 

Shares

 

%(1)

 

Shares

 

%(1)

 

Shares

 

%(1)

Monex Group, Inc.(3)

 

 

109,102,978

 

79.6

%

 

 

109,102,978

 

80.0

%

 

 

109,102,978

 

80.4

%

 

 

109,102,978

 

81.3

%

Other Coincheck Shareholders(3)

 

 

13,484,638

 

9.8

%

 

 

13,484,638

 

9.9

%

 

 

13,484,638

 

9.9

%

 

 

13,484,638

 

10.1

%

Thunder Bridge Public Stockholders(4)

 

 

2,924,485

 

2.1

%

 

 

2,193,364

 

1.6

%

 

 

1,462,243

 

1.1

%

 

 

 

%

Thunder Bridge Sponsor

 

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

%

 

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

%

 

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

%

 

 

4,195,973

 

3.1

%

   

 

129,708,074

 

94.6

%

 

 

128,976,953

 

94.6

%

 

 

128,245,832

 

94.6

%

 

 

126,783,589

 

94.5

%

Total pro forma book value(5)

 

¥

6,928

   

 

 

¥

5,685

   

 

 

¥

4,442

   

 

 

¥

1,956

   

 

Pro forma book value per share(6)

 

¥

53.41

   

 

 

¥

44.08

   

 

 

¥

34.64

   

 

 

¥

15.43

   

 

Potential Sources of Dilution(7)

 

 

     

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

     

 

Restricted Stock Units(8)

 

 

2,412,384

 

1.8

%

 

 

2,412,384

 

1.8

%

 

 

2,412,384

 

1.8

%

 

 

2,412,384

 

1.8

%

Acquired Thunder Bridge Warrants(9)

 

 

4,860,168

 

3.5

%

 

 

4,860,168

 

3.6

%

 

 

4,860,168

 

3.6

%

 

 

4,860,168

 

3.6

%

Maximum working capital loan shares(10)

 

 

107,520

 

0.1

%

 

 

107,520

 

0.1

%

 

 

107,520

 

0.1

%

 

 

107,520

 

0.1

%

   

 

137,088,146

 

100

%

 

 

136,357,025

 

100.0

%

 

 

135,625,904

 

100

%

 

 

134,163,661

 

100

%

____________

(1)      Percentages calculated on a fully-diluted basis giving effect to the issuance of all items listed under “Potential Sources of Dilution.” Actual percentages at Closing will vary.

(2)      Assumes Maximum Redemptions of 2,924,485 public shares of Thunder Bridge’s Common Stock (100.0%) in connection with the Business Combination.

(3)      Excludes an estimated 2,412,384 restricted stock units to be issued after the Closing of the Business Combination.

(4)      Excludes an estimated 4,730,557 shares underlying the Public Warrants beneficially held by the Thunder Bridge Public Stockholders.

(5)      Pro forma book values are in millions of yen, except per share data. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” for pro forma book value (i.e., total assets minus total liabilities) in the No Redemption Scenario and the Maximum Redemption Scenario.

(6)      Pro forma book value per share is a result of pro forma book value divided by total shares outstanding excluding Potential Sources of Dilution.

(7)      Excludes 9,079,565 shares issuable pursuant to the Omnibus Incentive Plan.

(8)      Reflects 2,412,384 restricted stock units to be issued after the Closing of the Business Combination referenced in footnote (3), above.

(9)      Represents 4,730,557 shares underlying the Public Warrants and 129,611 shares underlying the Private Warrants referenced in footnote (5) and (6), respectively.

(10)    Pursuant to a promissory note with the Sponsor, Thunder Bridge may borrow funds to cover working capital needs up to $1,500,000 of which is convertible at the Sponsor’s election into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Share amounts reflect the maximum of 86,900 shares underlying such units, and 17,920 shares underlying warrants underlying such units, based upon the current fully drawn paid down balance of such promissory note of $896,000.

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Each of our outstanding whole warrants is exercisable commencing 30 days following the Closing, for one PubCo Ordinary Share. Therefore, as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, if we assume that each outstanding whole warrant is exercised and one PubCo Ordinary Share is issued as a result of such exercise, with payment to PubCo of the exercise price of $11.50 per whole warrant for one whole share, our fully-diluted share capital would increase by a total of 4,860,168 shares, with approximately $55.9 million paid to us to exercise the warrants, assuming cash exercise and no units issued upon conversion of Thunder Bridge working capital loans.

If the actual facts are different than the assumptions set forth above, the share numbers set forth above will be different. For more information, please see the section entitled “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information.”

The numbers of shares and percentage interests set forth above are based on a number of assumptions, including that Coincheck does not issue any additional equity securities prior to the Business Combination. If the actual facts differ from our assumptions, the numbers of shares and percentage interests set forth above will be different. In addition, the numbers of shares and percentage interests set forth above do not take into account (i) potential future exercises of Thunder Bridge Warrants or Post-Combination Company warrants (the “Post-Combination Company Warrants”), (ii) shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options to purchase shares of Coincheck, or (iii) any shares issued pursuant to the Omnibus Incentive Plan.

Q.     What happens if I sell my shares of Thunder Bridge common stock before the Stockholders Meeting?

A.     The Record Date for the Stockholders Meeting will be earlier than the date that the Business Combination is expected to be completed. If you transfer your shares of Thunder Bridge common stock after the Record Date, but before the Stockholders Meeting, you will retain your right to vote at the Stockholders Meeting unless the transferee obtains from you a proxy to vote those shares.

Q.     Do Coincheck’s stockholders need to approve the Business Combination?

A.     An approval from Coincheck’s stockholders is not required. In order to effect the Business Combination, the controlling shareholder of Coincheck, Monex Group, has formed PubCo in the Netherlands and will cause a merger subsidiary in Japan, M1 GK to exchange all outstanding common shares of Coincheck for shares of PubCo.

Q.     Did Thunder Bridge’s board of directors obtain a third-party valuation or fairness opinion in determining whether to proceed with the Business Combination?

A.     Thunder Bridge’s board of directors did not obtain a third-party valuation or fairness opinion in connection with its determination to approve the Business Combination. Thunder Bridge’s board of directors believes that based upon the financial skills and background of its directors, it was qualified to conclude that the Business Combination was fair from a financial perspective to its stockholders. Thunder Bridge’s board of directors also determined, without seeking a valuation from a financial advisor, that Coincheck’s fair market value was at least 80% of Thunder Bridge’s net assets, excluding any taxes payable on interest earned. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the judgment of Thunder Bridge’s board of directors as described above in valuing Coincheck’s business and assuming the risk that Thunder Bridge’s board of directors may not have properly valued such business.

Q.     Do I have redemption rights?

A.     If you are a holder of Public Shares, you have the right to demand that Thunder Bridge redeem your Public Shares in exchange for a pro rata portion of the cash held in the Trust Account, which holds the proceeds of Thunder Bridge’s IPO, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, upon the consummation of the Business Combination. We refer to these rights to demand redemption of the Public Shares as “redemption rights.” Holders of the outstanding Public Warrants do not have redemption rights with respect to such warrants in connection with the Business Combination. The Sponsor and each of Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors, in connection with and as partial consideration for Thunder Bridge proceeding with its IPO, and for the covenants and commitments of Thunder Bridge set forth in a letter agreement with the Sponsor (but, for the avoidance of doubt, for no other or additional consideration in connection with the Business Combination), have agreed to waive their redemption rights

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with respect to their Founder Shares and any Public Shares that they may have acquired during or after Thunder Bridge’s IPO. These shares will be excluded from the pro rata calculation used to determine the per share redemption price. For illustrative purposes, based on funds in the Trust Account of approximately $31.2 million following the 2024 Special Meeting, the estimated per share redemption price would have been approximately $10.68. This is greater than the $10.00 IPO price of Thunder Bridge Units. Additionally, Public Shares properly tendered for redemption will only be redeemed if the Business Combination is consummated; otherwise, holders of such shares will only be entitled to a pro rata portion of the Trust Account, including interest (which interest will be net of taxes payable by Thunder Bridge), in connection with the liquidation of the Trust Account.

Q.     Will how I vote affect my ability to exercise redemption rights?

A.     No. You may exercise your redemption rights whether you vote your Public Shares for or against the Business Combination Proposal or do not vote your shares. As a result, the Business Combination Proposal can be approved by stockholders who will redeem their Public Shares and no longer remain stockholders, leaving stockholders who choose not to redeem their Public Shares holding shares in a company with a less liquid trading market, fewer stockholders, less cash and the potential inability to meet the listing standards of the Nasdaq Global Market or any other exchange.

Q.     How do I exercise my redemption rights?

A.     A holder of Public Shares may exercise redemption rights regardless of whether it votes for or against the Business Combination Proposal or does not vote on such proposal at all, or if it is a holder of Public Shares on the Record Date. If you are a holder of Public Shares and wish to exercise your redemption rights, you must demand that Thunder Bridge redeem your Public Shares for cash, and deliver your Public Shares to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent, physically or electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s (“DTC”) Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian (“DWAC”) System no later than two business days prior to the Stockholders Meeting. Any holder of Public Shares seeking redemption will be entitled to a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account, less any owed but unpaid taxes on the funds in the Trust Account. Such amount will be paid promptly upon consummation of the Business Combination. There are currently no owed but unpaid income taxes on the funds in the Trust Account.

Any request for redemption, once made by a holder of Public Shares, may be withdrawn at any time prior to the time the vote is taken with respect to the Business Combination Proposal at the Stockholders Meeting. If you deliver your shares for redemption to Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent and later decide prior to the Stockholders Meeting not to elect redemption, you may request that Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent return the shares (physically or electronically). You may make such request by contacting Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent at the address listed under the question “Who can help answer my questions?” below. You may have to give such instructions through your broker if your Public Shares are held by the broker in street name.

Any written demand of redemption rights must be received by Thunder Bridge’s transfer agent at least two business days prior to the vote taken on the Business Combination Proposal at the Stockholders Meeting. No demand for redemption will be honored unless the holder’s stock has been delivered (either physically or electronically) to the transfer agent.

If you are a holder of Public Shares (including through the ownership of Thunder Bridge Units) and you exercise your redemption rights, it will not result in the loss of any Thunder Bridge Warrants that you may hold (including those contained in any Thunder Bridge Units you hold). Your Thunder Bridge Warrants will become exercisable to purchase one ordinary share of the Post-Combination Company for a purchase price of $11.50 beginning the later of 30 days after consummation of the Business Combination or 24 months from the closing of Thunder Bridge’s IPO.

Q.     Is there a limit on the number of shares I may redeem?

A.     Each Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate or any other person with whom such Public Stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking Redemption Rights with respect to 15% or more of the Public Shares. Accordingly, any shares held by a Public Stockholder or “group” in excess of such 15% cap will not be redeemed by Thunder Bridge. Any Public Stockholder who holds less than 15% of the Public Shares may have all of the Public Shares held by him or her redeemed for cash.

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Q.     What are the U.S. federal income tax consequences of exercising my redemption rights?

A.     Thunder Bridge stockholders who exercise their redemption rights to receive cash from the Trust Account in exchange for their Public Shares generally should be required to treat the transaction as a sale of such shares and recognize gain or loss upon the redemption in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of cash received and the tax basis of the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock redeemed. Such gain or loss should be treated as capital gain or loss if such shares were held as a capital asset on the date of the redemption. A stockholder’s tax basis in his, her or its shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock generally will equal the cost of such shares. A stockholder who purchased Thunder Bridge Units will have to allocate the cost between the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Thunder Bridge Warrants comprising the Thunder Bridge Units based on their relative fair market values at the time of the purchase.

There is some uncertainty regarding the federal income tax consequences to holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock who exercise their redemption rights. The uncertainty of tax consequences relates primarily to the individual circumstances of the taxpayer and include (i) whether the redemption results in a dividend, taxable as ordinary income, or a sale, taxable as capital gain, as discussed above, and (ii) whether such capital gain is “long-term” or “short-term.” For a more detailed discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of your redemption rights, see the section entitled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations of the Redemption Rights and the Business Combination.”

Q.     If I hold Thunder Bridge Warrants, can I exercise redemption rights with respect to my warrants?

A.     No. Holders of Thunder Bridge Warrants do not have any redemption rights with respect to such warrants.

Q.     Do I have appraisal rights if I object to the proposed Business Combination?

A.     No. There are no appraisal rights available to holders of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock in connection with the Business Combination.

Q.     What happens to the funds held in the Trust Account upon consummation of the Business Combination?

A.     If the Business Combination is consummated, the funds held in the Trust Account will be released to pay (i) Thunder Bridge stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights and (ii) expenses incurred by Coincheck and Thunder Bridge in connection with the Business Combination, including deferred underwriting fees to Thunder Bridge’s investment bankers from its IPO, to the extent not otherwise paid prior to the Closing. Any additional funds available for release from the Trust Account will be used for general corporate purposes of the Post-Combination Company following the Business Combination. These funds will not be released until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination or the Redemption of the Public Shares if Thunder Bridge is unable to complete a Business Combination by January 2, 2025 (except that interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account may be released earlier as necessary to pay for any franchise or income taxes and up to $100,000 in liquidation expenses).

Q.     What happens if a substantial number of Public Stockholders vote in favor of the Business Combination Proposal and exercise their Redemption Rights?

A.     Public Stockholders may vote in favor of the Business Combination and still exercise their Redemption Rights, provided that Thunder Bridge (without regard to any assets or liabilities of the target companies) after payment of all such Redemptions, has at least $5,000,001 in net tangible assets immediately prior to the Closing, subject to further conditions set forth below. The Business Combination may be completed even though the funds available from the Trust Account and the number of Public Stockholders are substantially reduced as a result of Redemptions by Public Stockholders. It is a condition to Coincheck’s obligations to close the transactions under the BCA that Thunder Bridge have available cash immediately before the Business Combination after giving effect to any stockholder redemptions, third party financing, or repayment of debt not incurred to pay transaction costs of $100,000,000. Such conditions to Coincheck’s obligations to close may be waived by Coincheck in its sole discretion. If the Business Combination is completed notwithstanding Redemptions, the Post-Combination Company will have fewer Public Shares and Public Stockholders, the trading market for the Post-Combination Company’s securities may be less liquid and the Post-Combination Company may not be able to meet the minimum listing standards for a national securities exchange. Furthermore, the funds available from the Trust Account for working capital purposes of the Post-Combination Company after the Business Combination may not be sufficient for its future operations and may not allow the Post-Combination Company to reduce its indebtedness and/or pursue its strategy for growth.

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Q.     How do the Public Warrants differ from the Private Warrants and what are the related risks for any Public Warrant holders post Business Combination?

A.     The Public Warrants are identical to the Private Warrants in all material respects except that the Private Warrants are not, and will not be, redeemable by Thunder Bridge or PubCo. Further, the Public Warrants are only exercisable on a cashless basis if there is no effective registration statement registering the shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and more than 60 days have passed since Thunder Bridge completed its initial business combination. In contrast, the Private Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis at the holder’s option.

As a result, following the Business Combination, PubCo may redeem your Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making such warrants worthless. PubCo will have the ability to redeem outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant, provided that the last sales price of the PubCo Ordinary Shares has been equal to or greater than $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment for splits, dividends, recapitalizations and other similar events), for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30) trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given, provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by PubCo, it may exercise the redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, PubCo may redeem the Public Warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the Public Warrants. Redemption of the outstanding Public Warrants could force you (i) to exercise your Public Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your Public Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your Public Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Public Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Public Warrants. None of the Private Warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.

Historical trading prices for the Public Shares have varied between a low of approximately $9.55 per share on September 13, 2021 to a high of approximately $10.99 per share on June 16, 2023 but have not approached the $18.00 per share threshold for redemption (which, as described above, would be required for 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at which point the Public Warrants would become redeemable). In the event that PubCo elects to redeem all of the Public Warrants as described above, PubCo will fix a date for the redemption. Notice of redemption will be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by PubCo not less than 30 days prior to the redemption date to the registered holders of the Public Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner provided in the Warrant Agreement shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the registered holder received such notice. In addition, beneficial owners of the Public Warrants will be notified of such redemption by posting of the redemption notice to DTC. PubCo is not contractually obligated to notify investors when its warrants become eligible for redemption, and does not intend to so notify investors upon eligibility of the warrants for redemption.

Q.     What conditions must be satisfied to complete the Business Combination?

A.     The obligations of the parties to the BCA to effect the Closing are subject to a number of closing conditions, including, among others:

With respect to the obligations of all of the parties to the BCA:

a)      The applicable waiting period(s) under the FEFTA in respect of the Business Combination (and any extension thereof, or any timing agreements, understandings or commitments obtained by request or other action of a governmental authority) will have expired or been terminated, and no governmental authority having the power to regulate Coincheck shall have opposed, and failed to withdraw its opposition to, the Business Combination;

b)      There will not be in force any governmental order enjoining or prohibiting the consummation of the Business Combination;

c)      Thunder Bridge will have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act);

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d)      Necessary approvals will have been duly obtained by: (i) Thunder Bridge in accordance with the DGCL, the Thunder Bridge organizational documents and the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Market; (ii) PubCo in accordance with the applicable law and PubCo’s governing documents; and (iii) Merger Sub in accordance with the DGCL and Merger Sub’s governing documents;

e)      The registration statement will have become effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the registration statement will have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose will have been initiated or threatened by the SEC and not withdrawn;

f)      The PubCo Ordinary Shares to be issued in connection with the Business Combination will have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market; and

g)      The PubCo reorganization will have been consummated.

With respect to the obligations of Thunder Bridge:

a)Certain representations of PubCo contained in the BCA (including representations and warranties of PubCo with respect to its corporate organization, due authorization to enter into the BCA and consummate the Business Combination) will be true and correct (without giving any effect to materiality or Material Adverse Effect qualifiers) in all material respects, in each case as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, which representations and warranties will have been true and correct in all material respects at and as of such date;

b)      The representations and warranties of PubCo with respect to PubCo’s and its subsidiaries’ current capitalization and of Coincheck with respect to Coincheck’s current capitalization and absence of changes since the last balance sheet date will be true and correct in all respects of the Closing Date. Other representations and warranties of Coincheck contained in the BCA will be true and correct (without giving effect to materiality or Material Adverse Effect qualifiers) as of the Closing Date as though then made (except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, which representations and warranties will have been true and correct at and as of such date), except where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, has not had, and would not reasonably be expected to imminently result in, a Material Adverse Effect;

c)      The covenants and agreements of Coincheck to be performed as of or prior to the Closing will have been performed in all material respects;

d)      Coincheck will have delivered to Thunder Bridge a certificate signed by an officer of Coincheck, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in the foregoing clauses (a) through (c) have been fulfilled; and

e)      Thunder Bridge will have received a duly executed Lock-up Agreement from each of Coincheck’s shareholders other than Monex.

With respect to the obligations of Coincheck, among others:

a)      Certain representations of Thunder Bridge contained in the BCA (including representations and warranties of Thunder Bridge with respect to its corporate organization and, authorization to enter into the BCA and consummate the Business Combination) will be true and correct (without giving any effect to materiality or material adverse effect qualifiers) in all material respects, in each case as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly related to an earlier date, which representations and warranties will have been true and correct in all material respects at and as of such date;

b)      Representations and warranties of Thunder Bridge with respect to its business activities and capitalization will be true and correct in all respects as of the Closing Date;

c)      Each of the other representations and warranties of Thunder Bridge contained in the BCA (without giving any effect to materiality or material adverse effect qualifiers) will be true and correct, in each case as of the Closing Date, except with respect to such representations and warranties that are made as

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of an earlier date, which representations and warranties will be true and correct at and as of such date, except for, in each case, any failure to be so true and correct that would not that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on Thunder Bridge;

d)      The covenants of Thunder Bridge to be performed as of or prior to the Closing will have been performed in all material respects;

e)      The available cash of Thunder Bridge at Closing will not be less than $100,000,000; and

f)      Thunder Bridge will have delivered to Coincheck a certificate signed by an officer of Thunder Bridge, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in the foregoing clauses (a) through (e) have been fulfilled.

Q.     What happens if the Business Combination is not approved or the Business Combination is not consummated?

A.     There are certain circumstances under which the Business Combination Agreement may be terminated. See the section entitled “The Business Combination Agreement — Termination” for information regarding the parties’ specific termination rights.

If, as a result of the termination of the Business Combination Agreement or otherwise, Thunder Bridge is unable to complete a business combination by January 2, 2025, Thunder Bridge’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that Thunder Bridge will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including any interest not previously released to Thunder Bridge but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of Thunder Bridge’s remaining stockholders and Thunder Bridge’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to Thunder Bridge’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. See the sections entitled “Risk Factors — Thunder Bridge may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, in which case it would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and it would redeem the Public Shares and liquidate” and “— Thunder Bridge’s stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against Thunder Bridge to the extent of distributions received by them.” The Sponsor has waived any right to any liquidation distribution with respect to the Founder Shares and Private Placement Units (such waiver entered into in connection with Thunder Bridge’s IPO for which the Sponsor received no additional consideration). See “— Q. Do the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors have any conflicts of interest that may influence them to support the Business Combination?

In the event of liquidation, there will be no distribution with respect to outstanding Thunder Bridge Warrants. Accordingly, the Thunder Bridge Warrants will expire worthless.

Q.     When is the Business Combination expected to be completed?

A.     It is currently anticipated that the Business Combination will be consummated promptly following the Stockholders Meeting, provided that all other conditions to the consummation of the Business Combination have been satisfied or waived.

For a description of the conditions to the completion of the Business Combination, see the section entitled “The Business Combination Agreement — Conditions to Closing.

Q.     When and where will the Stockholders Meeting be held?

A.     The Stockholders Meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on December 5, 2024 at 101 Constitution Ave., NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001, USA. Only stockholders who held common stock of Thunder Bridge at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 25, 2024 will be entitled to vote at the Stockholders Meeting and at any adjournments and postponements thereof.

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Q.     Who is entitled to vote at the Stockholders Meeting?

A.     Thunder Bridge has fixed October 25, 2024 as the Record Date. If you were a stockholder of Thunder Bridge at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Record Date, you are entitled to vote on matters that come before the Stockholders Meeting.

Q.     How do I vote?

A.     If you are a record owner of your shares, there are two ways to vote your Thunder Bridge Public Shares at the Stockholders Meeting:

You Can Vote By Signing and Returning the Enclosed Proxy Card.    If you vote by proxy card, your “proxy,” whose name is listed on the proxy card, will vote your shares as you instruct on the proxy card. If you sign and return the proxy card but do not give instructions on how to vote your shares, your shares will be voted as recommended by the Thunder Bridge Board “FOR” the Business Combination Proposal, the Advisory Governance Proposals, the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal, and the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal (if presented).

You Can Attend the Stockholders Meeting and Vote via Live Webcast.    If you choose to participate in the Stockholders Meeting, you can vote your shares electronically during the Stockholders Meeting via live webcast by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/thunderbridgecapitalpartnersiv/2024. You will need the 12-digit meeting control number that is printed on your proxy card to enter the Stockholders Meeting. Thunder Bridge recommends that you log in at least 15 minutes before the Stockholders Meeting to ensure you are logged in when the Stockholders Meeting starts.

If your shares are held in “street name” or are in a margin or similar account, you should contact your broker to ensure that votes related to the shares you beneficially own are properly counted. If you wish to attend the Stockholders Meeting and vote in person via the live webcast and your shares are held in “street name,” you must obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank or nominee. That is the only way Thunder Bridge can be sure that the broker, bank or nominee has not already voted your shares.

Q.     What if I do not vote my Thunder Bridge Public Shares or if I abstain from voting?

A.     If you abstain from voting on the Stockholder Proposals, your Thunder Bridge Public Shares will be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum (if so present in accordance with the terms of the Thunder Bridge amended and restated certificate of incorporation), but the abstention will have no effect on the outcome of such proposal.

Q.     What Stockholder Proposals must be passed in order for the Business Combination to be completed?

A.     The Business Combination will not be completed unless the Business Combination Proposal and the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal are approved.

Q.     How does the Thunder Bridge Board recommend that I vote on the Stockholder Proposals?

A.     The Thunder Bridge Board unanimously recommends that stockholders vote:

“FOR” the Business Combination Proposal;

“FOR” each of the Advisory Governance Proposals;

“FOR” the Omnibus Incentive Plan Proposal; and

“FOR” the Stockholder Adjournment Proposal, if it is presented at the Stockholders Meeting.

Q.     How many votes do I have?

A.     Thunder Bridge stockholders have one vote per share of Class A common stock and Class B common stock held by them on the Record Date for each of the Stockholder Proposals to be voted upon.

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Q.     What happens if I return my proxy card without indicating how to vote?

A.     If you sign and return your proxy card without indicating how to vote on any particular Stockholder Proposal, the shares represented by your proxy will be voted in favor of each Stockholder Proposal. Proxy cards that are returned without a signature will not be counted as present at the Stockholders Meeting and cannot be voted.

Q.     How will the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors vote in connection with the Stockholder Proposals?

A.     As of the Record Date, the Sponsor owned of record an aggregate of 5,913,195 Founder Shares and one share of Class B common stock of Thunder Bridge, representing 62.3% of the issued and outstanding shares of Thunder Bridge’s common stock. Pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement and the “Letter Agreement” (being that certain Letter Agreement, dated June 29, 2021, attached as Exhibit 10.1 to Thunder Bridge’s current report on Form 8-K filed on July 2, 2021), the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s directors and officers have agreed to vote the shares of Common Stock owned by them (including the Founder Shares) in favor of the Stockholder Proposals. The Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors, as of the Record Date, have not acquired any Thunder Bridge Common Stock during or after Thunder Bridge’s IPO in the open market. However, any subsequent purchases of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock prior to the Record Date by the Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors in the aftermarket will make it more likely that the Stockholder Proposals will be approved as such shares would be voted in favor of the Stockholder Proposals. As of the Record Date, there were 9,485,737 shares of Common Stock of Thunder Bridge outstanding.

Q.     Do the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors have any conflicts of interest that may influence them to support the Business Combination?

A.     Thunder Bridge’s Sponsor owns 5,913,195 Founder Shares, which were initially acquired prior to the IPO for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 and Thunder Bridge’s directors and officers have pecuniary interests in such shares through their ownership interest in the Sponsor. Such shares had an aggregate market value of approximately $62.6 million based on the last sale price of $10.59 per share on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024. In addition, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 625,000 Private Placement Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one fifth of one warrant to purchase Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, for a purchase price of $6,250,000, or $10.00 per Private Placement Unit. Such Private Placement Units would have an aggregate market value of approximately $6.6 million based on the last sale price of $10.50 per unit on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024. The Thunder Bridge Charter requires Thunder Bridge to complete an initial business combination prior to January 2, 2025. If the Business Combination is not completed and Thunder Bridge is forced to wind up, dissolve and liquidate in accordance with its charter, the 5,913,195 Founder Shares stock currently held by Thunder Bridge’s Sponsor and 625,000 the Private Placement Units purchased by Sponsor will be worthless (as the holders have waived liquidation rights with respect to such Private Placement Units).

Upon the Closing, subject to the terms and conditions of the BCA, Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors are entitled to reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on Thunder Bridge’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. As of November 8, 2024, the total aggregate amount of out-of-pocket expenses expected to be repaid by Thunder Bridge upon consummation of the Business Combination is approximately $1.6 million.

In connection with the Closing, the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors would be entitled to the repayment of any working capital loans and advances that have been made to Thunder Bridge and remain outstanding. Through June 30, 2024, Thunder Bridge had borrowed $1,500,000 and repaid $604,000 under the working capital promissory note. If Thunder Bridge does not complete an initial business combination within the completion window, it may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay any working capital loans, but unless an initial business combination is completed, no proceeds held in the trust account would be used to repay any working capital loans.

In the event that Thunder Bridge does not complete a business combination within the completion window, the 5,913,195 Founder Shares and 625,000 Private Placement Units, for which the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors have invested a total of $6,275,000 and which have an approximate aggregate market value of $69.2 million as of November 8, 2024, will expire worthless; Thunder Bridge may be unable to pay

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approximately $1.6 million in aggregate out-of-pocket expenses expected to be repaid by Thunder Bridge to the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors upon consummation of the business combination; and Thunder Bridge may be unable to repay the up to $1,500,000 that may be borrowed by Thunder Bridge from the Sponsor pursuant to the promissory note. As a result, the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors have an aggregate of up to $9,375,000 at risk that depends on the completion of a business combination within the completion window.

Certain officers and directors of Thunder Bridge also participate in arrangements that may be argued to provide them with other interests in the Business Combination that are different from yours, including, among others, arrangements for the continued service as directors of the Post-Combination Company.

These interests, among others, may influence or have influenced the Sponsor and the officers and directors of Thunder Bridge and Coincheck to support or approve the Business Combination. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to the Business Combination — Some of Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors may have conflicts of interest that may influence or have influenced them to support or approve the Business Combination without regard to your interests or in determining whether Coincheck is appropriate for Thunder Bridge’s initial business combination.”

The Thunder Bridge Board considered all of these conflicts and interests together with the factors described in the section entitled “Proposal No. 1 — The Business Combination Proposal — Thunder Bridge Board’s Reasons for the Approval of the Business Combination” as a whole and, on balance, concluded that they supported a favorable determination that the BCA and the business combination are fair from a financial point of view to and, in the best interests of, Thunder Bridge and its stockholders. In view of the wide variety of factors considered by the Thunder Bridge Board in connection with its evaluation, negotiation and recommendation of the business combination and related transactions and the complexity of these matters, the Thunder Bridge Board did not consider it practical to, nor did it attempt to, quantify, rank or otherwise assign relative weights to the specific factors that it considered in reaching its decision. Rather, the Thunder Bridge Board based its evaluation, negotiation and recommendation of the business combination on the totality of the information presented to and considered by it. The Thunder Bridge Board evaluated the reasons described above with the assistance of Thunder Bridge’s outside advisors. In considering the factors described above and any other factors, individual members of the Thunder Bridge Board may have viewed factors differently or given different weights to other or different factors.

Q.     May the Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s directors, officers or advisors, or their affiliates, purchase shares in connection with the Business Combination?

A.     In connection with the stockholder vote to approve the proposed Business Combination, the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s board of directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may privately negotiate transactions to purchase shares prior to the Closing from stockholders who would have otherwise elected to have their shares redeemed for cash in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules for a per share pro rata portion of the Trust Account without the prior written consent of Coincheck. None of the Sponsor, directors, officers or advisors, or their respective affiliates, will make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller of such shares. Such a purchase would include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of such shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that the Sponsor, directors, officers or advisors, or their affiliates, purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from Public Stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares for cash. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are in excess of the per share pro rata portion of the Trust Account. The purpose of these purchases would be to increase the amount of cash available to Thunder Bridge for use in the Business Combination.

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SUMMARY HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THUNDER BRIDGE

The following table sets forth selected historical financial data derived from Thunder Bridge’s unaudited financial statements as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 and audited financial statements as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, each of which are included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus. Such financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

The historical results presented below are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. You should carefully read the following selected financial information in conjunction with the section entitled “Thunder Bridge Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Thunder Bridge’s financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

 

As of and
for the
six months
ended
June 30,
2024

 

As of and
for the
six months
ended
June 30,
2023

Statement of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(571,142

)

 

 

(715,807

)

Other income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

774,540

 

 

 

5,392,753

 

Net (loss) income

 

 

(235,313

)

 

 

4,676,946

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of Class A common stock

 

$

0.06

 

 

$

0.19

 

Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, basic and diluted

 

 

6,561,252

 

 

 

6,561,252

 

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of Class B common stock

 

$

(0.08

)

 

$

(0.08

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Flow Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(1,754,251

)

 

 

(781,359

)

Net cash provided by investing activities

 

 

518,050

 

 

 

1,565,444

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

1,223,711

 

 

 

145,000

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

$

512

 

 

$

961,107

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

40,500

 

 

 

40,500

 

Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account – current

 

 

 

 

 

207,089,563

 

Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account

 

 

37,529,874

 

 

 

36,507,791

 

Total assets

 

 

37,570,886

 

 

 

244,598,961

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

21,647,451

 

 

 

221,226,931

 

Shares subject to possible redemption (2,924,485 and 3,517,087 shares at redemption value at June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively)

 

 

31,142,027

 

 

 

36,507,791

 

Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

 

 

(15,218,592

)

 

 

(13,135,761

)

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

 

$

37,570,886

 

 

$

244,598,961

 

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As of and
for the
year ended
December 31,
2023

 

As of and
for the
year ended
December 31,
2022

Statement of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(1,389,821

)

 

 

(3,075,258

)

Other income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

6,158,350

 

 

 

3,409,917

 

Net income

 

 

4,095,236

 

 

 

2,862,308

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of Class A common stock

 

$

0.37

 

 

$

0.12

 

Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, basic and diluted

 

 

6,561,252

 

 

 

6,561,252

 

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of Class B common stock

 

$

(0.13

)

 

$

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Flow Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(2,159,465

)

 

 

(908,794

)

Net cash provided by investing activities

 

 

208,655,007

 

 

 

175,531

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

 

(206,514,563

)

 

 

206,000

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

$

13,002

 

 

$

32,022

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

5,002

 

 

 

121,217

 

Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account

 

 

37,273,384

 

 

 

239,770,045

 

Total assets

 

 

37,291,388

 

 

 

239,923,284

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

14,646,199

 

 

 

12,212,872

 

Shares subject to possible redemption (3,517,087 shares at redemption value)

 

 

37,025,930

 

 

 

239,406,682

 

Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

 

 

(14,380,741

)

 

 

(11,696,270

)

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

 

$

37,291,388

 

 

$

239,923,284

 

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SUMMARY HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF COINCHECK

The following tables set forth selected financial and certain other data for Coincheck. The data below should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by, “Coincheck Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and related notes of Coincheck included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus. Coincheck’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Included below are selected financial data as of and for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as the selected financial data as of June 30, 2024 and for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2024.

The selected financial data as of and for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 has been derived from and should be read together with Coincheck’s audited financial statements included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus. The selected financial data as of June 30, 2024 and for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2024 is derived from and should be read together with Coincheck’s unaudited interim financial statements included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

The historical results presented below are not necessarily indicative of results that you can expect for any future period.

 

For the year ended
March 31,

 

For the three months ended
June 30,

   

2022

 

2023

 

2024

 

2023

 

2024

   

(in millions of yen)

Statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

¥

690,016

 

 

¥

175,992

 

 

¥

223,775

 

 

¥

26,042

 

 

¥

75,293

 

Other revenue

 

 

950

 

 

 

932

 

 

 

274

 

 

 

72

 

 

 

6

 

Total revenue

 

 

690,966

 

 

 

176,924

 

 

 

224,049

 

 

 

26,114

 

 

 

75,299

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of sales

 

 

(662,485

)

 

 

(169,604

)

 

 

(214,786

)

 

 

(24,935

)

 

 

(72,182

)

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

(14,638

)

 

 

(8,039

)

 

 

(6,757

)

 

 

(1,591

)

 

 

(2,474

)

Total expenses

 

 

(677,123

)

 

 

(177,643

)

 

 

(221,543

)

 

 

(26,526

)

 

 

(74,656

)

Operating profit (loss)

 

 

13,843

 

 

 

(719

)

 

 

2,506

 

 

 

(412

)

 

 

643

 

Other income and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income

 

 

95

 

 

 

45

 

 

 

437

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

8

 

Other expenses

 

 

(19

)

 

 

(165

)

 

 

(153

)

 

 

(46

)

 

 

(6

)

Financial income

 

 

1

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

67

 

 

 

43

 

 

 

23

 

Financial expenses

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(7

)

 

 

(17

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

(23

)

Profit (loss) before income taxes

 

 

13,918

 

 

 

(846

)

 

 

2,840

 

 

 

(395

)

 

 

645

 

Income tax (expenses) benefits

 

 

(4,123

)

 

 

287

 

 

 

(873

)

 

 

124

 

 

 

(208

)

Net profit (loss) for the year/period attributable to owners of the Company

 

¥

9,795

 

 

¥

(559

)

 

¥

1,967

 

 

¥

(271

)

 

¥

437

 

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As of
March 31,

 

As of
June 30,
2024

   

2023

 

2024

 
   

(in millions of yen)

Statements of financial position data:

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

Total assets

 

¥

360,617

 

¥

768,400

 

¥

771,260

Total current assets

 

 

357,958

 

 

764,644

 

 

767,319

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

7,697

 

 

10,837

 

 

11,510

Cash segregated as deposits

 

 

40,936

 

 

59,256

 

 

56,778

Crypto assets held

 

 

18,969

 

 

44,207

 

 

40,791

Safeguard assets

 

 

288,639

 

 

649,211

 

 

656,999

Customer accounts receivable

 

 

439

 

 

719

 

 

809

Other financial assets

 

 

668

 

 

37

 

 

45

Other current assets

 

 

610

 

 

377

 

 

387

Total non-current assets

 

 

2,659

 

 

3,756

 

 

3,941

Property and equipment

 

 

644

 

 

1,973

 

 

2,188

Intangible assets

 

 

601

 

 

788

 

 

874

Crypto assets held

 

 

43

 

 

 

 

Other financial assets

 

 

579

 

 

614

 

 

578

Deferred tax assets

 

 

739

 

 

353

 

 

294

Other non-current assets

 

 

53

 

 

28

 

 

7

Total liabilities

 

 

350,140

 

 

755,956

 

 

758,379

Total current liabilities

 

 

349,823

 

 

754,679

 

 

756,945

Deposits received

 

 

41,058

 

 

59,276

 

 

57,429

Crypto asset borrowings

 

 

18,756

 

 

44,020

 

 

40,702

Safeguard liabilities

 

 

288,639

 

 

649,211

 

 

656,999

Other financial liabilities

 

 

1,289

 

 

1,206

 

 

1,367

Provisions

 

 

 

 

120

 

 

120

Income taxes payable

 

 

1

 

 

486

 

 

149

Other current liabilities

 

 

80

 

 

360

 

 

179

Total non-current liabilities:

 

 

317

 

 

1,277

 

 

1,434

Other financial liabilities

 

 

92

 

 

1,277

 

 

1,183

Provisions

 

 

225

 

 

 

 

251

Total equity

 

 

10,477

 

 

12,444

 

 

12,881

____________

Note:

(1)      The safeguard liabilities disclosed above correspond to the amount of customer crypto assets under custody at the end of each reporting period. These amounts include NFTs held in wallets administered by Coincheck in connection with its Coincheck NFT Marketplace.

Key Business and Non-IFRS Financial Measures

To evaluate the performance of its business, Coincheck’s management relies on both results of operations recorded in accordance with IFRS and certain key business and non-IFRS financial measures, including verified users, monthly transaction users, customer assets (IFRS), trading volume and EBITDA. However, the definitions of Coincheck’s key business and non-IFRS financial measures may be different from those used by other companies, and therefore, may not be comparable. Furthermore, these key business and non-IFRS financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as substitutes for, or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, and you are encouraged not to rely on any single business or financial measure to evaluate our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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For additional information on why we present our non-IFRS financial measures, the limitations associated with using our non-IFRS financial measures and a reconciliation of our non-IFRS financial measures to the most comparable applicable IFRS measure, see the section entitled “Coincheck Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

 




As of and for the year ended

March 31,

 

As of and
for the
three months
ended
June 30,
2024

   

2022

 

2023

 

2024

 
   

(in millions of yen and numbers of users)

Other data:

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Verified users

 

 

1,620,025

 

 

1,802,203

 

 

 

1,981,152

 

 

2,060,379

Monthly users(1)

 

 

158,124

 

 

90,121

 

 

 

87,352

 

 

129,324

Customer assets (IFRS)(2)

 

¥

485,141

 

¥

329,664

 

 

¥

708,430

 

¥

714,341

Bitcoin (BTC)

 

 

172,120

 

 

140,541

 

 

 

395,649

 

 

419,352

Ethereum (ETH)

 

 

87,277

 

 

60,397

 

 

 

124,834

 

 

138,398

Ripple (XRP)

 

 

62,722

 

 

45,293

 

 

 

54,404

 

 

48,103

IOST (IOST)

 

 

48,355

 

 

14,318

 

 

 

17,020

 

 

9,240

Others:

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Other crypto assets

 

 

58,790

 

 

28,090

 

 

 

57,305

 

 

41,906

Fiat currency

 

 

55,877

 

 

41,024

 

 

 

59,218

 

 

57,342

Trading volume (monthly average on marketplace)

 

 

47,369

 

 

13,091

 

 

 

19,547

 

 

24,331

Bitcoin (BTC)

 

 

11,474

 

 

5,518

 

 

 

8,915

 

 

11,122

Ethereum (ETH)

 

 

8,804

 

 

3,348

 

 

 

5,309

 

 

5,979

Ripple (XRP)

 

 

5,798

 

 

1,506

 

 

 

1,727

 

 

2,134

IOST (IOST)

 

 

9,278

 

 

998

 

 

 

454

 

 

411

Others (other crypto assets)

 

 

12,016

 

 

1,721

 

 

 

3,142

 

 

4,684

Net profit for the year or the period

 

 

9,795

 

 

(559

)

 

 

1,967

 

 

437

EBITDA(3)

 

 

14,368

 

 

(360

)

 

 

3,525

 

 

835

____________

Notes:

(1)      Average monthly users for the 12 months in respective fiscal year. The average monthly users for the three months ended June 30, 2024 is the average value for the three months from April to June 2024.

(2)      Customer assets (IFRS) = safeguard liabilities + fiat currency deposited by customers on IFRS basis.

(3)      EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure. EBITDA = net profit + interest expense + income tax expenses + depreciation and amortization. For a discussion of EBITDA, including how it is calculated and the reasons why we believe it is useful to investors, as well as a reconciliation of EBITDA to net profit, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, see “Coincheck Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Non-IFRS Financial Measures.”

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SUMMARY UNAUDITED PRO FORMA
CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following summary unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial data (the “summary pro forma data”) gives effect to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement described in the section entitled “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information.” Thunder Bridge will be treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the Business Combination will be treated as the equivalent of Coincheck issuing stock for the net assets of Thunder Bridge, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of Thunder Bridge will be stated at their historical cost within the pro forma financial statements with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of June 30, 2024 combines the historical unaudited balance sheet of Coincheck as of June 30, 2024 with the historical unaudited balance sheet of Thunder Bridge as of June 30, 2024, giving effect to the Business Combination as if it had been consummated on June 30, 2024.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2024 combines the historical unaudited statement of operations of Coincheck for the three months ended June 30, 2024 with the historical unaudited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the three months ended June 30, 2024.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended March 31, 2024 combines the historical audited statement of operations of Coincheck for the year ended March 31, 2024 with the results of Thunder Bridge for the year ended March 31, 2024. The results of Thunder Bridge for the year ended March 31, 2024 were calculated as (i) the historical audited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the year ended December 31, 2023; less (ii) the historical unaudited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the three months ended March 31, 2023; plus (iii) the historical unaudited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The unaudited pro forma statements of operations give effect to the Business Combination as if it had been consummated on April 1, 2023.

The summary unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information was derived from and should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements of Coincheck and Thunder Bridge and the accompanying notes, which are included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus. The summary unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information should also be read together with the “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information,” “Thunder Bridge Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Coincheck Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and other financial information included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared assuming two alternative levels of redemptions of Thunder Bridge Class A Shares into cash:

No Redemption Scenario.

        This presentation assumes that no holders of Thunder Bridge Class A Shares exercise their redemption rights upon the Closing.

Maximum Redemption Scenario.

        This presentation assumes the redemption of 2.9 million shares of Thunder Bridge Class A common stock, inclusive of interest earned on the Trust Account, resulting in a total aggregate redemption of ¥5,016 million from the Trust Account.

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If the actual facts are different than these assumptions, then the amounts and shares outstanding in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information will be different. For more information regarding the underlying assumptions to the No Redemption Scenario and Maximum Redemption Scenario, see the section titled “Voting Power and Implied Ownership of PubCo Upon Consummation of the Business Combination.

(in millions of yen, except share and per share data)

 

Pro Forma
Combined
(Assuming No
Redemptions)

 

Pro Forma
Combined
(Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions)

Statement of Operations Data for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2024

   

 

   

 

Revenue

 

75,299

 

 

75,299

 

Net profit (loss)

 

357

 

 

357

 

Earnings (losses) per share – basic and diluted

 

2.75

 

 

2.82

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted

 

129,708,074

 

 

126,783,589

 

     

 

   

 

Statement of Operations Data for the Year Ended March 31, 2024

   

 

   

 

Revenue

 

224,049

 

 

224,049

 

Net profit (loss)

 

(15,186

)

 

(15,225

)

Earnings (losses) per share – basic and diluted

 

(117.08

)

 

(120.09

)

Weighted-average shares outstanding – basic and diluted

 

129,708,074

 

 

126,783,589

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

This proxy statement/prospectus contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to expectations for future financial performance, business strategies or expectations for our business and Coincheck’s business, and the timing and ability for Thunder Bridge and Coincheck to complete the Business Combination. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “outlook,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “continue,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “should,” “would” and other similar words and expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this proxy statement/prospectus and Thunder Bridge’s and Coincheck’s managements’ current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Thunder Bridge, Coincheck and their respective directors, officers and affiliates. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Thunder Bridge’s views as of any subsequent date. Thunder Bridge does not undertake any obligation to update, add or to otherwise correct any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events, inaccuracies that become apparent after the date hereof or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements in deciding how your vote should be cast or in voting your shares on the Stockholder Proposals. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in “Risk Factors,” those discussed and identified in public filings made with the SEC by Thunder Bridge and the following:

        the price of crypto assets and volume of transactions on Coincheck’s platform;

        the development, utility and usage of crypto assets;

        changes in economic conditions and consumer sentiment in Japan;

        cyberattacks and security breaches on the Coincheck platform;

        demand for any particular crypto asset;

        adverse changes to or Coincheck’s failure to comply with any laws or regulations;

        Coincheck’s ability to compete in a highly competitive industry;

        Coincheck’s ability to introduce new products and services;

        crypto assets’ status as a “security”;

        the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could delay the Business Combination or give rise to the termination of the BCA;

        the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Coincheck or Thunder Bridge following announcement of the proposed Business Combination and transactions contemplated thereby;

        the inability to complete the Business Combination due to the failure to obtain approval of the Thunder Bridge shareholders, the failure of Thunder Bridge to retain sufficient cash in the Trust Account or find replacement cash to meet the requirements of the BCA or the failure to meet other conditions to closing in the BCA;

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        the inability to maintain the listing of the PubCo Ordinary Shares on Nasdaq following the Business Combination;

        the risk that the proposed Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations;

        the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, and the ability of PubCo to grow and manage growth profitably;

        costs related to the Business Combination; and

        other risks and uncertainties indicated in this proxy statement/prospectus, including those set forth under the section entitled “Risk Factors.”

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should any of the assumptions made by the management of Thunder Bridge and Coincheck prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.

All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the Business Combination or other matters addressed in this proxy statement/prospectus and attributable to Thunder Bridge, Coincheck or any person acting on their behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this proxy statement/prospectus. Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, Thunder Bridge and Coincheck undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this proxy statement/prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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RISK FACTORS

You should carefully review and consider the following risk factors and the other information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus, including the financial statements and notes to the financial statements included herein and the matters addressed in the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary” in evaluating the Business Combination and the proposals to be voted on at the Stockholders Meeting. Certain of the following risk factors apply to the business and operations of Coincheck and will also apply to the business and operations of PubCo following the completion of the Business Combination. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in these risk factors, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect the ability to complete or realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, and may have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and trading price of PubCo following the Business Combination. The risks discussed below may not prove to be exhaustive and are based on certain assumptions made by Coincheck and PubCo, which later may prove to be incorrect or incomplete. Coincheck and PubCo may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to them, or that are currently deemed immaterial, but which may also ultimately have an adverse effect on any such party. Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “Coincheck” in this section are to the business and operations of Coincheck prior to the Business Combination and the business and operations of the Post-Combination Company as directly or indirectly affected by Coincheck by virtue of the Post-Combination Company’s ownership of the business of Coincheck through its ownership of the surviving corporation following the Business Combination and references in this section to “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to Coincheck.

Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Business and Industry

Our total revenue is substantially dependent on the prices of crypto assets and volume of transactions conducted on our Marketplace platform. If such prices or volumes decline, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be adversely affected, as well as our stock price following the listing of PubCo’s shares.

In the years ended March 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and in the three months ended June 30, 2024, 99.6%, 98.9%, 99.6% and 99.1%, respectively, of our total revenue consisted of transaction revenue generated from trades of customers and cover counterparties on our Marketplace platform business. Any declines in the volume of crypto asset transactions by retail investors in Japan, the price of crypto assets we support, or market liquidity for crypto assets generally may result in lower revenue to us. Additionally, a decline in the number of our monthly users may negatively impact our volume of transactions. For example, we have recorded a decline in monthly users since March 31, 2022 as a result, in part, of volatile market conditions, which may adversely affect our financial condition. Furthermore, as a result of our total revenue being substantially dependent on the volume of crypto asset transactions by retail investors in Japan, the price of crypto assets we support, or market liquidity for crypto assets generally, any declines in prices or volumes or prolonged volatility in these markets can have a significant impact on our stock price. In particular, following the consummation of the Business Combination Agreement, as a result of ongoing volatility in the prices and volumes of crypto assets, we could experience depreciation in our stock price and it remains uncertain how future volatility would affect our stock price following the listing of PubCo’s shares. However, any such future stock price volatility could negatively impact our public market perception and our ability to raise any equity financing in the future.

The price of crypto assets and associated demand for trading crypto assets have historically been subject to significant volatility. For instance, in 2017, the value of certain crypto assets, including Bitcoin, experienced steep increases in value, and our customer base in Japan expanded. The increase in value of Bitcoin from 2016 to 2017 was followed by a steep decline in 2018, which negatively affected our business and operating results. Bitcoin again increased in value from the end of 2020 and during 2021 after recovering from lows in March 2020. Between November 2021 and March 2022, however, the value of Bitcoin decreased significantly, contributing to a declining trend quarter on quarter for trading volume on our Marketplace platform and our transaction revenue during the year ended March 31, 2022. Declines in the prices of Bitcoin and other crypto assets supported on our Marketplace platform continued during the year ended March 31, 2023 and, as a result, our total revenue declined further in the year ended March 31, 2023. The value of Bitcoin and many other crypto assets decreased significantly during 2022, including declines seen in November 2022 following the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of FTX, a Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange, and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO. On June 5, 2023, the SEC filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Binance and other related entities, as well as Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s co-founder and CEO. The complaint

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consists of thirteen charges, including misleading investors and operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency in violation of U.S. securities laws. Furthermore, on June 6, 2023, the SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Coinbase for operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency, and for the unregistered offer and sale of securities in connection with its staking-as-a-service program. On November 2, 2023, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, was found guilty of all seven criminal counts of fraud against him, and on November 21, 2023, Binance and Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder and CEO of Binance, pled guilty to federal criminal charges that Binance violated and caused a financial institution to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, with Binance entering into a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in addition to the confiscation of certain assets and Changpeng Zhao stepping down as CEO and accepting an individual fine of $50 million. On May 31, 2024, Japanese crypto exchange operator DMM Bitcoin announced that it had lost 4,502.9 Bitcoin (approximately ¥48.2 billion) of customer assets held in cold wallets as a result of a hacking incident in which such assets were transmitted outside of the company through an “unauthorized leak.”

On June 27, 2024, Coinbase filed lawsuits against both the SEC and the FDIC in order to shed light on their approaches to regulation in the industry and gain access to internal records to uncover alleged efforts by the financial regulators to pressure financial institutions to deny crypto firms access to the federal banking system. On July 1, 2024, the SEC filed suit against Silvergate, the parent company of a bank which allegedly helped to facilitate fraud at FTX before its collapse, former CEO Alan Lane and former Chief Risk Officer Kathleen Fraher, claiming that they misled investors regarding the strength of Silvergate’s Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance program and the monitoring of crypto customers, including FTX, by Silvergate’s wholly owned subsidiary, Silvergate Bank. The SEC also charged Silvergate and its former Chief Financial Officer, Antonio Martino, with misleading investors about Silvergate’s losses from expected securities sales following the collapse of FTX. All parties charged, with the exception of Antonio Martino, have agreed to settle with the SEC. On July 2, 2024, in relation to the civil complaint filed by the SEC against Binance and other related entities, a U.S. federal court dismissed several claims, including that Binance’s fiat-backed stablecoin, BUSD, qualifies as an investment contract, although certain other claims by the SEC were allowed to proceed.

On August 7, 2024, Ripple Labs was fined $125 million in relation to the complaint initially filed by the SEC in December 2020 with respect to the institutional sales of the XRP token, which a Manhattan court judge ruled were unregistered securities offerings; the SEC has since filed an appeal. On September 24, 2024, the SEC spoke before the United States Congress to address concerns surrounding the impediment of financial innovation and reduction of consumer protections related to the SEC’s new rules on digital asset custody under SAB 121. On September 27, 2024, the SEC gave “no-objection” to the Bank of New York Mellon’s request to safeguard digital assets without needing to list them as balance sheet liabilities, as is currently required under SAB 121, and which many financial institutions view as restrictive, and as a result could lead to an increase in the number of financial institutions able to target institutional clients wanting to invest in digital assets through ETFs. On September 27, 2024, the SEC also filed settled charges against Mango DAO and Blockworks Foundation for engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of crypto assets called “MNGO” tokens, as well as settled charges against Blockworks Foundation and Mango Labs LLC for engaging in unregistered broker activity in connection with various crypto assets being offered and sold as securities on the Mango Market platform.

These events have created heightened uncertainty about the outlook for markets for crypto assets. Furthermore, as a result of ongoing volatility in the markets for crypto assets, we may also experience increased losses or impairments on our investments or other assets in the future. Although, in the year ended March 31, 2023, trading volume and our transaction revenue significantly declined as compared to the prior year, and we recorded a net loss of ¥559 million for the year, in the year ended March 31, 2024, in part due to recovery in the markets for crypto assets, trading volume and our transaction revenue increased, and we recorded a net profit of ¥1,967 million for the year. Also due to market recovery, we recorded a net profit of ¥437 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, compared to a net loss of ¥271 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. Similarly, sharp declines in the prices of many crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, during the year ended March 31, 2023 resulted in a decline in our customer assets (IFRS) from ¥485 billion as of March 31, 2022 to ¥330 billion as of March 31, 2023. However, increases in the prices of crypto assets such as Bitcoin during the year ended March 31, 2024 resulted in an increase in our customer assets (IFRS) to ¥708 billion as of March 31, 2024 and further to ¥714 billion as of June 30, 2024.

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The price and trading volume of any crypto asset is subject to significant uncertainty and volatility, depending on a number of factors, including:

        market conditions of, and overall sentiment towards, crypto assets;

        changes in liquidity, market-making volume and trading activities;

        trading activities on other crypto platforms worldwide, many of which may be unregulated, and may be subject to manipulative activities;

        investment and trading activities of highly active retail and institutional users, speculators and miners;

        the speed and rate at which crypto assets are able to gain adoption as a medium of exchange, utility, store of value, consumptive asset, or usage worldwide, if at all;

        decreased user and investor confidence in crypto assets and crypto platforms;

        negative publicity and events relating to crypto assets including due to bankruptcies, fraud or allegations of fraud, failures of management and hacks;

        unpredictable social media coverage or “trending” of, or other rumors and market speculation regarding crypto assets; retail customer preferences and perceived value of crypto assets and crypto asset markets;

        increased competition from other payment services or other crypto assets that exhibit better speed, security, scalability, or other characteristics;

        regulatory or legislative changes and updates affecting the use and regulation of crypto assets, both in Japan and globally;

        the maintenance, troubleshooting, and development of the blockchain networks underlying crypto assets, including by miners, validators, and developers worldwide;

        the ability for crypto networks to attract and retain miners or validators to secure and confirm transactions accurately and efficiently;

        ongoing technological viability and security of crypto assets and their associated smart contracts, applications and networks, including vulnerabilities against hacks and scalability;

        fees and speed associated with processing crypto asset transactions, including on the underlying blockchain networks and on cryptocurrency exchanges;

        financial strength of market participants;

        interruptions in service from or failures of major crypto platforms;

        availability and cost of funding and capital;

        liquidity of major crypto platforms;

        availability of an active derivatives market for various crypto assets;

        availability of banking and payment services to support crypto-related projects; and

        national and international economic and political conditions, such as rising global interest rates and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

There is no assurance that any crypto asset that is supported on our cryptocurrency exchanges will maintain its value or that there will be meaningful levels of trading activity of such asset. In particular, we are dependent on Japanese retail customers who account for nearly all of the trading volume on our Marketplace platform. Accordingly, we are particularly vulnerable to any changes in sentiment relating to crypto assets from retail investors in Japan, whether due to the above or other factors. In the event that such changes in sentiment drive down the price of crypto assets or the demand for trading crypto assets, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.

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Our operating results have and are expected to significantly fluctuate from period to period.

Our operating results are heavily dependent on the level of trading of crypto assets on our Marketplace platform. Due to the highly volatile nature of the prices of crypto assets, our operating results have, and are expected to continue to, fluctuate significantly between periods in accordance with market sentiments and movements in such prices. As a result, period-to-period comparisons of our operating results might not be meaningful, and our past results of operations should not be relied on as indicators of future performance. Our operating results will continue to fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are unpredictable and in certain instances are outside of our control, including:

        our revenue is dependent on crypto asset trading activity by our customers, including trading volume and the prevailing trading prices for crypto assets, whose trading prices and volume are highly volatile;

        our ability to attract, maintain, and grow our customer base and engage our customers;

        our ability to diversify and grow our non-transaction revenue;

        pricing for our products and services;

        investments we make in the development of products and services as well as our investment in sales and marketing;

        addition and removal of crypto assets on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace;

        adverse legal proceedings or regulatory enforcement actions, judgments, settlements, or other legal proceeding and enforcement-related costs;

        regulatory changes that impact our ability to offer certain products or services;

        the development and introduction of existing and new products and services by us or our competitors;

        system failure or outages, including with respect to our crypto platforms or other third-party crypto networks;

        breaches of security or privacy;

        inaccessibility of our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace due to our or third-party actions;

        our ability to attract and retain talent; and

        our ability to compete with our competitors.

If the utility and usage of crypto assets, the development of which is difficult to predict, do not grow as we expect, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Crypto assets built on blockchain technology were first introduced in 2008 and remain in the early stages of development. In addition, different crypto assets are designed for different purposes. Bitcoin, for instance, was designed to serve as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, while Ethereum was designed to be a smart contract and decentralized application platform. The further growth and development of particular crypto assets and their underlying networks and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the creation, transfer, and usage of crypto assets are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate, including:

        many crypto networks have limited operating histories, have not been validated in production, and are still in the process of developing and making significant decisions that will affect the design, supply, issuance, functionality, and governance of their respective crypto assets and underlying blockchain networks, any of which could adversely affect their respective crypto assets;

        many crypto networks are in the process of implementing software upgrades and other changes to their protocols, which could introduce bugs, security risks, or adversely affect the respective crypto networks;

        several large networks, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, are developing new features to address fundamental speed, scalability, and energy usage issues. If these issues are not successfully addressed, or if proposed solutions are unable to receive widespread adoption, it could adversely affect the underlying crypto assets;

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        security issues, bugs, and software errors have been identified with many crypto assets and their underlying blockchain networks, some of which have been exploited by malicious actors. There are also inherent security weaknesses in some crypto assets, such as when creators of certain crypto networks use procedures that could allow hackers to counterfeit tokens. Any weaknesses identified with a crypto asset could adversely affect its price, security, liquidity, and adoption. If a malicious actor or botnet (a volunteer or hacked collection of computers controlled by networked software coordinating the actions of the computers) obtains a majority of the compute or staking power on a crypto network, as has happened in the past, it may be able to manipulate transactions, which could cause financial losses to holders, damage the network’s reputation and security, and adversely affect its value;

        the development of new technologies for mining, such as improved application-specific integrated circuits (commonly referred to as ASICs), or changes in industry patterns, such as the consolidation of mining power in a small number of large mining farms, could reduce the security of blockchain networks, lead to increased liquid supply of crypto assets, and reduce a particular crypto asset’s price and attractiveness;

        if rewards and transaction fees for miners or validators on any particular crypto network are not sufficiently high to attract and retain miners, a crypto network’s security and speed may be adversely affected, increasing the likelihood of a malicious attack;

        many crypto assets have concentrated ownership or an “admin key,” allowing a small group of holders to have significant unilateral control and influence over key decisions relating to their crypto networks, such as governance decisions and protocol changes, as well as the market price of such crypto assets;

        the governance of many decentralized blockchain networks is by voluntary consensus and open competition, and many developers are not directly compensated for their contributions. As a result, there may be a lack of consensus or clarity on the governance of any particular crypto network, a lack of incentives for developers to maintain or develop the network, and other unforeseen issues, any of which could result in unexpected or undesirable errors, bugs, or changes, or stymie such network’s utility and ability to respond to challenges and grow; and

        many crypto networks are in the early stages of developing partnerships and collaborations, all of which may not succeed and adversely affect the usability and adoption of the respective crypto assets.

Various other technical issues have also been uncovered from time to time that resulted in disabled functionalities, exposure of certain users’ personal information, theft of users’ assets, and other negative consequences, and which required resolution with the attention and efforts of their global miner, user, and development communities. If any such risks or other risks materialize, and in particular if they are not resolved, the development and growth of crypto may be significantly affected and, as a result, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Changes in economic conditions and consumer sentiment in Japan could cause demand for our products and services to be lower than we anticipate.

We currently derive all of our total revenue from operations in Japan, and accordingly, our performance is subject to general economic conditions in Japan and their impact on our base of primarily retail customers. Japan has experienced downturns in which economic activity declined resulting in lower consumption rates, restricted credit, reduced profitability, weaknesses in financial markets, bankruptcies and overall uncertainty with respect to the economy. Furthermore, the outlook of the Japanese economy remains uncertain. In particular, the Bank of Japan has implemented quantitative and qualitative monetary easing measures to overcome deflation. However, it is unclear whether and to what extent these measures will succeed in ending deflation, increasing consumption and investment, reducing the government deficit and achieving economic growth in the long term. In addition, an aging demographic, a declining birth rate, the overall decline of its population (including the working-age population), political tensions between Japan and some of its neighboring countries, and currency fluctuations are additional factors that add to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Japanese economy. The impact of economic conditions in Japan on the trading of crypto assets is highly uncertain and dependent on a variety of factors, including market adoption, global trends, central bank monetary policies, and other events beyond our control. To the extent that general economic conditions in Japan materially deteriorate, our ability to attract and retain customers may suffer. While we have seen long-term increases in trading of crypto assets by Japanese retail investors, there

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can be no assurance that consumer sentiment towards crypto assets and crypto exchange platforms will not worsen in the future. Whether due to security concerns or due to the other significant risks and volatility associated with investment in crypto assets, a lack of growth in or a drop in demand for trading of crypto assets by Japanese retail investors would adversely affect our growth prospects and results of operations.

Cyberattacks and security breaches of our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace, or those impacting our customers or third parties, could adversely impact our brand and reputation and our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our business involves the collection, storage, processing, and transmission of confidential information, customer, employee, service provider, and other personal data, as well as information required to access customer assets. We have built our reputation on the premise that our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace offer customers a secure way to purchase, store, and transact in crypto assets. As a result, any actual or perceived security breach of systems or those of our third-party partners may:

        harm our reputation and brand;

        result in our systems or services being unavailable and interrupt our operations;

        result in improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable privacy and other laws;

        result in significant regulatory scrutiny, investigations, fines, penalties, and other legal, regulatory, and financial exposure;

        cause us to incur significant remediation costs;

        lead to theft or irretrievable loss of our or our customers’ fiat currencies or crypto assets;

        reduce customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services;

        divert the attention of management from the operation of our business;

        result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers or third parties as a result of losses to them or claims by them; and

        adversely affect our business and operating results.

Further, any actual or perceived breach or cybersecurity attack directed at other financial institutions or other companies in the crypto industry, whether or not we are directly impacted, could lead to a general loss of customer confidence in the crypto assets, crypto exchanges or in the use of technology to conduct financial transactions, which could negatively impact us, including the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures and technology infrastructure.

Attacks upon systems across a variety of industries, including the crypto industry, are increasing in their frequency, persistence, and sophistication, and, in many cases, are being conducted by sophisticated, well-funded, and organized groups and individuals, including state actors. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized, improper, or illegal access to systems and information (including customers’ personal data and crypto assets), disable or degrade services, or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, may be difficult to detect quickly, and often are not recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. These attacks may occur on our systems or those of our third-party service providers or partners. Certain types of cyberattacks could harm us even if our systems are left undisturbed. For example, attacks may be designed to deceive employees and service providers into releasing control of our systems to a hacker, while others may aim to introduce computer viruses or malware into our systems with a view to stealing confidential or proprietary data. Additionally, certain threats are designed to remain dormant or undetectable until launched against a target and we may not be able to implement adequate preventative measures.

Although we have developed systems and processes designed to protect the data we manage, prevent data loss and other security breaches, effectively respond to known and potential risks, and expect to continue to expend significant resources to bolster these protections, there can be no assurance that these security measures will provide absolute security or prevent breaches or attacks. We have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors or

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vulnerabilities, or other irregularities. For example, in January 2018, we were ordered by the JFSA to improve our business operations due to a case in which approximately 526.3 million of the NEM crypto asset, or ¥46.6 billion, was illegally transferred, and which resulted in the suspension of withdrawals by our customers. See “Information about Coincheck — Our History.”

Unauthorized parties have attempted, and we expect that they will continue to attempt, to gain access to our systems and facilities, as well as those of our customers, partners, and third-party service providers, through various means, including hacking, social engineering, phishing, and attempting to fraudulently induce individuals into disclosing usernames, passwords, payment card information, or other sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access our information technology systems and customers’ crypto assets. Threats can come from a variety of sources, including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage, and insiders. Certain threat actors may be supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. As a result, our costs and the resources we devote to protecting against these advanced threats and their consequences may continue to increase over time. Outages and disruptions of our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace, including any caused by cyberattacks, may harm our reputation and our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Due to our limited operating history, it may be difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in any given period.

We began operations in 2012 and publicly launched our crypto asset trading service in 2014. As a result, our revenue has significantly grown since our formation, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will continue in future periods and you should not rely on the revenue growth of any given prior quarterly or annual period as an indication of our future performance. Our limited operating history and the volatile nature of our business make it difficult to evaluate our current business and our future prospects. For example, our operating history has coincided with an extended period of general growth in the value of crypto assets as a whole. We have also encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing and heavily regulated industries, including achieving market acceptance of our products and services, attracting and retaining customers, complying with laws and regulations that are subject to evolving interpretations and application, and increasing competition and expenses as we expand our business. We cannot be sure that we will be successful in addressing these and other challenges we may face, and our business may be adversely affected if we do not manage these risks successfully.

The majority of our revenue is from transactions in certain crypto assets, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum or other specific crypto assets. If demand for any particular crypto asset declines and is not replaced by new demand, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Across our Marketplace and Exchange platforms we support 30 types of cryptocurrencies for trading and custody as of June 30, 2024, an increase from 19 types of cryptocurrencies as of March 31, 2023. Because we only support trading in cryptocurrencies that have been approved for trading by crypto asset exchange operators in Japan under the guidelines of the JVCEA, we support fewer types of crypto assets than some exchange operators in other jurisdictions. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 and the three months ended June 30, 2024, we derived the majority of our revenue from transaction revenue generated in connection with the buying, selling, and trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other specific crypto assets. Depending on broader trends within the crypto asset market, our total revenue may be concentrated into certain specific assets at various times in the future. As a result, in addition to the factors impacting the broader crypto markets described in this section, our business may also be adversely affected if the markets for Bitcoin, Ethereum or any particular crypto asset deteriorate or if their prices decline, including as a result of the following factors:

        the reduction in mining rewards of Bitcoin, including block reward halving events, which are events that occur after a specific period of time which reduces the block reward earned by miners;

        changes in the nature or regulation of Ethereum following its migration to a proof-of-stake model;

        disruptions, hacks, splits in the underlying network also known as “forks,” attacks by malicious actors who control a significant portion of the networks’ hash rate such as double spend or 51% attacks, or other similar incidents affecting the Bitcoin or Ethereum blockchain networks;

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        hard “forks” resulting in the creation of and divergence into multiple separate networks, such as Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum Classic;

        the ability for blockchain networks to resolve significant scaling challenges and increase the volume and speed of transactions;

        transaction congestion and fees associated with processing transactions on the Bitcoin, Ethereum or other networks;

        informal governance led by the core developers of Bitcoin, Ethereum or other crypto assets that lead to revisions to the underlying source code or inactions that prevent network scaling, and which evolve over time largely based on self-determined participation, which may result in new changes or updates that affect their speed, security, usability, or value;

        the ability to attract and retain developers and users to use a specific crypto asset for payment, store of value, unit of accounting, and other intended uses;

        the identification of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous person or persons who developed Bitcoin, or the transfer of Satoshi’s Bitcoin;

        negative perception of Bitcoin, Ethereum or a specific crypto asset;

        development in mathematics, technology, including in digital computing, algebraic geometry, and quantum computing that could result in the cryptography being used by a specific crypto asset becoming insecure or ineffective;

        regulatory or legislative restrictions or limitations on lending, mining or staking activities, including a finding that offering lending, mining or staking services to customers as a means to generate passive yield constitutes offering of a security under the laws of a particular jurisdiction; and

        laws and regulations affecting the networks of Bitcoin, Ethereum or a specific crypto asset or access to these networks, including a determination that Bitcoin, Ethereum or a specific crypto asset constitutes a security or other regulated financial instrument under the laws of any jurisdiction.

We are subject to extensive regulation in Japan and any adverse changes to, or our failure to comply with, any laws and regulations could adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition.

Due to our business activities, we are subject to ongoing examinations, oversight, and reviews, by Japanese regulators and self-regulatory organizations, including, but not limited to, the JFSA and the JVCEA. We received our license as a crypto asset exchange service provider from the JFSA in January 2019. We are required to periodically submit business and audit reports and could be subject to examinations by these regulatory authorities. As a result of findings from these audits and examinations, regulators have and may in the future require us to take certain actions, including amending, updating, or revising our compliance measures from time to time, limiting the kinds of customers which we provide services to, changing, terminating, or delaying our licenses and/or the introduction of our existing or new product and services, and undertaking further external audit or being subject to further regulatory scrutiny, including investigations and inquiries. We have received, and may in the future receive, examination reports citing violations of rules and regulations, inadequacies in existing compliance programs, and requiring us to enhance certain practices with respect to our compliance program, including due diligence, monitoring, training, reporting, and recordkeeping. Implementing appropriate measures to properly remediate these examination findings may require us to incur significant costs, and if we fail to properly remediate any of these examination findings, we could face civil litigation, significant fines, damage awards, forced removal of certain employees including members of our executive team, barring of certain employees from participating in our business in whole or in part, revocation of existing licenses, limitations on existing and new products and services, reputational harm, negative impact to our existing relationships with regulators, exposure to criminal liability, or other regulatory consequences. One focus of regulatory oversight is to assess our financial soundness. If we fail to maintain sufficient liquidity and capital resources, our business and trading operations could be adversely affected and we could also be subject to regulatory consequences. It is possible that new or enhanced capital or liquidity requirements could be introduced in the future. In addition, our Chairman, Representative Director & Executive Director, Satoshi Hasuo, also serves as a director of the JVCEA, which could potentially result in a conflict of interest due to this dual position. We are not aware of any such

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conflicts of interest and believe that the possibility of any information being shared with Mr. Hasuo that could cause a conflict of interest is limited. See “Information about Coincheck — Regulatory Environment — Self-Regulatory Organization and Self-Regulatory Rules on Crypto Asset Exchange Service Providers.” Further, new laws, regulations, or interpretations may result in additional litigation, regulatory investigations, and enforcement or other actions, including preventing or delaying us from offering certain products or services offered by our competitors or could impact how we offer such products and services. Adverse changes to, or our failure to comply with, any laws and regulations have had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our reputation and brand and our business, operating results, and financial condition. For further information on the regulations we are subject to, see the section entitled “Information about Coincheck — Regulatory Environment.”

We could be subject to administrative sanctions, including fines, or legal claims if we are found to have offered services in violations of the laws of jurisdictions other than Japan or to have violated international sanctions regimes.

Legal and regulatory regimes in a range of areas, including crypto asset custody, exchange, and transfer, money and crypto asset transmission, foreign currency exchange, privacy, data governance, data protection, cybersecurity, fraud detection, tax, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorist financing, vary widely between Japan and other jurisdictions and are still developing and changing to address issues relating to crypto assets. These legal and regulatory regimes are evolving rapidly and may be modified, interpreted, and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction to another. We currently only offer crypto asset exchange trading services to customers in Japan and take steps to ensure that customers outside of Japan cannot circumvent our account opening procedures. We also have procedures to restrict access from IP addresses in jurisdictions outside of Japan, including the United States. However, these procedures may be ineffective. For instance, the use of a virtual private network may allow users from IP addresses outside of Japan to misrepresent their true locations and gain access to our platform. If our procedures are ineffective or if we are otherwise determined to have violated applicable laws and regulations in other jurisdictions, including the United States, the European Union or elsewhere, we could be subject to administrative sanctions, including fines, or legal claims based on the laws of such other jurisdictions. For example, if individuals located in the United States were able to evade our user restrictions and gain access to our services, we could be deemed to be operating in the United States as an unregistered national securities exchange, an unregistered broker-dealer and/or an unregistered clearing agency with respect to our crypto asset exchange services and could therefore be subject to administrative sanctions or legal claims in the United States.

Moreover, while we currently only operate in Japan, certain of our transactions or dealings nevertheless may become subject, as a jurisdictional matter, to economic sanctions laws and regulations imposed by governmental authorities outside of Japan, such as those administered and enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). We have taken steps designed to comply with sanctions imposed by Japan, the United States, and other relevant regulators, and to prevent our users from using our cryptocurrency exchange to conduct transactions or dealings with countries, regions, and persons sanctioned by Japan, the United States, and other governments, but we cannot guarantee that these safeguards will be effective. Any failure to comply with these sanctions may expose us to reputational harm as well as significant penalties, including criminal fines, imprisonment, civil fines, disgorgement of profits, as well as other remedial measures. Investigations of alleged violations can be expensive and disruptive, and any such violation (or allegation of a violation) could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, transactions executed on the miime service, an on-chain NFT marketplace we operated until November 21, 2022, which enabled users to sell and purchase NFTs using a self-custodial wallet such as MetaMask, may be found to have violated securities or other regulations in the jurisdiction of residence of the users, including due to the facilitation of transactions in unregistered securities. Due to miime’s structure, personal data of its users, including their location, was not available to us, and they may have been resident in jurisdictions other than Japan.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and our business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected if we are unable to respond to our competitors effectively.

The development of crypto assets and related cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplaces has been rapidly evolving, and is characterized by competition, experimentation, changing customer needs and frequent introductions of new products and services. Crypto asset trading markets are also subject to evolving industry and regulatory requirements both in Japan and internationally. We expect competition to further intensify in the future as existing and new competitors introduce new products and services or enhance existing ones. We compete against a number

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of companies operating both in Japan and abroad, both those that focus on traditional financial services and those that focus on crypto-related services. Our most direct competitors are other companies licensed in Japan to provide crypto asset exchange services to individual retail investors. As investor acceptance of crypto assets as an investment category has grown, we also see competition from traditional financial technology and brokerage firms in Japan that are entering the crypto asset market, including through joint ventures, and offering services targeted at our customers.

In addition to competition within Japan, another source of competition has been from companies located outside of Japan, which are subject to significantly less stringent regulatory and compliance requirements in their local jurisdictions. To the extent investors in Japan are able to access their services, such companies are potentially able to more quickly adapt to trends, support a greater number of crypto assets, and develop new crypto-based products and services due to a different standard of regulatory scrutiny. Their business models rely on being unregulated or only regulated in a small number of lower compliance jurisdictions.

To date, due to limited enforcement by regulators, we believe many of these competitors have been able to operate from offshore while offering a number of products and services to retail customers, including in Japan and other highly regulated jurisdictions, without complying with the relevant licensing and other requirements in those jurisdictions. Due to our regulated status in Japan and our commitment to legal and regulatory compliance, we have not been able to offer many popular products and services, that our unregulated or less regulated competitors operating outside of Japan are able to offer, and this may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Many innovative start-up companies and larger companies have made, and continue to make, significant investments in research and development, and we expect these companies to continue to develop products and technologies that compete with our products. Further, more traditional financial and non-financial services businesses may choose to offer crypto asset trading services and other crypto-based services in the future as such services gain acceptance. Our current and potential competitors may establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their resources or may also increase their marketing efforts, which could require us to increase our own marketing efforts and incur higher advertising expenses in order to remain competitive. Due to our dependence on revenue from our Marketplace platform business, if current or future competitors offer trading at spreads or commission levels more favorable to retail users than those we offer, our competitive position and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

Our existing competitors have, and our potential competitors are expected to have, various competitive advantages over us, such as:

        the ability to trade crypto assets and offer products and services that we do not support or offer on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace (due to constraints from regulatory authorities and other factors) such as tokens that constitute securities or derivative instruments under Japanese law;

        greater name recognition, longer operating histories, larger customer bases and larger market shares;

        larger sales and marketing budgets and organizations;

        more established marketing, banking, and compliance relationships;

        greater customer support resources;

        greater resources to make acquisitions;

        lower labor, compliance, risk mitigation, and research and development costs;

        larger and more mature intellectual property portfolios;

        greater number of applicable licenses or similar authorizations, including registration as a Type I financial instruments business operator in Japan;

        established core business models outside of the trading of crypto assets;

        operations in jurisdictions with lower compliance costs and greater flexibility to explore new product offerings;

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        the ability to offer decentralized and noncustodial platforms; and

        substantially greater financial, technical, and other resources.

If we are unable to compete successfully, or if competing successfully requires us to take costly actions in response to the actions of our competitors, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We compete against a growing number of decentralized and noncustodial platforms and our business may be adversely affected if we fail to compete effectively against them.

We also compete against an increasing number of decentralized and noncustodial platforms. On these platforms, users can interact directly with a market-making smart contract or on-chain trading mechanism to exchange one type of crypto asset for another without any centralized intermediary. We believe that these platforms are typically not as easy to use as our cryptocurrency exchanges, and generally lack the speed and liquidity of centralized platforms, but various innovative models and incentives have been designed to bridge the gap. For example, decentralized and noncustodial platforms are often thought to be less vulnerable to hacking since users do not need to transfer their assets to a third party, instead relying on a system of users to operate critical functions on the blockchain, which allows such users to have full and exclusive control over their assets. Concerns about the security of assets following incidents on centralized exchanges, such as the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of FTX and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO, may increase user adoption of decentralized and noncustodial platforms. Although, as a result of such independence, transactions conducted on decentralized exchanges are often slower since they need to be confirmed on the blockchain by users before completion, in contrast to our ability to instantly complete transactions, transaction fees on decentralized exchanges may be lower than ours. Decentralized exchanges also do not require their users to fill out KYC forms, offering an additional layer of privacy to customers. In addition, such platforms have low start-up and entry costs as market entrants often remain unregulated and have minimal operating and regulatory costs, and transactional fees are often lower as a result of self-executing smart contracts. Furthermore, trust in and utilization of decentralized platforms may increase due to the recent volatility experienced by centralized platforms. A significant number of decentralized platforms have been developed and released, including on Ethereum, Avalanche, Tron, Polkadot and Solana, among others, and many such platforms have experienced significant growth and adoption. We expect interest in decentralized and noncustodial platforms to grow further as the industry develops. If the demand for decentralized platforms grows and we are unable to compete with these decentralized and noncustodial platforms, our business may be adversely affected.

If we cannot keep pace with rapid industry changes to provide new and innovative products and services, the use of our products and services, and consequently our total revenue, could decline, which could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

The crypto asset industry has been characterized by rapid change and the introduction of disruptive products and services in recent years. These include decentralized applications, DeFi, yield farming, lending, staking, token wrapping, governance tokens, innovative programs to attract customers such as transaction fee mining programs, initiatives to attract traders such as trading competitions, airdrops and giveaways, staking reward programs, and novel cryptocurrency fundraising and distribution schemes. We expect new services and technologies to continue to emerge and evolve, which may be superior to, or render obsolete, the products and services that we currently provide. We cannot predict the effects of new services and technologies on our business. However, our ability to grow our customer base and total revenue will depend heavily on our ability to innovate and create successful new products and services, both independently and in conjunction with, third-party developers. Any new products or services could fail to attract customers, generate revenue, or perform or integrate well with third-party applications and platforms. In addition, our ability to adapt and compete with new products and services may be inhibited by regulatory requirements and general uncertainty in the law, constraints by our banking partners and payment processors, third-party intellectual property rights, or other factors. Moreover, we must continue to enhance our technical infrastructure and other technology offerings to remain competitive and maintain a platform that has the required functionality, performance, capacity, security, and speed to attract and retain customers. As a result, we expect to expend significant costs and expenses to develop and upgrade our technical infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of our business. Our success will depend on our ability to

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develop and incorporate new offerings and adapt to technological changes and evolving industry practices. If we are unable to do so in a timely or cost-effective manner, our business and our ability to successfully compete, to retain existing customers, and to attract new customers may be adversely affected.

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate this material weakness, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, this may impair our and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations, which may adversely affect investor confidence.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. Following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will be required to comply with the management certification requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in its annual report on Form 20-F for its first annual report that is filed with the SEC (subject to any change in applicable SEC rules). The Post-Combination Company will be required to comply with Section 404 in full (including an auditor attestation on management’s internal controls report) in our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC (subject to any change in applicable SEC rules). As a public company, we will be required to report, among other things, control deficiencies that constitute a “material weakness” or changes in internal controls that, or that are reasonably likely to, materially affect internal controls over financial reporting. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. A “significant deficiency” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of our financial reporting.

In connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2023, we identified a material error related to the accounting for marketplace transaction revenue recognition and therefore restated our financial statements for the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2022 previously included in a prior amendment to this proxy statement/prospectus confidentially submitted to the SEC. As a result of this material error, the Company’s management has concluded that a material weakness exists, which remains unremediated, and therefore its internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of March 31, 2024. This material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of the Company’s marketplace transaction revenue and costs of sales for the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2022.

We will not be able to fully remediate this material weakness until certain steps have been completed and have been operating effectively for a sufficient period of time. The actions that we are taking are subject to ongoing review by our executive management and will be subject to the oversight of the audit and supervisory committee. Although we intend to complete this remediation process as quickly as practicable, we cannot provide any assurances with respect to the timeline for implementing effective remedial measures, and our initiatives may not prove to be successful in remediating the material weaknesses or preventing additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our or the Post-Combination Company’s internal controls over financial reporting in the future. See “— Risks Related to PubCo and its Shares Following the Business Combination — If PubCo fails to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, the price of PubCo Ordinary Shares may be adversely affected” and “— Risks Related to PubCo and its Shares Following the Business Combination — The Post-Combination Company’s failure to timely and effectively implement controls and procedures required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that will be applicable to it after the Business Combination is consummated could have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results and financial condition.

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A particular crypto asset’s status as a “security” in any relevant jurisdiction remains subject to a high degree of uncertainty.

All of the crypto assets that we currently offer on our cryptocurrency exchanges have been confirmed by the JVCEA for trading in Japan by companies registered as crypto asset exchange service providers with the JFSA under the Payment Services Act. Although regulators outside of Japan, including those in the United States, have taken the position that certain crypto assets fall within the definition of a “security” under their country’s securities laws, these crypto assets are not currently considered a “security” in Japan. There can be no assurance that the laws and regulations in Japan will not change in the future. Under U.S. federal securities laws, a crypto asset offered to investors is deemed a security if investment is made to a common enterprise with the reasonable expectation of profit derived from the efforts of others. Further, the U.S. SEC has issued various forms of guidance, including reports, orders and statements on the application of securities laws to crypto assets.

The classification of a crypto asset as a security under applicable law has wide-ranging implications for the regulatory obligations that flow from the offer, sale, trading, and clearing of such assets. As there can be no assurance that such regulation will not change or that future crypto assets will have differing treatments, we could be subject to legal or regulatory action in the event that a regulatory authority, or a Japanese court were to determine that a supported crypto asset currently offered, sold, or traded on our cryptocurrency exchanges is a “security” under applicable laws. Successful completion of the initial screening process of a crypto asset and determination of no objection by the JVCEA is not binding on regulatory authorities or courts in Japan in the event of a subsequent legal proceeding. If the JFSA or a court were to determine that a supported crypto asset currently offered, sold, or traded on our cryptocurrency exchanges is a security, we would not be able to offer such crypto asset for trading until we are able to do so in a compliant manner. Such an action could result in penalties, fines and reputational harm while customers that traded such supported crypto assets on our cryptocurrency exchanges and subsequently suffered trading losses could also seek to rescind a transaction that we facilitated on the basis that it was conducted in violation of applicable law, which could subject us to significant liability.

Crypto assets are typically traded 24 hours a day on a global basis. If Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other crypto asset supported on our cryptocurrency exchanges is deemed to be a security under the laws of foreign jurisdictions, including the United States, it may have adverse consequences for the market for such supported crypto asset. For instance, all transactions in such supported crypto asset would have to be registered with the U.S. SEC or other foreign authority, or conducted in accordance with an exemption from registration, which could adversely affect its liquidity, usability and transactability. For example, the SEC has deemed XRP a security, and filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the promoters of XRP in the United States contending that XRP is a security under U.S. federal securities laws and that sales of XRP were made without compliance with applicable U.S. securities registration requirements. Although the court ruled that sales of the XRP token to retail investors on cryptocurrency exchanges were not offers and sales of securities under U.S. federal securities laws in July 2023, the court also ruled that sales of the XRP token to hedge funds and other institutional investors and sophisticated buyers amounted to unregistered offers and sales of securities. The SEC has sought to appeal the ruling and if it is overturned in the future this would result in the potential requirement for platforms that continue to list XRP in the United States needing to register as securities exchanges. We do not provide crypto asset exchange services in the United States, and we do not believe that the status of XRP’s approval for listing and eligibility for trading under the PSA on cryptocurrency exchanges registered with the JFSA would directly change even if the SEC prevails. However, because we list XRP on our cryptocurrency exchanges, in the event XRP is deemed a security, there may nevertheless be an adverse impact on the liquidity, usability and transactability of XRP or we may choose to no longer list XRP on our cryptocurrency exchanges if we determine it is no longer appropriate for us to handle XRP, which may have an adverse impact on our ability to attract and retain customers. Moreover, the networks on which such supported crypto assets are utilized may be required to be regulated as securities intermediaries, and subject to applicable rules, which could effectively render operation of the network for its existing purposes impracticable.

We also operate Coincheck NFT Marketplace, which may expose us to legal, regulatory, and other risks that could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We operate Coincheck NFT Marketplace, the beta version of which we launched in March 2021. While NFTs and cryptocurrencies are similar in that both are based on blockchain technology, unlike cryptocurrency units, which are fungible, NFTs have unique identification codes and often reference content in areas such as games, arts and sports. NFTs are a relatively new and emerging type of digital asset, and the regulatory, commercial, and

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legal framework governing NFTs is expected to evolve both in Japan and other jurisdictions. The trading of NFTs potentially implicates issues regarding a range of matters, including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, privacy and cybersecurity, fraud, anti-money laundering, money transmission, sanctions, and currency, commodity, and securities law compliance. To manage risks associated with the trading of NFTs, we have established an approval process conducted in three stages, with our NFT Business Development Department performing the initial review and the Legal & Compliance Department performing the secondary review prior to the final review by an internal review committee, based on the following criteria:

        whether the NFT is a non-substitutable token recorded on the blockchain, or whether the token standard is ERC-721 or not, as we currently only support ERC-721;

        whether the listing of the NFT on the Coincheck NFT Marketplace is regulated by any applicable laws or regulations;

        whether the NFT itself breaches any applicable laws and rights (including whether any work is being used without the permission of the copyright holder);

        whether the operating company of the NFT has any particular issues (including whether it engages with or is considered to be an anti-social force); and

        whether the operating company of the NFT is in compliance with applicable laws and regulations in connection with the NFT.

However, there can be no assurance that procedures that we have implemented will be sufficient to comply with applicable laws and regulations, which remain uncertain and subject to rapid changes, or to identify all rights issues.

For example, NFTs raise various intellectual property law considerations, including relating to ownership, copyrights, trademarks and rights of publicity. The creator of an NFT will often have, or purport to have, all rights to the content of the NFT and can determine what rights to assign to a buyer, such as the right to display, modify, or copy the content. Risks associated with purchasing or selling NFTs, include, among other things, the risk of purchasing counterfeit items or items alleged to be counterfeit, mislabeled items, items that are vulnerable to metadata decay, items on smart contracts with bugs, items related to content that infringes intellectual property rights, and items that may become untransferable. To the extent that, despite our screening procedures for supported NFT titles designed to prevent such issues, we are directly or indirectly involved in a dispute between creators and buyers on our Coincheck NFT Marketplace, it could adversely affect the success of our Coincheck NFT Marketplace and harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our Coincheck NFT Marketplace is only available to customers who have established crypto asset exchange services accounts with us and therefore were subject to our KYC approval process. NFTs, as unique items, are not currently regulated as crypto assets under Japan’s Payment Services Act, and we review supported titles before inclusion to confirm whether they could be regarded as either “securities” or “crypto assets” under current Japanese regulations. It is possible, however, that our determination of the status of particular NFTs could be challenged or that new regulations applicable to buying and selling of NFTs generally could be introduced in Japan. There can be no assurance that the KYC and other procedures that we have implemented for our crypto asset exchange services accounts will be sufficient to comply with any future regulations applicable to the operation of Coincheck NFT Marketplace, and we could be required to make changes to our Coincheck NFT Marketplace or other operating procedures in order to comply with any such regulations, which could adversely affect the success of our Coincheck NFT Marketplace and harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Although NFTs are generally not regulated nor deemed crypto assets under the PSA in Japan (See “Information about Coincheck — Regulatory Environment”), it is difficult to predict how the legal and regulatory framework around NFTs will develop and how such developments will impact our business and our Coincheck NFT Marketplace. Outside of Japan, the appropriate regulation of NFTs is under active study in major jurisdictions. For example, the European Union’s markets in crypto asset regulation announced in June 2022 excluded NFTs from its scope, but it was noted that the European Union plans continued study to inform future legislative proposals within an 18-month timeframe to create a regime applicable to NFTs. In the United States, included within the framework for responsible development of crypto assets announced in September 2022 was an instruction for the U.S. Treasury Department to complete an illicit finance risk assessment on NFTs by July 2023. In addition, NFTs may be

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subject to heightened scrutiny by regulatory authorities as a result of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of FTX and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO. Accordingly, significant additional new regulation is likely to be enacted in the future. Due to the novel and complex issues involved, it is difficult to predict how any such developments will affect the development and operation of our Coincheck NFT Marketplace, and it is possible that the regulations adopted in individual jurisdictions may conflict with one another.

As is the case with other crypto assets, NFTs are also subject to theft through hacking, social engineering, phishing, and fraudulently inducing individuals into delivering NFTs or providing access to NFTs to an unauthorized third party. Any safeguards we have implemented or may implement in the future to protect against these cybersecurity threats may be insufficient to prevent a malicious actor, and any such activity on our Coincheck NFT Marketplace could result in reputational harm, or expenses or losses associated with mitigation efforts against these incidents.

We currently rely on third-party service providers for certain aspects of our operations, and any interruptions in services provided by these third parties may impair our ability to support our customers.

We rely on third parties in connection with many aspects of our business, including payment processors, banks, and payment gateways to process transactions; cloud computing services and data centers that provide facilities, infrastructure, website functionality and access, components, and services, including databases and data center facilities and cloud computing; as well as third parties that provide outsourced customer service, compliance support and product development functions, which are critical to our operations. Because we rely on third parties to provide these services and to facilitate certain of our business activities, we face increased operational risks. We do not control the operation of any of these third parties, including the data center facilities we use. These third parties may be subject to financial, legal, regulatory, and labor issues, cybersecurity incidents, break-ins, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, sabotage, acts of vandalism, privacy breaches, service terminations, disruptions, interruptions, and other misconduct. They are also vulnerable to damage or interruption from human error, power loss, telecommunications failures, fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, pandemics (including the COVID-19 pandemic) and similar events. There can be no assurance that third parties that provide services to us or to our customers on our behalf will continue to do so on acceptable terms, or at all. If any third parties do not adequately or appropriately provide their services or perform their responsibilities to us or our customers on our behalf, such as if third-party service providers to close their data center facilities without adequate notice, are unable to restore operations and data, fail to perform as expected, or experience other unanticipated problems, we may be unable to procure alternatives in a timely and efficient manner and on acceptable terms, or at all, and we may be subject to business disruptions, losses or costs to remediate any of the deficiencies, customer dissatisfaction, reputational damage, legal or regulatory proceedings, or other adverse consequences which could harm our business.

Any significant disruption in our products and services, in our information technology systems, or in any of the blockchain networks we support, could result in a loss of customers or funds and adversely impact our brand and reputation and our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our reputation and ability to attract and retain customers and grow our business depends on our ability to operate our service at high levels of reliability, scalability, and performance, including the ability to process and monitor, on a daily basis, a large number of transactions that occur at high volume and frequencies across multiple systems. Our cryptocurrency exchanges, NFT marketplace, the ability of our customers to trade, and our ability to operate at a high level, are dependent on our ability to access the blockchain networks underlying the supported crypto assets, for which access is dependent on our systems’ ability to access the internet. Further, the successful and continued operations of such blockchain networks will depend on a network of computers, miners, or validators, and their continued operations, all of which may be impacted by service interruptions.

Our systems, the systems of our third-party service providers and partners, and certain crypto asset and blockchain networks have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, service interruptions or degradation because of hardware and software defects or malfunctions, distributed denial-of-service and other cyberattacks, insider threats, break-ins, sabotage, human error, vandalism, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, and other natural disasters, power losses, disruptions in telecommunications services, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses or other malware, or other events. In addition, extraordinary trading volumes or site usage could cause our computer systems to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Some of our systems or the systems of our third-party service providers and partners are not fully redundant, and our or their disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all possible outcomes or events.

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If any of our systems, or those of our third-party service providers, are disrupted for any reason, it could result in unanticipated disruptions, slower response times and delays in our customers’ trade execution and processing, failed settlement of trades, incomplete or inaccurate accounting, recording or processing of trades, unauthorized trades, loss of customer information, increased demand on limited customer support resources, customer claims, complaints with regulatory organizations, lawsuits, or enforcement actions. A prolonged interruption in the availability or reduction in the availability, speed, or functionality of our products and services could harm our business. Frequent or persistent interruptions in our services could cause current or potential customers or partners to believe that our systems are unreliable, leading them to switch to our competitors or to avoid or reduce the use of our products and services, and could permanently harm our reputation. Moreover, to the extent that any system failure or similar event results in damages to our customers or their business partners, these customers or partners could seek significant compensation or contractual penalties from us for their losses, and those claims, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time-consuming and costly for us to address. Problems with the reliability or security of our systems would harm our reputation, and damage to our reputation and the cost of remedying these problems could negatively affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Because we are a regulated financial institution in Japan, frequent or persistent interruptions could also lead to regulatory scrutiny, significant fines and penalties, and mandatory and costly changes to our business practices, and ultimately could cause us to lose existing licenses or banking relationships that we need to operate or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business.

In addition, we are continually improving and upgrading our information systems and technologies. Implementation of new systems and technologies is complex, expensive, time-consuming, and may not be successful. If we fail to timely and successfully implement new information systems and technologies, or improvements or upgrades to existing information systems and technologies, or if such systems and technologies do not operate as intended, it could have an adverse impact on our business, internal controls (including internal controls over financial reporting), operating results, and financial condition.

We suffered a significant loss of customer funds due to hacking in 2018 and any future failure to safeguard and manage our customers’ crypto assets could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

In January 2018, our NEM hot wallet was hacked and we lost 526.3 million NEM, or ¥46.6 billion, of customer funds. Although we compensated customers who were adversely affected by this cybersecurity incident, we were subject to lawsuits relating to the calculation of the compensation provided. Some of these lawsuits have been resolved by judgement or alternative dispute resolution, but as of July 31, 2024 there is one remaining lawsuit demanding approximately ¥49 million. After evaluating the remaining claims and the potential outcomes with external advisors, we have determined not to provide a litigation reserve with respect to these remaining claims. Although we have subsequently invested in strengthening our cybersecurity and have become subject to operating procedures, including regulations for the custody of customer crypto assets, subsequently implemented by the JVCEA as described under “Information About Coincheck — Our History,” any future failure to safeguard our customers’ crypto assets could have significant adverse effects.

On May 31, 2024, Japanese crypto exchange operator DMM Bitcoin announced that it had lost 4,502.9 Bitcoin (approximately ¥48.2 billion) of customer assets held in cold wallets as a result of a hacking incident in which such assets were transmitted outside of the company through an “unauthorized leak.” As a result, on September 26, 2024, Japan’s Kanto Local Finance Bureau issued a business improvement order to DMM Bitcoin which required DMM Bitcoin to, among other things, investigate the root causes of the incident, adequately compensate affected customers and improve the risk management systems of the company. Although the root cause of this hacking incident has yet to be publicly disclosed, if new rules regarding wallets for customer assets held in custody are introduced in Japan in response, this could result in an increase in our security-related expenses, including an increase in insurance costs if we decide to take out an appropriate insurance policy in the future. In addition, potentially increased frequency and scrutiny surrounding inspections of crypto exchange service providers by the relevant regulatory authorities may cause delays in the promotion and advancement of planned business initiatives, resulting in lost opportunities. This incident, and incidents similar to this, could result in a general reduction in customer activity or an increase in withdrawals of customer assets on Japanese crypto exchange platforms, including ours.

As of June 30, 2024 we recorded ¥657 billion of safeguard liabilities on our statements of financial position with respect to the obligation to safeguard our customers’ crypto assets not considered controlled by us but for which we hold the private key necessary for the transfer of such crypto assets on behalf of customers. Supported crypto

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assets are not insured or guaranteed by any government or government agency, and we do not have insurance for the loss of safeguarded customer crypto assets. Our ability to safeguard these crypto assets deposited by customers requires a high level of internal controls. As our business continues to grow and we expand our product and service offerings, we must continue to strengthen our associated internal controls. Our success and the success of our offerings requires significant public confidence in our ability to properly manage customers’ balances and handle large and growing transaction volumes and amounts of customer funds. Any failure by us to maintain the necessary controls or to manage customer crypto assets and funds appropriately and in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements could result in reputational harm, significant financial losses, lead customers to discontinue or reduce their use of our products, and result in significant penalties and fines and additional restrictions, which could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We deposit, transfer, and custody customer cash and crypto assets in Japan. In each instance, we are required to safeguard customers’ assets using security standards applicable to our hot and cold wallet and storage systems, as well as our financial management systems related to such custodial functions. Our security technology is designed to prevent, detect, and mitigate inappropriate access to our systems, by internal or external threats. We believe we have developed and maintained administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to comply with applicable legal requirements and industry standards. However, it is nevertheless possible that hackers, employees or service providers acting contrary to our policies, or others could circumvent these safeguards to improperly access our systems or documents, or the systems or documents of our business partners, agents, or service providers, and improperly access, obtain, misuse customer crypto assets and funds. For further information on the regulations regarding custody of customer fiat currencies and crypto assets applicable to us, see “Information About Coincheck — Regulatory Environment — Regulations on Crypto Asset Exchange Service.”

The methods used to obtain unauthorized access, disable, or degrade service or sabotage systems are also constantly changing and evolving and may be difficult to anticipate or detect for long periods of time. Any loss of customer cash or crypto assets could result in a substantial business disruption, adverse reputational impact, inability to compete with our competitors, and regulatory investigations, inquiries, or actions. Additionally, transactions undertaken through our websites or other electronic channels may create risks of fraud, hacking, unauthorized access or acquisition, and other deceptive practices. Any security incident resulting in a compromise of customer assets could result in substantial costs to us and require us to notify impacted individuals, and in some cases regulators, of a possible or actual incident, expose us to regulatory enforcement actions, including substantial fines, limit our ability to provide services, subject us to litigation, significant financial losses, damage our reputation, and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

The loss or destruction of private keys required to access any crypto assets held in custody for our customers may be irreversible. If we are unable to access private keys or if we experience a hack or other data loss relating to our ability to access any crypto assets, it could cause regulatory scrutiny, reputational harm and other losses.

Crypto assets are generally controllable only by the possessor of the unique private key relating to the digital wallet in which the crypto assets are held. While blockchain protocols typically require public addresses to be published when used in a transaction, private keys must be safeguarded and kept private in order to prevent a third party from accessing the crypto assets held in such a wallet. We hold the private key that is necessary for the transfer of customers’ crypto assets subject to strict limitations on its use under the regulations applicable to us as a crypto asset exchange service provider in Japan. To the extent that any of the private keys relating to our hot or cold wallets containing crypto assets held for our own account or for our customers is lost, destroyed, or otherwise compromised or unavailable, and no backup of the private key is accessible, we will be unable to access the crypto assets held in the related wallet. Further, we cannot provide assurance that our wallet will not be hacked or compromised. Crypto assets and blockchain technologies have been, and may in the future be, subject to security breaches, hacking, or other malicious activities. Any loss of private keys relating to, or hack or other compromise of, digital wallets used to store our customers’ crypto assets could adversely affect our customers’ ability to access or sell their crypto assets, require us to reimburse our customers for their losses, and subject us to significant financial losses in addition to losing customer trust in us and our products. As discussed in the immediately preceding risk factor, we compensated customers for ¥46.6 billion in losses of crypto assets due to a hacking incident in January 2018. Any future loss of private keys due to a hack, employee or service provider misconduct or error, or other compromise by third parties could hurt our brand and reputation, result in significant losses, and adversely impact our business.

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If we fail to retain existing customers or add new customers, or if our customers decrease their level of engagement with our products, services and platform, our business, operating results, and financial condition may be significantly harmed.

Our success depends on our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers and to increase engagement with our products, services and platform. To do so, we must continue to offer leading technologies and ensure that our products and services are secure, reliable and engaging. We have historically targeted retail investors new to investing in crypto assets, and the quality of our UI/UX, especially for smartphone users, and the provision of information to such investors is a key competitive factor. There is no assurance that we will be able to retain our current customers or attract new customers, or keep our customers engaged. In particular, as the majority of our total revenue is currently derived from trading activity by Japanese retail customers who trade on our Marketplace platform, we are sensitive to any changes in sentiment among such retail investors, which may be caused by other factors in addition to the below. Moreover, as we seek to attract new customers, we may also seek to expand to institutional customers within Japan, and we may be unsuccessful in any such expansion due to differences between Japanese institutional and retail customers. Any number of factors can negatively affect such customer retention, growth, and engagement, including if:

        customers increasingly engage with competing products and services, including products and services that we are unable to offer or do not offer;

        we fail to support new and in-demand crypto assets or if we elect to support crypto assets with negative reputations;

        our newly offered products and services, such as our Coincheck NFT Marketplace or IEO business, are unsuccessful in achieving our expected goals for such products and services;

        there are adverse changes in our products and services that are mandated by legislation, regulatory authorities, or litigation;

        customers perceiving the crypto assets on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace to be bad investments, or experiencing significant losses in investments made on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace;

        technical or other problems prevent us from delivering our products and services with the speed, functionality, security, and reliability that our customers expect;

        cybersecurity incidents, employee or service provider misconduct, or other unforeseen activities that causes losses to us or our customers, including losses to assets held by us on behalf of our customers;

        modifications to our pricing model or modifications by competitors to their pricing;

        we fail to provide adequate customer service to customers; or

        we or other companies in our industry are the subject of adverse media reports or other negative publicity.

If we are unable to maintain or increase our customer base and customer engagement, our total revenue and financial results may be adversely affected. Furthermore, following the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of FTX and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO, financial and other resources required to acquire new customers and maintain our customer base may increase. Any decrease in user retention, growth, or engagement could render our products and services less attractive to customers, which may have an adverse impact on our total revenue, business, operating results, and financial condition. If our customer growth rate slows or declines, we will become increasingly dependent on our ability to maintain or increase levels of user engagement and monetization in order to drive growth of total revenue.

Many of our customers are first-time users and our trading volumes and total revenues could be reduced if these customers stop trading crypto assets altogether or stop using our cryptocurrency exchanges for their trading activities.

Our business model focuses on making crypto assets accessible to a broad demographic of retail customers. The number of new accounts opened with us by retail investors totaled 415,525, 182,178 and 178,949 in the years ended March 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, and 79,227 in the three months ended June 30, 2024. Our success,

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and our ability to increase total revenue, depends in part on such customers continuing to utilize our cryptocurrency exchanges, even as crypto asset prices fluctuate and economic conditions change. However, our customers do not have long-term contractual arrangements with us and may cease to use our cryptocurrency exchanges at any time. We may face particular challenges in retaining these users as customers, for example as a result of increased volatility in crypto assets or other financial markets, or increasing availability of competing platforms that seek to target the same demographic. In particular, a broad decline in the crypto asset markets could result in some of these investors exiting the markets and leaving our cryptocurrency exchanges. Any significant loss of customers or a significant reduction in their use of our Marketplace platform and Exchange platform could have a material impact on our trading volumes and total revenue, and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we expand our international activities, our obligations to comply with the laws, rules, regulations, and policies of a variety of jurisdictions will increase and we may be subject to investigations and enforcement actions by non-Japanese regulators and governmental authorities.

If we expand into markets outside of Japan, we will become obligated to comply with the laws, rules, regulations, policies, and legal interpretations both of the jurisdictions in which we operate and those into which we offer services on a cross-border basis. For instance, financial regulators outside of Japan have significantly increased their scrutiny of crypto asset exchanges, such as by requiring crypto asset exchanges operating in their local jurisdictions to be regulated and licensed under local laws. In particular, Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine has led to numerous countries around the world imposing a variety of sanctions on Russia, Belarus and other related entities. In response to concerns that crypto assets could be used to circumvent certain sanctions regimes, governments and regulators may also implement new measures and regulations that restrict the operations of crypto asset exchanges. Moreover, laws regulating financial services, the internet, mobile technologies, crypto assets, and related technologies outside of Japan are rapidly evolving, complex and often impose different, more specific, or even conflicting obligations on us, as well as potentially broader liability.

Regulators worldwide frequently study each other’s approaches to the regulation of crypto assets. Consequently, developments in any particular jurisdiction may influence other jurisdictions. New developments in one jurisdiction may be extended to additional services and other jurisdictions. As a result, the risks created by any new law or regulation in one jurisdiction are magnified by the potential that they may be replicated, affecting our business in another place or involving another service. Conversely, if regulations diverge worldwide, we may face difficulty adjusting our products, services, and other aspects of our business to serve customers in jurisdictions outside of Japan. On June 30, 2022, the European Union announced a provisional agreement on a markets in crypto assets regulatory framework meant to clarify the responsibilities and obligations of crypto asset service providers, establish a licensing scheme and protect consumers. The regulatory framework was formally adopted on May 16, 2023, and the first phase, in which issuers of asset-reference tokens must be authorized in the European Union (including through submission of a detailed application meeting specific compliance obligations) and e-money tokens can only be offered in the European Union by credit institutions and electronic money institutions authorized in the European Union (after submission of a white paper to the competent supervisory authority), has been applied from June 30, 2024, although its overall impact on crypto asset service providers and the crypto asset markets remains uncertain. On November 24, 2023, the European Banking Authority launched a public consultation on new guidelines to prevent the abuse of funds and certain crypto asset transfers for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes, further highlighting the continually evolving regulatory landscape in which we operate.

To the extent that we expand internationally in the future, we would become subject to a heightened risk of enforcement action, litigation, regulatory, and legal scrutiny which could lead to sanctions, cease and desist orders, or other penalties and censures which could significantly and adversely affect our continued operations and financial condition.

We may suffer losses due to staking and other related services that we have provided or may provide in the future to our customers.

Certain crypto assets enable holders to earn rewards by participating in decentralized governance, bookkeeping and transaction confirmation activities on their underlying blockchain networks, such as through staking, delegating, and voting the crypto assets. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, we launched the world’s first Lisk (“LSK”) staking service, although we have currently ceased providing such staking services.

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If we resume staking services in the future, we may operate staking nodes on certain blockchain networks, through our own servers or a third-party operator, utilizing customers’ crypto assets and pass through the rewards received to those customers, less a service fee. Some networks further require customer assets to be transferred into smart contracts on the underlying blockchain networks that will not be under our or anyone’s control. If our validator, any third-party service providers, or smart contracts fail to behave as expected, suffer cybersecurity attacks, experience security issues, or encounter other problems, our customers’ assets may be irretrievably lost. In addition, certain blockchain networks dictate requirements for participation in the relevant decentralized governance activity, and may impose penalties, or “slashing,” if the relevant activities are not performed correctly, such as if the staker or delegator acts maliciously on the network, “double signs” any transactions, or experiences extended downtimes. If we or any of our service providers are slashed by the underlying blockchain network, our customers’ assets may be confiscated, withdrawn, or burnt by the network, resulting in losses for which we may be responsible. If we were to experience a high volume of such staking requests from our customers on an ongoing basis, we could incur significant costs. Any penalties or slashing events could damage our brand and reputation, cause us to suffer financial losses, discourage existing and future customers from utilizing our products and services, and adversely impact our business. Further, staking services could be regulated in the future or deemed a securities offering in certain jurisdictions, which may limit our ability to offer these services or otherwise expose us to regulatory risks.

We may be exposed to transaction losses due to chargebacks as a result of fraud or uncollectibility that may adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

In the past, certain of our products and services were able to be paid for by credit and debit cards through payment processors which exposed us to risks associated with chargebacks and refunds. Although we currently do not accept either credit or debit cards for payment if we return to allowing the use of credit or debit cards in the future, we may be exposed to various losses as a result of fraud or uncollectibility that could arise from fraud, misuse, unintentional use, settlement delay, or other activities. In the future, if we begin incurring a significant number of refunds and chargebacks, our payment processors could require us to increase reserves, impose penalties on us, charge additional fees, or terminate their relationships with us. Failure to effectively manage risk and prevent fraud could increase our chargeback and refund losses or cause us to incur other liabilities. Increases in chargebacks, refunds or other liabilities could have an adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

We may make acquisitions and investments, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, result in dilution to our stockholders, and adversely affect our financial results.

As part of our business strategy, we look for potential opportunities to make acquisitions to add specialized employees, complementary companies, products, services, licenses, or technologies. We routinely conduct discussions and evaluate opportunities for possible acquisitions, strategic investments, entries into new businesses, joint ventures, and other transactions. We may also invest in companies and technologies, many of which are private companies and technologies that are highly speculative in nature. In the future, we may not be able to find any suitable acquisition and investment candidates, and we may not be able to complete acquisitions or make investments on favorable terms, if at all. In some cases, the costs of such acquisitions may be substantial, and there is no assurance that we will receive a favorable return on investment for our acquisitions. We may in the future be required to write off assets we have acquired.

In addition, if we fail to successfully close or integrate any acquisitions, or integrate the products or technologies associated with such acquisitions into our company, our total revenue and operating results could be adversely affected. Our ability to acquire and integrate companies, products, services, licenses, or technologies in a successful manner is unproven. Any integration process may require significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully, including successfully securing regulatory approvals which may be required to close the transaction and/or to continue to operate the target firm’s business or products in a manner that is useful to us. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired products, services, technology, or personnel, or accurately forecast the financial impact of an acquisition, including accounting charges. We may have to pay cash, incur debt, or issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition, any of which could adversely affect our financial results. The new issuance of equity to finance any such acquisitions could result in dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of substantial indebtedness could also result in increased fixed obligations and may include covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations.

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If we fail to develop, maintain, and enhance our brand and reputation, our business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Our brand and reputation are key assets. Maintaining, protecting, and enhancing our brand depends largely on the success of our marketing efforts, ability to provide consistent, high-quality, and secure products, services, features and support, and our ability to successfully secure, maintain, and defend our rights to use the “Coincheck” mark and other trademarks important to our brand. We believe that the ease-of-use of our products and services, in particular due to the quality and simplicity of our application interface is a differentiating factor for our brand. We believe that the importance of our brand and reputation will increase as competition further intensifies. Our brand and reputation could be harmed if we fail to achieve these objectives or if our public image were to be tarnished by negative publicity, unexpected events, or actions by third parties. Unfavorable publicity about us, including our products, services, technology, customer service, personnel, and crypto assets or crypto asset platforms generally could diminish confidence in, and the use of, our products and services. Such negative publicity also could have an adverse effect on the size and engagement of our customers and could result in decreased total revenue, which could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our key business metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected by real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics.

We regularly review key business metrics, including the number of verified and active users, trading volume and other measures to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance, and make strategic decisions. These key metrics are calculated using internal company data and have not been validated by an independent third party. While these numbers are based on what we currently believe to be reasonable estimates for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in such measurements. If we fail to maintain an effective analytics platform, our key metrics calculations may be inaccurate, and we may not be able to identify those inaccuracies. We regularly review our processes for calculating these metrics, and from time to time we make adjustments to improve their accuracy. We generally will not update previously disclosed key business metrics for any such inaccuracies or adjustments that are immaterial.

Our key business metrics may also be impacted by compliance or fraud-related bans, technical incidents, or false or spam accounts in existence on our cryptocurrency exchanges. We regularly deactivate fraudulent and spam accounts that violate our terms of service and exclude these users from the calculation of our key business metrics; however, we may not succeed in identifying and removing all such accounts from our cryptocurrency exchanges. If our metrics provide us with incorrect or incomplete information about users and their behavior, we may make inaccurate conclusions about our business.

Unfavorable media coverage could negatively affect our business.

We receive a high degree of media coverage in Japan. Unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, our product changes, product quality, litigation or regulatory activity, privacy practices, terms of service, employment matters, the use of our products, services, or supported crypto assets for illicit or objectionable ends, the actions of our customers, or the actions of other companies that provide similar services to ours could adversely affect our reputation. Further, we may be in the future the target of social media campaigns criticizing actual or perceived actions or inactions that are disfavored by our customers, employees, or society at-large. Such campaigns could materially impact our customers’ decisions to trade on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace. For example, we have been subject to lawsuits related to the NEM hacking incident in January 2018. Any such negative publicity could have an adverse effect on the size, activity, and loyalty of our customers and result in a decrease in our total revenue, which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace may be exploited to facilitate illegal activity such as fraud, money laundering, gambling, tax evasion, and scams. If any of our customers use our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace to further such illegal activities, our business could be adversely affected.

Our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace may be exploited to facilitate illegal activity including fraud, money laundering, gambling, tax evasion and scams. We may be specifically targeted by individuals seeking to conduct fraudulent transfers, and it may be difficult or impossible for us to detect and avoid such transactions in certain circumstances. The use of our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace for illegal or improper purposes could subject us to claims, lawsuits, and government and regulatory investigations, prosecutions, enforcement

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actions, inquiries, or requests that could result in liability and reputational harm for us. In the event that a customer is found responsible for intentionally or inadvertently violating the laws in Japan or elsewhere, we may be subject to governmental inquiries, enforcement actions, prosecuted, or otherwise held secondarily liable for aiding or facilitating such activities. As a licensed crypto asset exchange service provider in Japan, we are required to implement KYC and other preventative measures mandated under Japan’s Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds and monitored by the JFSA. We have in the past reported instances of non-compliance, and any future failure to maintain sufficient preventative measures could result in regulatory consequences and damage to our reputation. Changes in law have also increased the penalties for money transmitters for certain illegal activities, and government authorities may consider increased or additional penalties from time to time. Any threatened or resulting claims could result in reputational harm, and any resulting liabilities, loss of transaction volume, or increased costs could harm our business.

Moreover, while fiat currencies can be used to facilitate illegal activities, crypto assets are relatively new and, in many jurisdictions, may be lightly regulated or largely unregulated. Many types of crypto assets have characteristics, such as the speed with which digital currency transactions can be conducted, the ability to conduct transactions without the involvement of regulated intermediaries, the ability to engage in transactions across multiple jurisdictions, the irreversible nature of certain crypto asset transactions, and encryption technology that anonymizes these transactions, that make crypto assets susceptible to use in illegal activity. Various regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies have taken and continue to take legal action against persons and entities alleged to be engaged in fraudulent schemes or other illicit activity involving crypto assets.

While we believe that our risk management and compliance framework is designed to comply with the regulations applicable to our operations in Japan and to detect significant illicit activities conducted by our potential or existing customers, we cannot ensure that we will be able to detect all illegal activity on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace. The introduction of new services may present additional challenges in monitoring for illicit activities. If any of our customers use our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace to further such illegal activities, our business could be adversely affected.

Our compliance and risk management methods might not be effective and may result in outcomes that could adversely affect our reputation, operating results, and financial condition.

We are subject to significant regulatory oversight in Japan, and our ability to comply with applicable complex and evolving laws, regulations, and rules is largely dependent on the establishment and maintenance of our compliance, audit, and reporting systems, as well as our ability to attract and retain qualified compliance and other risk management personnel. While we have devoted significant resources to develop policies and procedures to identify, monitor, and manage our risks, and expect to continue to do so in the future, we cannot assure you that our policies and procedures will always be effective. Our risk management policies and procedures rely on a combination of technical and human controls and supervision that are subject to error and failure. Some of our methods for managing risk are discretionary by nature and are based on internally developed controls and observed historical market behavior, and also involve reliance on standard industry practices. These methods may not adequately prevent losses, particularly as they relate to extreme market movements, which may be significantly greater than historical fluctuations in the market. Our risk management policies and procedures also may not adequately prevent losses due to technical errors if our testing and quality control practices are not effective in preventing failures. In addition, we may elect to adjust our risk management policies and procedures to allow for an increase in risk tolerance, which could expose us to the risk of greater losses.

Regulators periodically review our compliance with our own policies and procedures and with a variety of laws and regulations. We have received in the past and may from time to time receive additional examination reports citing violations of rules and regulations and inadequacies in existing compliance programs and requiring us to enhance certain practices with respect to our compliance program, including due diligence, training, monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping. If we fail to comply with these, or do not adequately remediate certain findings, regulators could take a variety of actions that could impair our ability to conduct our business, including delaying, denying, withdrawing, or conditioning approval of certain products and services. In addition, we face the risk of significant intervention by regulatory authorities, including extensive examination and surveillance activities. In the case of non-compliance or alleged non-compliance, we could be subject to investigations and proceedings that may result in substantial penalties or civil lawsuits, including by customers. Any of these outcomes would adversely affect our reputation and brand and business, operating results, and financial condition. Some of these outcomes could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

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We may suffer losses due to abrupt and erratic market movements.

The crypto asset market has been characterized by significant volatility and unexpected price movements. Certain crypto assets may become more volatile and less liquid in a very short period of time, resulting in market prices being subject to erratic and abrupt market movement, which could harm our business. For instance, abrupt changes in volatility or market movement can lead to extreme pressures on our cryptocurrency exchanges and infrastructure that can lead to inadvertent suspension of services across parts of the platform or the entire platform.

In addition, we hold certain crypto assets separately from the crypto assets of our customers in order to ensure liquidity for our customers. We utilize the Value-at-Risk method to help manage the market risk of such crypto assets held and we monitor the supply volume and transaction value of each crypto asset that we offer on our Marketplace platform for liquidity risk on a daily basis relative to our capital. However, as crypto assets are significantly more volatile than other financial assets, these periods of volatility and unexpected price fluctuations may affect our financial position and business performance if our risk management and liquidity risk procedures are not effective. One way in which we limit our exposure to market risk is by borrowing crypto assets from our customers under our Coincheck Lending program. Under the terms of the borrowing agreements, we return the subject crypto assets in kind at the end of the specified borrowing period. If borrowing from our customers becomes limited or unavailable, we might need to purchase and hold crypto assets in order to use them to facilitate the operations of our Marketplace platform, increasing our exposure to price fluctuations to the extent of the crypto assets held.

Risks Relating to Crypto Assets

Negative publicity associated with crypto asset platforms, including instances of potential fraud, the bankruptcy of industry participants and the violation of applicable legal and regulatory requirements, may cause existing and potential customers to lose confidence in crypto asset platforms.

Crypto asset platforms are relatively new. Many of our competitors outside of Japan are unlicensed, unregulated, operate without supervision by any governmental authorities, and do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management team, corporate practices, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. In addition, crypto assets may be more vulnerable than other types of assets to market or price manipulation and other fraudulent practices due to the lack of regulations globally. A lack of transparency and incidents of fraud or malfeasance that result in losses to investors may cause our existing or potential customers and the general public to lose confidence in crypto asset platforms, including regulated platforms like ours. These incidents may also lead to increased regulatory scrutiny in Japan and other jurisdictions.

Numerous crypto asset platforms have been sued, investigated, or shut down due to fraud, manipulative practices, business failure, and security breaches. In many of these instances, customers of these platforms were not compensated or made whole for their losses. Larger platforms are more appealing targets for hackers and malware and may also be more likely to be targets of regulatory enforcement actions. For example, in February 2014, Mt. Gox, the then largest crypto asset platform worldwide, filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan after an estimated 850,000 Bitcoin were stolen from its wallets. As described under “Information About Coincheck — Our History,” in January 2018 our NEM hot wallet was hacked and we lost 526.3 million NEM, or ¥46.6 billion, of customer funds. In May 2019, Binance, one of the world’s largest platforms, was hacked, resulting in losses of approximately $40 million, and in February 2021, Bitfinex settled a long-running legal dispute with the State of New York related to Bitfinex’s alleged misuse of over $800 million of customer assets. More recently, volatility in crypto asset markets have caused severe distress for crypto asset platforms and in some cases business failure, preventing customers from accessing or recovering their funds. In particular, the November 2022 bankruptcy filing of FTX, a Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange, and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO, has heightened negative perceptions of crypto asset platforms and has created uncertainty about the outlook for markets for crypto assets.

More recently, there have been a number of incidents of alleged non-compliance with legal and regulatory requirements by major crypto asset platforms. For example, on March 22, 2023, Coinbase announced that it had received a “Wells Notice” from the SEC, stating that the staff of the SEC had made a “preliminary determination” to recommend an enforcement action against Coinbase alleging violations of federal securities laws relating to various aspects of Coinbase’s services and products. In addition, on March 27, 2023, the CFTC announced the filing of a civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois charging, among others, various entities that operate the Binance platform and Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s co-founder and CEO, with numerous violations of the Commodity

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Exchange Act and CFTC regulations. Furthermore, on June 5, 2023, the SEC filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Binance and other related entities, as well as Changpeng Zhao. The complaint consists of thirteen charges, including misleading investors and operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency in violation of U.S. securities laws. Furthermore, on June 6, 2023, the SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Coinbase for operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency, and for the unregistered offer and sale of securities in connection with its staking-as-a-service program. On November 2, 2023, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, was found guilty of all seven criminal counts of fraud against him, and on November 21, 2023, Binance and Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder and CEO of Binance, pled guilty to federal criminal charges that Binance violated and caused a financial institution to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, with Binance entering into a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in addition to the confiscation of certain assets and Changpeng Zhao stepping down as CEO and accepting an individual fine of $50 million. On May 31, 2024, Japanese crypto exchange operator DMM Bitcoin announced that it had lost 4,502.9 Bitcoin (approximately ¥48.2 billion) of customer assets held in cold wallets as a result of a hacking incident in which such assets were transmitted outside of the company through an “unauthorized leak.”

On June 27, 2024, Coinbase filed lawsuits against both the SEC and the FDIC in order to shed light on their approaches to regulation in the industry and gain access to internal records to uncover alleged efforts by the financial regulators to pressure financial institutions to deny crypto firms access to the federal banking system. On July 1, 2024, the SEC filed suit against Silvergate, the parent company of a bank which allegedly helped to facilitate fraud at FTX before its collapse, former CEO Alan Lane and former Chief Risk Officer Kathleen Fraher, claiming that they misled investors regarding the strength of Silvergate’s Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance program and the monitoring of crypto customers, including FTX, by Silvergate’s wholly owned subsidiary, Silvergate Bank. The SEC also charged Silvergate and its former Chief Financial Officer, Antonio Martino, with misleading investors about Silvergate’s losses from expected securities sales following the collapse of FTX. All parties charged, with the exception of Antonio Martino, have agreed to settle with the SEC. On July 2, 2024, in relation to the civil complaint filed by the SEC against Binance and other related entities, a U.S. federal court dismissed several claims, including that Binance’s fiat-backed stablecoin, BUSD, qualifies as an investment contract, although certain other claims by the SEC were allowed to proceed.

On August 7, 2024, Ripple Labs was fined $125 million in relation to the complaint initially filed by the SEC in December 2020 with respect to the institutional sales of the XRP token, which a Manhattan court judge ruled were unregistered securities offerings; the SEC has since filed an appeal. On September 24, 2024, the SEC spoke before the United States Congress to address concerns surrounding the impediment of financial innovation and reduction of consumer protections related to the SEC’s new rules on digital asset custody under SAB 121. On September 27, 2024, the SEC gave “no-objection” to the Bank of New York Mellon’s request to safeguard digital assets without needing to list them as balance sheet liabilities, as is currently required under SAB 121, and which many financial institutions view as restrictive, and as a result could lead to an increase in the number of financial institutions able to target institutional clients wanting to invest in digital assets through ETFs. On September 27, 2024, the SEC also filed settled charges against Mango DAO and Blockworks Foundation for engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of crypto assets called “MNGO” tokens, as well as settled charges against Blockworks Foundation and Mango Labs LLC for engaging in unregistered broker activity in connection with various crypto assets being offered and sold as securities on the Mango Market platform.

The outcome and results of these enforcement actions may have a significant negative impact on the adoption and use of crypto assets both within the United States and elsewhere and could negatively impact the liquidity, volatility, and value of such assets.

In addition, there have been reports that a significant amount of crypto asset trading volume on crypto asset platforms is fabricated and false in nature, with a specific focus on unregulated platforms located outside of Japan. Such reports may indicate that the market for crypto asset platform activities is significantly smaller than otherwise understood.

Negative perception, a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the trading of crypto assets, and the closure or temporary shutdown of crypto asset platforms due to fraud, business failure, hackers or malware, or government mandated regulation, and associated losses suffered by customers, may reduce investor confidence and result in greater volatility of the prices of crypto assets, including significant depreciation in value. Any of these events could have an adverse impact on our business.

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Depositing and withdrawing crypto assets into and from our cryptocurrency exchanges involve risks, which could result in loss of customer assets, customer disputes and other liabilities, which could adversely impact our business.

In order to own, transfer and use a crypto asset on its underlying blockchain network, a person must have a private and public key pair associated with a network address, commonly referred to as a “wallet.” Each wallet is associated with a unique “public key” and “private key” pair, each of which is a string of alphanumerical characters. To deposit crypto assets held by a customer onto our cryptocurrency exchanges or custody platforms, a customer must “sign” a transaction that consists of the private key of the wallet from where the customer is transferring crypto assets, the public key of a wallet that we control which we provide to the customer, and broadcast the deposit transaction onto the underlying blockchain network. Similarly, to withdraw crypto assets from our cryptocurrency exchanges or custody platforms, the customer must provide us with the public key of the wallet that the crypto assets are to be transferred to, and we would be required to “sign” a transaction authorizing the transfer. In addition, some crypto networks require additional information to be provided in connection with any transfer of crypto assets to or from our cryptocurrency exchanges. A number of errors can occur in the process of depositing or withdrawing crypto assets into or from our cryptocurrency exchanges, such as typos, mistakes, or the failure to include the information required by the blockchain network. For instance, a user may incorrectly enter our wallet’s public key or the desired recipient’s public key when depositing and withdrawing from our cryptocurrency exchanges, respectively. Alternatively, a user may transfer crypto assets to a wallet address that he does not own, control or hold the private keys to. In addition, each wallet address is only compatible with the underlying blockchain network on which it is created. For instance, a Bitcoin wallet address can only be used to send and receive Bitcoin. If any Ethereum or other crypto assets is sent to a Bitcoin wallet address, or if any of the foregoing errors occur, all of the customer’s crypto assets will be permanently and irretrievably lost with no means of recovery. We have encountered and expect to continue to encounter similar incidents with our customers. Such incidents could result in customer disputes, damage to our brand and reputation, legal claims against us, and financial liabilities, any of which could adversely affect our business.

A temporary or permanent blockchain “fork” to any supported crypto asset could adversely affect our business.

Blockchain protocols, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, are open source. Any user can download the software, modify it, and then propose that Bitcoin, Ethereum or other blockchain protocols users and miners adopt the modification. When a modification is introduced and a substantial majority of users and miners consent to the modification, the change is implemented and the Bitcoin, Ethereum or other blockchain protocol networks, as applicable, remain uninterrupted. However, if less than a substantial majority of users and miners consent to the proposed modification, and the modification is not compatible with the software prior to its modification, the consequence would be what is known as a “fork” (i.e., “split”) of the impacted blockchain protocol network and respective blockchain, with one prong running the pre-modified software and the other running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence of two parallel versions of the Bitcoin, Ethereum or other blockchain protocol network, as applicable, running simultaneously, but with each split network’s crypto asset lacking interchangeability.

Both Bitcoin and Ethereum protocols have been subject to “forks” that resulted in the creation of new networks, including Bitcoin Cash ABC, Bitcoin Cash SV, Bitcoin Diamond, Bitcoin Gold, Ethereum Classic, and others. Some of these forks have caused fragmentation among platforms as to the correct naming convention for forked crypto assets. Due to the lack of a central registry or rulemaking body, no single entity has the ability to dictate the nomenclature of forked crypto assets, causing disagreements and a lack of uniformity among platforms on the nomenclature of forked crypto assets, and which results in further confusion to users as to the nature of assets they hold on platforms. In addition, several of these forks were contentious and, as a result, participants in certain communities may harbor ill will towards other communities. As a result, certain community members may take actions that adversely impact the use, adoption, and price of Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any of their forked alternatives.

Furthermore, hard forks can lead to new security concerns. For instance, when the Ethereum and Ethereum Classic networks split in July 2016, replay attacks, in which transactions from one network were rebroadcast on the other network to achieve “double-spending,” plagued platforms that traded Ethereum through at least October 2016, resulting in significant losses to some crypto asset platforms. Similar replay attacks occurred in connection with the Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Cash SV network split in November 2018. Another possible result of a hard fork is an

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inherent decrease in the level of security due to the splitting of some mining power across networks, making it easier for a malicious actor to exceed 50% of the mining power of that network, thereby making crypto assets that rely on proof-of-work more susceptible to attack, as has occurred with Ethereum Classic.

We do not believe that we are required to support any fork or provide the benefit of any forked crypto asset to our customers. However, we have in the past and may in the future continue to be subject to claims by customers arguing that they are entitled to receive certain forked or airdropped crypto assets by virtue of crypto assets that they hold with us. If any customers succeed on a claim that they are entitled to receive the benefits of a forked or airdropped crypto asset that we do not or are unable to support, we may be required to pay significant damages, fines or other fees to compensate customers for their losses.

Future forks may occur at any time. A fork can lead to a disruption of networks and our information technology systems, cybersecurity attacks, replay attacks, or security weaknesses, any of which can further lead to temporary or even permanent loss of our and our customers’ assets. Such disruption and loss could cause us to be exposed to liability, even in circumstances where we have no intention of supporting an asset compromised by a fork.

We currently support, and expect to continue to support, certain smart contract-based crypto assets. If the underlying smart contracts for these crypto assets do not operate as expected, they could lose value and our business could be adversely affected.

We currently support, and expect to continue to support, various crypto assets that represent units of value on smart contracts deployed on a third party blockchain. Smart contracts are programs that store and transfer value and execute automatically when certain conditions are met. Since smart contracts typically cannot be stopped or reversed, vulnerabilities in their programming and design can have damaging effects. For instance, in April 2018, a batch overflow bug was found in many Ethereum-based ERC20-compatible smart contract tokens that allowed hackers to create a large number of smart contract tokens, causing multiple crypto asset platforms worldwide to shut down ERC20-compatible token trading. Similarly, in March 2020, a design flaw in the MakerDAO smart contract caused forced liquidations of crypto assets at significantly discounted prices, resulting in millions of dollars of losses to users who had deposited crypto assets into the smart contract. If any such vulnerabilities or flaws come to fruition, smart contract-based crypto assets, including those held by our customers on our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace, may suffer negative publicity, be exposed to security vulnerabilities, decline significantly in value, and lose liquidity over a short period of time.

In some cases, smart contracts can be controlled by one or more “admin keys” or users with special privileges, or “super users.” These users have the ability to unilaterally make changes to the smart contract, enable or disable features on the smart contract, change how the smart contract receives external inputs and data, and make other changes to the smart contract. For smart contracts that hold a pool of reserves, these users may also be able to extract funds from the pool, liquidate assets held in the pool, or take other actions that decrease the value of the assets held by the smart contract in reserves. Even for crypto assets that have adopted a decentralized governance mechanism, such as smart contracts that are governed by the holders of a governance token, such governance tokens can be concentrated in the hands of a small group of core community members, who would be able to make similar changes unilaterally to the smart contract. If any such super user or group of core members unilaterally make adverse changes to a smart contract, the design, functionality, features and value of the smart contract, and its related crypto assets, may be harmed. In addition, assets held by the smart contract in reserves may be stolen, misused, burnt, locked up or otherwise become unusable and irrecoverable. These super users can also become targets of hackers and malicious attackers. If an attacker is able to access or obtain the super user privileges of a smart contract, or if a smart contract’s super-users or core community members take actions that adversely affect the smart contract, our customers who hold and transact in the affected crypto assets may experience decreased functionality and value of the applicable crypto assets, up to and including a total loss of the value of such crypto assets. Although we do not control these smart contracts, any such events could cause customers to seek damages against us for their losses, result in reputational damage to us, or in other ways adversely impact our business.

From time to time, we may encounter technical issues in connection with the integration of supported crypto assets and changes and upgrades to their underlying networks, which could adversely affect our business.

In order to support any crypto asset, a variety of front and back-end technical and development work is required to implement our wallet, custody, trading, and other solutions for our customers, and to integrate such supported crypto asset with our existing technical infrastructure. For certain crypto assets, a significant amount

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of development work is required and there is no guarantee that we will be able to support successfully any existing or future crypto asset. In addition, such integration may introduce software errors or weaknesses into our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace, including our existing infrastructure. Even if such integration is initially successful, any number of technical changes, software upgrades, soft or hard forks, cybersecurity incidents, or other changes to the underlying blockchain network may occur from time to time, causing incompatibility, technical issues, disruptions, or security weaknesses to our cryptocurrency exchanges or NFT marketplace. If we are unable to identify, troubleshoot and resolve any such issues successfully, we may no longer be able to support such crypto asset, our customers’ assets may be frozen or lost, the security of our hot, warm, or cold wallets may be compromised, and our cryptocurrency exchanges, NFT marketplace and technical infrastructure may be affected, all of which could adversely impact our business.

If miners or validators of any supported crypto asset demand high transaction fees, our operating results may be adversely affected.

We charge miner fees when a customer sends certain crypto assets from their Coincheck account to a non- Coincheck account. We estimate the miner fee based on the cost that we will incur to process the withdrawal transaction on the underlying blockchain network. In addition, we also pay miner fees when we move crypto assets for various operational purposes, such as when we transfer crypto assets between our hot and cold wallets, for which we do not charge our customers. However, miner fees can be unpredictable. For instance, in 2021, Bitcoin miner fees increased from approximately $10 per transaction in January 2021 to over $60 per transaction in April 2021 and again to over $120 per transaction in April 2024. Even though Bitcoin’s miner fees have since decreased to approximately $1 per transaction as of the end of June 2024, if the block rewards for miners on any blockchain network are not sufficiently high to incentivize miners, miners may demand higher transaction fees, or collude to reject low transaction fees and force users to pay higher fees. Although we generally attempt to pass miner fees relating to customer withdrawals through to our customers, we have in the past incurred, and expect to incur from time to time, losses associated with the payment of miner fees in excess of what we charge our customers, resulting in adverse impacts on our operating results.

The nature of our business requires the application of complex financial accounting and tax rules, and there is limited guidance from accounting standard setting bodies and taxing authorities. If financial accounting standards undergo significant changes or taxing authorities announce new tax rules, our operating results could be adversely affected.

The accounting rules and regulations that we must comply with are complex and subject to interpretation by the IFRS Foundation and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results and may even affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement or effectiveness of a change. In addition, there has been limited precedent for the financial accounting of crypto assets and related valuation and revenue recognition standards. As such, there remains significant uncertainty on how companies should account for crypto assets transactions, crypto assets and related revenue. Furthermore, there has been limited guidance from taxing authorities on treatment of crypto assets and revenue therefrom. Japanese tax audits or changes in the tax treatment of our business could result in the imposition of significant additional taxes. Uncertainties in or changes to regulatory or financial accounting standards could result in the need to change our accounting methods and restate our financial statements and impair our ability to provide timely and accurate financial information, which could adversely affect our financial statements, result in a loss of investor confidence, and more generally impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Risks Relating to Government Regulation and Privacy Matters

Global regulation of crypto assets or crypto asset platforms may develop in ways that limit the potential for growth in usage and acceptance of crypto assets.

As crypto assets have grown in both popularity and market size, various local and foreign governmental organizations, consumer agencies and public advocacy groups have been examining the operations of crypto networks, users and platforms, with a focus on how crypto assets can be used to launder the proceeds of illegal activities and fund criminal or terrorist enterprises, and the safety and soundness of platforms and other service providers that hold crypto assets for users. Many of these entities have called for heightened regulatory oversight and have issued consumer advisories describing the risks posed by crypto assets to users and investors. Several

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jurisdictions have banned so-called initial coin offerings, such as China and South Korea, while Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong have opined that token offerings may constitute securities offerings subject to local securities regulations. In September 2021, China issued a blanket ban on all payments and services utilizing crypto assets and other activity, such as mining, related to crypto assets. In addition, the Government of India has been holding consultation regarding draft legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies while the Indian Central Bank is of the view that cryptocurrencies should be banned. In May 2023, the Central Bank of Argentina announced a ban on the offering or solicitation of crypto transactions by payment service providers. To the extent that such developments adversely affect the adoption of and values of crypto assets, they may adversely affect our business and results of operations even if they occur in jurisdictions in which we do not operate directly.

Following the bankruptcy of Bahamas-based FTX Trading Ltd. in November 2022 and allegations of fraud and mismanagement of funds against its founder and former CEO, as well as financial difficulties experienced by other participants in the crypto asset markets, concern related to investor protection has heightened globally and there is a high likelihood of additional legislation, regulatory measures or administrative actions relating to crypto asset market participants in the United States and other jurisdictions. To the extent such developments result in severe limitations on or bans of crypto assets that we support, or lead to imposition of limitations or bans on other aspects of our business, such developments may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We obtain and process a large amount of sensitive customer data. Any real or perceived improper use of, disclosure of, or access to such data could harm our reputation, as well as have an adverse effect on our business.

We obtain and process large amounts of sensitive data, including personal data related to our customers and their transactions, such as their names, addresses, copies of government-issued identification, trading data, tax identification, and bank account information. We face risks, including to our reputation, in the handling and protection of this data, and these risks will increase as our business continues to expand. In addition, Japanese laws and regulations, such as the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (“APPI”), governing privacy and data protection require us to safeguard our customers’, employees’, and service providers’ personal data and other important information. If we fail to comply with the regulations under the APPI, we may face recommendation and order from the Personal Information Protection Commission and be liable for fines.

We have administrative, technical, and physical security measures and controls in place and maintain a robust information security program. However, our security measures may be inadequate or breached as a result of third-party action, employee or service provider error, malfeasance, malware, phishing, hacking attacks, system error, trickery, advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, inadequate facility security or otherwise, and, as a result, someone may be able to obtain unauthorized access to sensitive information, including personal data, on our systems. We could be the target of a cybersecurity incident, which could result in harm to our reputation and financial losses. Additionally, our customers have been and could be targeted in cybersecurity incidents like an account takeover, which could result in harm to our reputation and financial losses. Additionally, privacy and data protection laws are evolving, and it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data handling safeguards and practices that could result in fines, lawsuits, and other penalties, and significant changes to our or our third-party partners business practices, products and service offerings.

Our future success depends on the reliability and security of our cryptocurrency exchanges. To the extent that the measures we or our third-party business partners have taken prove to be insufficient or inadequate, we may become subject to litigation, breach notification obligations, or regulatory or administrative sanctions, which could result in significant fines, penalties, damages, harm to our reputation, or loss of customers. If our own confidential business information or sensitive customer information were improperly disclosed, our business could be adversely affected. Additionally, a party who circumvents our security measures could, among other effects, appropriate customer information or other proprietary data, cause interruptions in our operations, or expose customers to hacks, viruses, and other disruptions.

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Risks Relating to Third Parties

Our current and future services are dependent on payment networks and acquiring processors, and any changes to their rules or practices could adversely impact our business.

We rely on banks and other payment processors to process customers’ payments in connection with the purchase of crypto assets on our cryptocurrency exchanges and we pay these providers fees for their services. From time to time, payment networks have increased, and may increase in the future, the interchange fees and assessments that they charge for transactions that use their networks. Payment networks have imposed, and may impose in the future, special fees on the purchase of crypto assets, including on our cryptocurrency exchanges, which could negatively impact us and significantly increase our costs. Our payment card processors may have the right to pass any increases in interchange fees and assessments on to us and may impose additional use charges which would increase our operating costs and reduce our operating income. We could attempt to pass these increases along to our customers, but this strategy might result in the loss of customers to our competitors that may not pass along the increases, thereby reducing our total revenue and earnings. If competitive practices prevent us from passing along the higher fees to our customers in the future, we may have to absorb all or a portion of such increases, thereby increasing our operating costs and reducing our earnings.

We may also be directly or indirectly liable to the payment networks for rule violations. Payment networks set and interpret their network operating rules and have alleged from time to time that various aspects of our business model violate these operating rules. If such allegations are not resolved favorably, they may result in significant fines and penalties or require changes in our business practices that may be costly and adversely affect our business. The payment networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or reinterpret existing rules that we or our processors might find difficult or even impossible to follow, or costly to implement. As a result, we could lose our ability to give customers the option of using cards to fund their purchases or the choice of currency in which they would like their card to be charged. If we are unable to accept cards or are limited in our ability to do so, our business would be adversely affected.

We rely on third parties to perform certain key functions, and their failure to perform those functions could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on certain third-party computer systems or third-party service providers, including cloud technology providers, internet service providers, payment services providers, market and third-party data providers, regulatory services providers, banking systems, communications facilities and other facilities to run our cryptocurrency exchanges. These providers are susceptible to operational, technological and security vulnerabilities, including security breaches, which may impact our business, and our ability to monitor our third-party service providers’ data security is limited. In addition, these third-party service providers may rely on subcontractors to provide services to us that face similar risks. Any interruption in these third-party services, or deterioration in the quality of their service or performance, could be disruptive to our business.

Any failures by, or security breaches of, our third-party service providers or their subcontractors that result in an interruption in service, unauthorized access, misuse, loss or destruction of data or other similar occurrences could interrupt our business, cause us to incur losses, result in decreased customer satisfaction and increase customer attrition, subject us to customer complaints, significant fines, litigation, disputes, claims, regulatory investigations or other inquiries and harm our reputation. In addition, we are legally obligated to provide guidance and supervision to our third-party service providers or their subcontractors, and if the situation described above occurs, we may be ordered by the JFSA to improve our business operations and undergo on-site inspection by the JFSA. Through contractual provisions and third-party risk management processes, we take steps to require that our providers, and their subcontractors, protect our data and information, including personal data. However, due to the size and complexity of our technology platform and services, the amount of data that we store and the number of customers, employees and third-party service providers with access to personal data, we, our third-party service providers and their subcontractors are potentially vulnerable to a variety of intentional and inadvertent cybersecurity breaches and other security-related incidents and threats, which could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. Any contractual protections we may have from our third-party service providers may not be sufficient to adequately protect us against such consequences, and we may be unable to enforce any such contractual protections.

In addition, there is no assurance that our third-party service providers or their subcontractors will be able to continue to provide these services to meet our current needs in an efficient, cost-effective manner or that they will be able to adequately expand their services to meet our needs in the future. An interruption in or the cessation of service

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by our third-party service providers or their subcontractors, coupled with our possible inability to make alternative arrangements in a smooth, cost-effective and timely manner, could have adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, if there were deficiencies in the oversight and control of our third-party relationships, and if our regulators held us responsible for those deficiencies, it could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation and results of operations.

Our success depends in part upon continued distribution through app stores and effective operation with mobile operating systems, networks, technologies, products, hardware and standards that we do not control.

A substantial majority of our customers’ activity on our cryptocurrency exchanges occurs on mobile devices. There is no guarantee that popular mobile devices will remain compatible with the Coincheck app, or that mobile device customers will continue to use our products and services rather than those of our competitors. We are dependent on the interoperability of our app with popular mobile operating systems, networks, technologies, products, hardware and standards that we do not control, such as the Android and iOS operating systems. Any changes, bugs or technical issues in such systems or changes in our relationships with mobile operating system providers, device manufacturers or mobile carriers, or in their terms of service or policies that degrade the functionality of our app, reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute applications, give preferential treatment to competitive products, limit our ability to target or measure the effectiveness of applications, or impose fees or other charges related to the delivery of our application that could adversely affect customer usage of the Coincheck app.

We are also subject to the standard policies and terms of service of these operating systems, as well as policies and terms of service of the various application stores that make our application and experiences available to our developers, creators and customers. These policies and terms of service govern the availability, promotion, distribution, content and operation generally of applications and experiences on such operating systems and stores. Each provider of these operating systems and stores has broad discretion to change and interpret its terms of service and policies with respect to our cryptocurrency exchanges and those changes may be unfavorable to us and our developers’, creators’ and customers’ use of our cryptocurrency exchanges. If we were to violate, or an operating system provider or application store believes that we have violated, its terms of service or policies, that operating system provider or application store could limit or discontinue our access to its operating system or store. In some cases these requirements might not be clear or our interpretation of the requirements might not align with the interpretation of the operating system provider or application store, which could lead to inconsistent enforcement of these terms of service or policies against us, and could also result in the operating system provider or application store limiting or discontinuing access to its operating system or store. Any limitation or discontinuation of our access to any third-party platform or application store could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Additionally, in order to deliver a high-quality mobile experience for our customers, it is important that our products and services work well with a range of mobile technologies, products, systems, networks, hardware and standards that we do not control. We might not be successful in developing products that operate effectively with these technologies, products, systems, networks or standards. In the event that it is more difficult for our customers to access and use our app, or if our customers choose not to access or use our app on their mobile devices or use mobile products that do not offer access to our app, our customer growth and engagement could be harmed. In the event that our customers are adversely affected by these actions or if our relationships with such third parties deteriorate, our customer growth and engagement could be adversely affected and our business could be harmed.

We are exposed to credit risks due to our reliance on cryptocurrency exchange brokers, which may cause us to incur financial or reputational harm.

We are exposed to certain credit risks due to our reliance on third-party cryptocurrency exchange brokers where we execute cover transactions to hedge our exposure to specific crypto assets. Our counterparties in our hedging transactions (which we refer to as our cover counterparties) are composed of a relatively small number of financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchange brokers, some of which may have a limited amount of information disclosed. We borrow crypto assets from our customers and, in order to be able to hedge by executing cover transactions, hold a portion of borrowed crypto assets in our accounts with such cryptocurrency exchange brokers. If such counterparty should go bankrupt or retain such crypto asset for some other unanticipated reason, we would still be responsible for returning such crypto assets to our customers. We monitor the balance of our own positions held against an overall risk limit amount and also specific limit amounts set according to the characteristics of these counterparties on a daily basis, and if we obtain information that could lead to credit, legal or reputational

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concerns about the cryptocurrency exchange brokers we deal with, we take measures to avoid risks, including reducing the amount on deposit with the counterparty and transferring assets to alternative cover counterparties. If credit, legal or reputational concerns regarding all of the cryptocurrency exchange brokers we transact with for a particular crypto asset were to arise, we would then attempt to use our own Exchange platform or other OTC counterparties capable of netting settlement to execute cover transactions. If these alternatives were not feasible for a particular crypto asset, however, we may need to temporarily suspend the trading and handling of the affected crypto asset, which could adversely affect our results of operation and our business reputation. On March 24, 2023, Binance, one of our counterparties, suffered an outage and suspended the trading of all crypto assets for a number of hours. As of the same date, our crypto assets deposited with Binance had increased to ¥194 million due to a recovery in crypto asset prices and trading levels. Although we were able to successfully use alternative counterparties without disruption to our services in this instance, we may not be able to transfer assets, in future instances, to a suitable alternative counterparty in a timely manner. In the future, we may need to change counterparties if similar outages were to continue for a longer period of time, or if simultaneous disruptions affect more than one of our counterparties. Further, if Binance is no longer able to be used as a viable counterparty, including as a result of the CFTC enforcement action against Binance announced on March 27, 2023, or for any other reasons that may arise as a result of this enforcement action or additional legal or regulatory investigations, we may need to identify an alternative long-term cover counterparty with a capability to handle similar levels of transaction volume. If we determine that no such alternatives are feasible for a particular crypto asset, we would then need to temporarily suspend trading of such crypto asset. We are still obligated to complete transactions which have already been placed by customers and accepted by our system, even if we are unable to execute cover transactions.

We transact with both Japanese and international counterparties, and our largest single credit exposure relates to crypto assets we have deposited in order to transact with bitFlyer as of September 30, 2023. We also transact with OKX and Binance as cover counterparties, and although we previously transacted with Bittrex, we stopped transacting with them on December 5, 2023. The following table shows the amounts deposited with OKX, bitFlyer, Binance, Bittrex and all of our cover counterparties in total, as well as our cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2022, December 31, 2022, March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, September 30, 2023, December 31, 2023, March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024.

 

As of
September 30,
2022

 

As of
December 31,
2022

 

As of
March 31,
2023

 

As of
June 30,
2023

 

As of
September 30,
2023

 

As of
December 31,
2023

 

As of
March 31,
2024

 

As of
June 30,
2024

   

(in millions of yen except for percentage figures)

   

Amount deposited with OKX

 

¥

2

 

 

¥

58

 

 

¥

647

 

 

¥

92

 

 

¥

88

 

 

¥

148

 

 

¥

27

 

 

¥

0

 

Amount deposited with bitFlyer

 

 

289

 

 

 

216

 

 

 

195

 

 

 

213

 

 

 

101

 

 

 

389

 

 

 

581

 

 

 

214

 

Amount deposited with Binance

 

 

629

 

 

 

74

 

 

 

195

 

 

 

48

 

 

 

62

 

 

 

137

 

 

 

206

 

 

 

142

 

Amount deposited with Bittrex

 

 

177

 

 

 

77

 

 

 

50

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

Amount deposited with B2C2

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

3

 

Amount deposited with all of our cover counterparties

 

 

1,097

 

 

 

425

 

 

 

1,088

 

 

 

354

 

 

 

251

 

 

 

674

 

 

 

817

 

 

 

359

 

% of total equity(1)

 

 

9.9

%

 

 

4.0

%

 

 

10.4

%

 

 

3.5

%

 

 

2.5

%

 

 

6.4

%

 

 

6.6

%

 

 

2.8

%

Total equity

 

 

11,111

 

 

 

10,537

 

 

 

10,477

 

 

 

10,207

 

 

 

10,095

 

 

 

10,492

 

 

 

12,444

 

 

 

12,881

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

¥

8,638

 

 

¥

8,826

 

 

¥

7,697

 

 

¥

7,579

 

 

¥

7,581

 

 

¥

8,866

 

 

¥

10,837

 

 

¥

11,510

 

____________

Note:

(1)      The % of total equity = Amount deposited with all of our cover counterparties/Total equity.

We have not suffered credit losses with respect to such counterparties to date, but there can be no assurance that any risk limitation measures we take will prove to be effective and there is a possibility that sudden changes in market conditions could lead to such counterparties having their credit rating downgraded, becoming insolvent or otherwise becoming unable to fulfill any obligations to us, which could have an adverse effect on our customers, business, reputation and results of operations.

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Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our business depends in large part on our proprietary technology and our brand. We rely on, and expect to continue to rely on, a combination of trademark, trade dress, domain name, copyright, and trade secret and laws, as well as confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, contractors, consultants, and third parties with whom we have relationships, to establish and protect our brand and other intellectual property rights. However, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient or effective. Our proprietary technology and trade secrets could be lost through misappropriation or breach of our confidentiality and license agreements, and any of our intellectual property rights may be challenged, which could result in them being narrowed in scope or declared invalid or unenforceable. There can be no assurance that our intellectual property rights will be sufficient to protect against others offering products, services, or technologies that are substantially similar to ours and that compete with our business.

We may be subject to claims for alleged infringement of proprietary rights of third parties.

In recent years, there has been considerable patent, copyright, trademark, domain name, trade secret and other intellectual property development activity related to crypto assets, as well as litigation, based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property. Our use of third-party intellectual property rights also may be subject to claims of infringement or misappropriation. We cannot guarantee that our internally developed or acquired technologies and content do not or will not infringe the intellectual property rights of others. From time to time, our competitors or other third parties may claim that we are infringing upon or misappropriating their intellectual property rights, and we may be found to be infringing upon such rights. Any claims or litigation could cause us to incur significant expenses and, if successfully asserted against us, could require that we pay substantial damages or ongoing royalty payments, prevent us from offering our products or services or using certain technologies, force us to implement expensive work-arounds, or impose other unfavorable terms. We expect that the occurrence of infringement claims is likely to grow as the market for crypto assets grows and matures. Even if intellectual property claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and require significant expenditures. Any of the foregoing could prevent us from competing effectively and could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace contain third-party open source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the underlying open source software licenses could harm our business.

Our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace contain software modules licensed to us by third-party authors under “open source” licenses. We also make certain of our own software available to users for free under various open source licenses. Use and distribution of open source software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, indemnification or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. In addition, the use of open source software also presents the risk of security vulnerability and the public availability of such software may make it easier for others to compromise our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace.

Some open source licenses contain requirements that we make the source code available for modifications or derivative works we create based upon the type of open source software we use or grant other licenses to our intellectual property. If we combine our proprietary software with open source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain open source licenses, be required to release the source code of our proprietary software to the public. This would allow our competitors to create similar offerings with lower development effort and time and ultimately could result in a loss of our competitive advantages. Alternatively, to avoid the public release of the affected portions of our source code, we could be required to expend substantial time and resources to re-engineer some or all of our software.

Although we monitor our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace to conditions we do not intend, we have not recently conducted an extensive audit of our use of open source software and, as a result, we cannot assure you that our processes for controlling our use of open source software in our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace are, or will be, effective. If we are held

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to have breached or failed to fully comply with all the terms and conditions of an open source software license, we could face litigation, infringement or other liability, or be required to seek costly licenses from third parties to continue providing our offerings on terms that are not economically feasible, to re-engineer our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace, to discontinue or delay the provision of our offerings if re-engineering could not be accomplished on a timely basis or to make generally available, in source code form, our proprietary code, any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. Moreover, the terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by domestic or foreign courts. As a result, there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to provide or distribute our cryptocurrency exchanges and NFT marketplace. From time to time, there have been claims challenging the ownership of open source software against companies that incorporate open source software into their solutions. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software.

Risks Relating to Coincheck’s Employees and Other Service Providers

The loss of one or more of our key personnel, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We operate in a relatively new industry that is not widely understood and requires personnel with specialized knowledge and technical skills. We believe that our future success is highly dependent on the talents and contributions of our senior management team, members of our executive team, and other key employees in areas including systems design and engineering, risk management, finance, compliance and legal, and marketing. Our future success depends on our ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. Due to the relatively recent emergence of markets for crypto assets, the pool of qualified talent is extremely limited, particularly with respect to executive talent, systems engineering, risk management, and financial regulatory expertise. We face intense competition for qualified individuals from numerous software and other technology companies. To attract and retain key personnel, we incur significant costs, including salaries and benefits and equity incentives. Even so, these measures may not be enough to attract and retain the personnel we require to operate our business effectively. The loss of even a few qualified employees, or an inability to attract, retain and motivate additional highly skilled employees required for the operation of our business could adversely impact our operating results and impair our ability to grow.

In the event of employee or service provider misconduct or error, our business may be adversely impacted.

Employee or service provider misconduct or error could subject us to legal liability, financial losses, and regulatory sanctions and could seriously harm our reputation and negatively affect our business. Such misconduct could include engaging in improper or unauthorized transactions or activities, misappropriation of customer funds, failing to supervise other employees or service providers, compliance or harassment violations by our employees and improperly using confidential information. Employee or service provider errors, including mistakes in executing, recording, or processing transactions for customers, could expose us to the risk of material losses even if the errors are detected. Although we have implemented processes and procedures and provide training to our employees and service providers to reduce the likelihood of misconduct and error, these efforts may not be successful. Moreover, the risk of employee or service provider error or misconduct may be even greater for novel products and services. The rapid pace of development of markets for crypto assets and related regulatory frameworks can create a high risk of confusion among employees and service providers with respect to compliance obligations, particularly including confidentiality, data access, trading, and conflicts. It is not always possible to deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect inappropriate activity may not be effective in all cases. If we were found to have not met our regulatory oversight and compliance and other obligations, we could be subject to regulatory sanctions, financial penalties, and restrictions on our activities for failure to properly identify, monitor and respond to potentially problematic activity, which can seriously damage our reputation. Our employees, contractors, and agents could also commit errors that subject us to financial claims for negligence, as well as regulatory actions, or result in financial liability.

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General Risk Factors

Public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have had and could in the future have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Pandemics or disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed and could continue to contribute to significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption in global financial markets, including the prices of crypto assets. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and businesses around the world imposed measures designed to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, including encouraging remote work and flexible working practices, which potentially expose technology-driven businesses like ours to heightened operational risks, including potentially increased cybersecurity risk if the security systems in place at our employees’ and service providers’ homes are less secure than those used in our offices, which could expose us to increased risks of data or financial loss and could disrupt our business operations. We also rely on third party service providers to perform certain functions. Any disruptions to a service provider’s business operations resulting from business restrictions, quarantines, or restrictions on the ability of personnel to perform their jobs could have an adverse impact on its ability to provide services to us. The extent to which fear of exposure to, or actual effects of, COVID-19, new variants, disease outbreaks, epidemics or a similar widespread health concern impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, but could result in continued uncertain economic conditions in Japan and globally.

We may be adversely affected by natural disasters and other catastrophic events that could disrupt our business operations, and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.

Our business operations are subject to interruption by natural disasters, fire, power shortages, and other events beyond our control. Further, acts of terrorism, social unrest, and other geo-political events could cause disruptions in our business or the economy as a whole. In the event of a natural disaster, including a major earthquake, blizzard, or hurricane, or a catastrophic event such as a fire, power loss, or telecommunications failure, we may be unable to continue our operations and may endure system interruptions, reputational harm, interruptions in service, breaches of data security, and loss of critical data, all of which could have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and operating results.

We do not maintain insurance sufficient to compensate us for the potentially significant losses that could result from disruptions to our services, including as a result of cyberattacks. Additionally, all the aforementioned risks may be further increased if we do not implement a disaster recovery plan or disaster recovery plans of our service providers prove to be inadequate. To the extent natural disasters or other catastrophic events concurrently impact data centers we rely on in connection with private key restoration, customers will experience significant delays in withdrawing funds, or in the extreme we may suffer loss of customer funds.

Risks Related to Thunder Bridge and the Business Combination

There can be no assurance that PubCo’s ordinary shares will be approved for listing on Nasdaq or any other exchange or that PubCo will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq or any other exchange.

In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, we intend to list PubCo’s ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “CNCK” and “CNCKW,” respectively. PubCo’s continued eligibility for listing may depend on the number of our shares that are redeemed. If, after the Business Combination, Nasdaq delists the Post-Combination Company’s shares from trading on its exchange for failure to meet the listing standards, the Post-Combination Company and its stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences including:

        a limited availability of market quotations for the Post-Combination Company’s securities;

        reduced liquidity for the Post-Combination Company’s securities;

        a determination that the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for shares of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares;

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        a limited amount of analyst coverage; and

        a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

Nasdaq may delist Thunder Bridge’s securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in Thunder Bridge’s securities and subject Thunder Bridge to additional trading restrictions.

Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock has been trading on Nasdaq since June 30, 2021. On October 24, 2023, Thunder Bridge received a notice from the staff of the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Listing Department”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), stating that Thunder Bridge is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(2), which requires Thunder Bridge to maintain at least 400 total holders for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market. The notice stated that unless Thunder Bridge timely requests a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”), trading of Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock on the Nasdaq Global Market would be suspended due to our non-compliance with Nasdaq Rule 5450(a)(2). Thunder Bridge timely requested a hearing before the Panel to request sufficient time to complete the Proposed Business Combination. Such hearing request resulted in a stay of the suspension or delisting action. There can be no assurance that Thunder Bridge will be able to satisfy Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, obtain a favorable determination of the Panel on our ability to remain listed on the Nasdaq Global Market and maintain compliance with other Nasdaq listing requirements prior to or following the consummation of a business combination.

If Nasdaq delists Thunder Bridge’s securities from trading on its exchange and Thunder Bridge is not able to list its securities on another national securities exchange, Thunder Bridge expects its securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, Thunder Bridge could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

        a limited availability of market quotations for Thunder Bridge’s securities;

        reduced liquidity for Thunder Bridge’s securities;

        become subject to stockholder litigation;

        likely losing any active trading market for Thunder Bridge’s securities, as Thunder Bridge’s securities may then only be traded on one of the over-the-counter markets, if at all;

        a determination that Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock to adhere to more stringent rules, including being subject to the depositary requirements of Rule 419 of the Securities Act, and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;

        a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

        a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock are listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock qualify as covered securities under the statute. If Thunder Bridge were to no longer be listed on Nasdaq, Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock may not qualify as covered securities under the statute, in which case we would be subject to regulation in each state in which Thunder Bridge offers its common stock.

Subsequent to the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, or the Post-Combination Company may be subject to restructuring, impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on the Post-Combination Company’s financial condition, results of operations and the price of PubCo’s securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

Although Thunder Bridge has conducted due diligence on Coincheck, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may be present with Coincheck’s business. Factors outside of Coincheck’s and outside of Thunder Bridge’s control may, at any time, arise. As a result of these factors, the Post-Combination Company may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure its operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in the Post-Combination Company reporting losses. Even if Thunder Bridge’s due diligence successfully

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identified certain risks, unexpected risks may arise, and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and therefore not have an immediate impact on the Post-Combination Company’s liquidity, the fact that the Post-Combination Company reports charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about the Post-Combination Company or its securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause the Post-Combination Company to be unable to obtain future financing on favorable terms or at all.

If the Business Combination’s benefits do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of Thunder Bridge’s securities or, following the Closing, PubCo’s securities, may decline.

If the perceived benefits of the Business Combination do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of Thunder Bridge’s securities prior to the Closing may decline. The market values of PubCo’s securities at the time of the Business Combination may vary significantly from their prices on the date the Business Combination Agreement was executed, the date of this proxy statement/prospectus, or the date on which Thunder Bridge’s stockholders vote on the Business Combination.

In addition, following the Business Combination, fluctuations in the price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities could contribute to the loss of all or part of your investment. Currently, there is no public market for PubCo Ordinary Shares. Accordingly, the valuation ascribed to Coincheck may not be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market following the Business Combination. If an active market for the Post-Combination Company’s securities develops and continues, the trading price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities following the Business Combination could be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond the Post-Combination Company’s control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on your investment in the Post-Combination Company’s securities and the Post-Combination Company’s securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities may not recover and may experience a further decline.

Factors affecting the trading price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities may include:

        actual or anticipated fluctuations in the Post-Combination Company’s quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to it;

        changes in the market’s expectations about the Post-Combination Company’s operating results;

        success of competitors;

        the Post-Combination Company’s operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;

        changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning the Post-Combination Company or the industry in which Coincheck operates;

        operating and share price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to the Post-Combination Company;

        the Post-Combination Company’s ability to market new and enhanced products and technologies on a timely basis;

        changes in laws and regulations affecting the Post-Combination Company’s business;

        the Post-Combination Company’s ability to meet compliance requirements;

        commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving the Post-Combination Company;

        changes in the Post-Combination Company’s capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;

        the volume of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares available for public sale;

        any major change in the Post-Combination Company Board of Directors or management;

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        sales of substantial amounts of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares by the Post-Combination Company’s directors, executive officers or significant stockholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and

        general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism.

Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities irrespective of the Post-Combination Company’s operating performance. The stock market in general, and Nasdaq in particular, have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of the Post-Combination Company’s securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for retail stocks or the stocks of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to the Post-Combination Company could depress the Post-Combination Company’s share price regardless of the Post-Combination Company’s business, prospects, financial conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of the Post-Combination Company’s securities also could adversely affect the Post-Combination Company’s ability to issue additional securities and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to obtain additional financing in the future.

The unaudited pro forma financial information included herein may not be indicative of what PubCo’s actual financial position or results of operations would have been.

The unaudited pro forma financial information included herein is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of what PubCo’s actual financial position or results of operations would have been had the Business Combination been completed on the dates indicated.

Thunder Bridge has identified a material weakness in its internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 relating to an ineffective control environment surrounding the lack of effectively designed controls to properly evaluate and assess certain period end expense accruals. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of Thunder Bridge’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis.

Effective internal controls are necessary for Thunder Bridge to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. Measures to remediate material weaknesses may be time-consuming and costly and there is no assurance that such measures will ultimately have the intended effects. As a result of the material weakness identified, Thunder Bridge management concluded that Thunder Bridge’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of June 30, 2024. If Thunder Bridge is unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, Thunder Bridge may not be able to accurately report its financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in Thunder Bridge and materially and adversely affect Thunder Bridge’s business and operating results. If Thunder Bridge identifies any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit Thunder Bridge’s ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of Thunder Bridge’s accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of its annual or interim financial statements. In such case, Thunder Bridge may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in Thunder Bridge’s financial reporting and adversely affect Thunder Bridge’s business and operating results. Thunder Bridge cannot assure you that the measures Thunder Bridge has taken to date, or any measures Thunder Bridge may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.

Thunder Bridge’s independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about Thunder Bridge’s ability continue as a “going concern.”

As of June 30, 2024, Thunder Bridge had a working capital deficit of approximately $12,499,000, including approximately $1,000 in its operating bank account. Further, Thunder Bridge has incurred and expect to continue to incur significant professional costs to remain as a publicly traded company and to incur significant expenses in connection with Thunder Bridge’s initial business combination activities. In addition, if Thunder Bridge is unable to complete a business combination by January 2, 2025 (unless extended), Thunder Bridge’s board of directors

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would proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of Thunder Bridge. There is no assurance that Thunder Bridge will be able to consummate a business combination within the Combination Period. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about Thunder Bridge’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

The Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s executive officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of the Business Combination, regardless of how the Public Stockholders vote.

Unlike many other blank check companies in which the founders, executive officers and directors agree to vote their Thunder Bridge Founder Shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with an initial business combination, the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s executive officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with Thunder Bridge and, in the case of the Sponsor, the Sponsor Support Agreement, to vote any shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock held by them in favor of the Business Combination. We expect that the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s executive officers and directors (and their permitted transferees) will own at least approximately 69.2% of the issued and outstanding shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, we would not need any of our Public Shares to be voted in favor of any of the Business Combination or other Stockholder Proposals to have such Stockholder Proposal approved and it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the Public Stockholders.

Thunder Bridge may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, in which case it would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and it would redeem the Public Shares and liquidate.

The Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s executive officers and directors have agreed that Thunder Bridge must complete its initial business combination by January 2, 2025. Thunder Bridge may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within such time period. However, Thunder Bridge’s ability to complete its initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein.

If Thunder Bridge is unable to consummate its initial business combination within the required time period, it will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to the Public Stockholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of its affairs, as further described herein. This redemption of Public Stockholders from the Trust Account will be effected as required by function of Thunder Bridge’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and prior to any voluntary winding up.

For illustrative purposes, based on funds in the Trust Account of approximately $31.2 million following the 2024 Special Meeting, the estimated per share redemption price would have been approximately $10.68.

The Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s directors, executive officers or advisors or their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares from Public Stockholders, which may influence the vote on the Business Combination and reduce the public “float” of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.

The Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s directors, executive officers or advisors or their respective affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of the Business Combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of Thunder Bridge’s shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that the Sponsor or Thunder Bridge’s directors, executive officers or advisors or their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from Public Stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the Business Combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of the Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

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In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of Thunder Bridge’s securities on a national securities exchange.

Thunder Bridge may seek to further extend the date by which Thunder Bridge must consummate an initial business combination, which could have a material adverse effect on the amount held in our Trust Account, given the number of redemptions that have occurred with each extension thus far, and other adverse effects on Thunder Bridge.

Thunder Bridge may seek to further extend the date by which Thunder Bridge must consummate an initial business combination, which pursuant to the Thunder Bridge Charter, is currently January 2, 2025. Such an extension would require the approval of the Public Stockholders, who would be provided the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares. Thunder Bridge’s stockholders redeemed 592,601 shares of Thunder Bridge’s Class A common stock in connection with the most recent amendment to the Thunder Bridge Charter. Any such redemptions will likely have a material adverse effect on the amount held in the Trust Account, our capitalization, principal stockholders and other impacts on Thunder Bridge or Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors, such as Thunder Bridge’s ability to maintain its listing on the Nasdaq Global Market.

Thunder Bridge’s extension, held on June 26, 2024, contravenes Nasdaq rules and, as a result, may lead Nasdaq to suspend trading in Thunder Bridge’s securities or lead Thunder Bridge’s securities to be delisted from Nasdaq. If Thunder Bridge’s securities are delisted from Nasdaq, Thunder Bridge’s Class A common stock would be deemed a “penny” stock and Thunder Bridge may become subject to the requirements of Rule 419 to which it is not currently subject.

The Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock, Thunder Bridge Units and Public Warrants are listed on Nasdaq. Nasdaq IM-5101-2 requires that a special purpose acquisition company complete one or more business combinations within 36 months of the effectiveness of its registration statement for its initial public offering, which, in the case of Thunder Bridge, was June 29, 2024 (the “Nasdaq Deadline”). On June 26, 2024, Thunder Bridge’s stockholders approved the extension which allows Thunder Bridge to extend Thunder Bridge’s termination date to up January 2, 2025, which is beyond the Nasdaq Deadline. As a result, the Second Extension does not comply with Nasdaq rules. On July 18, 2024, Thunder Bridge received a notice from the staff of the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that, unless Thunder Bridge timely requested a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”), Thunder Bridge’s securities would be subject to suspension and delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market at the opening of business on July 29, 2024, due to Thunder Bridge’s non-compliance with Nasdaq IM-5101-2. Thunder Bridge timely requested a hearing before the Panel, and received a hearing date of August 22, 2024, which resulted in a stay of any suspensions or delisting action pending the Panel’s decision. On September 11, 2024, the Panel determined to grant the request of Thunder Bridge to continue its listing on Nasdaq, subject to the following: on or before January 14, 2025, Thunder Bridge will complete the Business Combination and demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq IM-5101-2 and all applicable initial listing standards for the Nasdaq Capital Market.

If Thunder Bridge’s securities are delisted from Nasdaq, the Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock could become subject to the regulations of the SEC relating to the market for “penny stocks.” Under Rule 419 of the Securities Act, the term “blank check company” means a company that (i) is a development stage company that has no specific business plan or purpose or has indicated that its business plan is to engage in a merger or acquisition with an unidentified company or companies, or other entity or person; and (ii) is issuing “penny stock,” as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act. Under Rule 3a51-1, the term “penny stock” means any equity security, unless it fits within certain enumerated exclusions including being listed on a national securities exchange, such as Nasdaq (Rule 3a51-1(a)(2)) (the “Exchange Rule”). Thunder Bridge currently relies on the Exchange Rule to not be deemed a penny stock issuer (and consequently a “blank check company” under Rule 419). If Thunder Bridge is deemed a “blank check company” as defined under Rule 419, it may become subject to additional restrictions on the trading of its securities. Among those restrictions is that brokers trading in the securities of a blank check company under Rule 419 adhere to more stringent rules, including being subject to the depository requirements of Rule 419.

The “penny stock” rules are burdensome and may reduce the trading activity for shares of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock. For example, brokers trading in shares of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock would be required to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document, which specifies information about penny stocks and the nature and significance of risks of the penny stock market. The broker dealer also must provide the customer with bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker dealer and any salesperson in the

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transaction, and monthly account statements indicating the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the penny stock rules require that, prior to effecting a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, the broker dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. If the Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock is a “penny stock,” these disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock. If the shares of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock are subject to the “penny stock” rules, the holders of such shares of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock may find it more difficult to sell their shares. If Nasdaq delists any of Thunder Bridge’s securities from trading on its exchange and Thunder Bridge is not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, Thunder Bridge and its stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

        a limited availability of market quotations for Thunder Bridge’s securities, which may limit your ability to determine the price of Thunder Bridge’s securities in a timely manner;

        reduced liquidity for Thunder Bridge’s securities, which may impact your ability to sell Thunder Bridge’s securities;

        as discussed above, a determination that Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock to adhere to more stringent rules, including being subject to the depository requirements of Rule 419 of the Securities Act, and possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for shares of Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock; and

        a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future, which may adversely impact Thunder Bridge’s efforts to consummate a Business Combination and otherwise continue its operations.

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Since the Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock, Thunder Bridge Units and Public Warrants are listed on Nasdaq, such securities qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if the Thunder Bridge Class A Common Stock, Thunder Bridge Units and Public Warrants were no longer listed on Nasdaq, these securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and Thunder Bridge would be subject to regulation in each state in which it offers its securities.

The nominal purchase price paid by the Sponsor for the Founder Shares may significantly dilute the implied value of the Public Shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of the Sponsor’s Founder Shares will be significantly greater than the amount the Sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares to materially decline.

The Sponsor invested an aggregate of $6,505,056 in us, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the Founder Shares and the $6,480,056 purchase price for the Private Placement Units. The amount held in our Trust Account was $31.2 million following the 2024 Special Meeting, implying a value of $10.68 per Public Share.

The following table shows the Public Stockholders’ and our initial stockholders’ (including the Sponsor’s) investment per share and how these compare to the implied value of one Post-Combination Company ordinary share upon the completion of our initial business combination. The following table assumes that (i) our valuation is $31.6 million (which is the amount we held in our Trust Account as of October 31, 2024), (ii) no additional interest is earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, (iii) no Public Shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and (iv) all Founder Shares are held by the Sponsor and independent directors upon completion

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of our initial business combination, and does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the initial business combination such as (a) the value of our Public Warrants and Private Placement Units contained, (b) the trading price of our common stock, (c) the initial business combination transaction costs (including payment of $8,278,474 of deferred underwriting commissions), (d) any equity issued or cash paid to the Coincheck Stockholders, (e) any equity issued to other third party investors, or (f) Coincheck’s business itself.

Public Shares held by Public Stockholders

 

 

2,924,485

 

shares

Founder Shares and Class B Share held by the Sponsor

 

 

3,547,917

 

shares

Shares underlying private placement units held by the Sponsor

 

 

648,056

 

shares

Total shares of common stock

 

 

7,120,459

 

shares

Total funds in trust at the initial business combination

 

$

31,568,657

   

Public Stockholders’ investment per Public Share(1)

 

$

10.00

   

The Sponsor’s investment per Founder Share(2)

 

$

0.004

   

Implied value per share of Post-Combination Company ordinary shares upon the initial business combination

 

$

4.43

   

____________

(1)      While the Public Stockholders’ investment is in both the Public Shares and the Public Warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the Public Shares only.

(2)      The Sponsor’s total investment in the equity of the company, inclusive of the Founder Shares and the Sponsor’s $6,480,056 investment in the Private Placement Units, is $6,505,056. The Sponsor invested $6,505,056 in the equity of the company, inclusive of the Founder Shares and the private placement units. Of this amount, the Sponsor paid $25,000 for an aggregate of 6,468,750 Founder Shares. In connection with the partial exercise of the over-allotment option and the expiration of the over-allotment option following the Company’s initial public offering, the Sponsor forfeited 555,554 Founder Shares for no consideration. Accordingly, the Sponsor paid approximately $0.004 per share for the 5,913,196 Founder Shares the Sponsor holds today. For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the Founder Shares only.

Based on these assumptions, each Post-Combination Company ordinary share would have an implied value of $4.43 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing a 55.7% decrease from the initial implied value of $10.00 per Public Share. While the implied value of $4.43 per share upon completion of our initial business combination would represent a dilution to our Public Stockholders, this would represent a significant increase in value for the Sponsor relative to the price it paid for each Founder Share. At $4.43 per share, the 3,547,917 Post-Combination Company ordinary shares that the Sponsor and our independent directors that hold Founder Shares would own upon completion of our initial business combination would have an aggregate implied value of $15.7 million. As a result, even if the trading price of the Post-Combination Company ordinary shares significantly declines, the value of the Founder Shares held by the Sponsor and independent directors will be significantly greater than the amount the Sponsor paid to purchase such shares. In addition, the Sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment, inclusive of its investment in the Private Placement Units, even if the trading price of the Post-Combination Company ordinary shares after the initial business combination is as low as $1.55 per share. As a result, the Sponsor and independent directors holding Founder Shares are likely to earn a substantial profit on their investment in us upon disposition of shares of Post-Combination Company ordinary shares even if the trading price of the Post-Combination Company ordinary shares declines after we complete our initial business combination. The Sponsor and independent directors holding Founder Shares may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business, or on terms less favorable to the Public Stockholders, rather than liquidating Thunder Bridge. This dilution would increase to the extent that Public Stockholders seek redemptions from the Trust Account for their Public Shares.

Public Stockholders who redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock may continue to hold any Public Warrants they own, which results in additional dilution to non-redeeming holders upon exercise of the Public Warrants.

Public Stockholders who redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock may continue to hold any Public Warrants they owned prior to redemption, which results in additional dilution to non-redeeming holders upon exercise of such Public Warrants. Assuming (i) all redeeming Public Stockholders acquired Public Units in the IPO and continue to hold the Public Warrants that were included in the Public Units, and (ii) maximum redemption of the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock held by the redeeming Public Stockholders, 4,730,557 Public Warrants would be retained by redeeming Public Stockholders with a value of $1.1 million, based on the market price of $0.23 of the Public Warrants as of November 8, 2024. As a result, the redeeming Public Stockholders would recoup

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their entire investment and continue to hold Public Warrants with an aggregate market value of $1.1 million, while non-redeeming Public Stockholders would suffer additional dilution in their percentage ownership and voting interest of PubCo upon exercise of the Public Warrants held by redeeming Public Stockholders.

Thunder Bridge’s Sponsor, executive officers and directors have potential conflicts of interest in recommending that stockholders vote in favor of approval of the Business Combination Proposal and approval of the other proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus.

When considering Thunder Bridge’s board of directors’ recommendation that our stockholders vote in favor of the approval of the Business Combination Proposal and the other proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus, Thunder Bridge’s stockholders should be aware that the Sponsor and certain Thunder Bridge executive officers and directors have interests in the Business Combination that may be different from, or in addition to, the interests of Thunder Bridge’s stockholders and warrant holders generally. These interests include:

        the beneficial ownership of the Sponsor, which is controlled by Gary A. Simanson, Thunder Bridge’s Chief Executive Officer, of an aggregate of 6,561,251 shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, consisting of:

        5,913,195 Founder Shares and one Class B share retained by the Sponsor, out of 6,468,750 Founder Shares initially purchased by the Sponsor for an aggregate price of $25,000; and

        648,056 shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock underlying Private Placement Units purchased by the Sponsor at $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $6,480,056;

all of which shares and warrants would become worthless if Thunder Bridge does not complete a business combination within the applicable time period, as the Sponsor has waived any right to redemption with respect to these shares (such waiver entered into in connection with the IPO for which the Sponsor received no additional consideration). Such shares and warrants have an aggregate market value of approximately $69.5 million and $29 thousand, respectively, based on the closing price of Thunder Bridge Common Stock of $10.59 and the closing price of Thunder Bridge Warrants of $0.23 on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024, the most recent practicable date;

        the economic interests in the Sponsor held by certain of Thunder Bridge’s officers and directors, which gives them an indirect pecuniary interest in the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Thunder Bridge Warrants held by the Sponsor, and which interests would also become worthless if Thunder Bridge does not complete a business combination within the applicable time period.

        Thunder Bridge’s board of directors are entitled to reimbursement for all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them on Thunder Bridge’s behalf incident to identifying, investigating and consummating a business combination, but will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses to the extent such expenses exceed the amount not required to be retained in the Trust Account, unless a business combination is consummated; such out-of-pocket expenses are not expected to exceed $10,000;

        the Sponsor and Thunder Bridge’s officers, directors or their affiliates have made, and may make additional, working capital loans prior to the Closing of the Business Combination, up to $1,500,000 of which are convertible into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, which may not be repaid if the Business Combination is not completed; the 150,000 units would have an aggregate market value of approximately $1.6 million, based on the last sale price of $10.50 of the Thunder Bridge Public Units on Nasdaq on November 8, 2024;

        the anticipated appointment of Gary A. Simanson, our Chief Executive Officer, and Allerd Derk Stikker as directors and officers of the Post-Combination Company; and

        the continued indemnification of current directors and officers of Thunder Bridge and the continuation of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance after the Business Combination.

These interests may have influenced Thunder Bridge’s directors in making their recommendation that you vote in favor of the Business Combination Proposal and the other proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus.

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There are risks to our stockholders, who are not affiliates of the Sponsor, of becoming stockholders of the Post-Combination Company through the Business Combination rather than acquiring securities of Coincheck directly in an underwritten public offering, including no independent due diligence review by an underwriter and conflicts of interest of the Sponsor.

Because there is no independent third-party underwriter involved in the Business Combination or the issuance of ordinary shares in connection therewith, investors will not receive the benefit of any outside independent review of Thunder Bridge’s and Coincheck’s respective finances and operations. Underwritten public offerings of securities conducted by a licensed broker-dealer are subjected to a due diligence review by the underwriter or dealer manager to satisfy statutory duties under the Securities Act, the rules of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and the national securities exchange where such securities are listed. Additionally, underwriters or dealer-managers conducting such public offerings are subject to liability for any material misstatements or omissions in a registration statement filed in connection with the public offering. As no such review will be conducted in connection with the Business Combination, our stockholders must rely on the information in this proxy statement/prospectus and will not have the benefit of an independent review and investigation of the type normally performed by an independent underwriter in a public securities offering.

In addition, the Sponsor and certain of Thunder Bridge’s executive officers and directors have interests in the Business Combination that may be different from, or in addition to, the interests of our stockholders generally. Such interests may have influenced Thunder Bridge’s directors in making their recommendation that you vote in favor of the Business Combination Proposal and the other proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus. See “— Thunder Bridge’s Sponsor, executive officers and directors have potential conflicts of interest in recommending that stockholders vote in favor of approval of the Business Combination Proposal and approval of the other proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus,” “— The nominal purchase price paid by the Sponsor for the Founder Shares may significantly dilute the implied value of the Public Shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of the Sponsor’s Founder Shares will be significantly greater than the amount the Sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares to materially decline” and “— Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

The resignation of Goldman Sachs as financial advisor to Thunder Bridge in connection with the Business Combination may indicate that Goldman Sachs is unwilling to be associated with the disclosure in this proxy statement/prospectus or the underlying business or financial analysis related to the Business Combination, and no shareholder or investor should place any reliance on the fact that Goldman Sachs was involved with any aspect of the Business Combination.

On December 8, 2023, Goldman Sachs notified Thunder Bridge that it was resigning and ceasing to act as Thunder Bridge’s financial advisor in connection with the Business Combination. As a result, Goldman Sachs no longer acts in any capacity or relationship contemplated under its engagement letter or in which Goldman Sachs has otherwise been described in this proxy statement/prospectus as acting or agreeing to act with respect to the Business Combination.

At no time prior to or after its resignation did Goldman Sachs communicate or indicate to Thunder Bridge or Coincheck, and neither Thunder Bridge nor Coincheck is aware of any reason to believe, that the resignation was the result of any dispute or disagreement with Thunder Bridge or Coincheck, or any matters relating to Thunder Bridge’s or Coincheck’s businesses, operations, prospects, policies, procedures or practices, or the contents of this proxy statement/prospectus. In connection with its resignation, Goldman Sachs waived any claim it may have to any fees under its engagement letter with Thunder Bridge (despite completing or substantially completing its services as financial advisor to Thunder Bridge) and, accordingly, Thunder Bridge has not paid to Goldman Sachs, and is not liable for, any fees. Goldman Sachs did not provide a reason for its resignation and neither Thunder Bridge nor Coincheck will speculate as to its motivations for resigning and forfeiting its fees. No other bank will be paid any additional fees that otherwise would have been payable to Goldman Sachs.

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As is customary, certain provisions of Goldman Sachs’ engagement letter survived their termination following Goldman Sachs’ resignation. These surviving provisions include Thunder Bridge’s obligations to reimburse certain expenses incurred as of and through the date of such resignation and termination and to indemnify Goldman Sachs from and against any losses and claims arising out of, or in connection with, the services provided under the engagement letter. These provisions are not expected to have any significant impact on Thunder Bridge.

Some investors may find the Business Combination less attractive as a result of Goldman Sachs’ resignation. Goldman Sachs, having terminated its engagement with Thunder Bridge, has no remaining role in the Business Combination and has disclaimed any responsibility for any portion of this proxy statement/prospectus or the Registration Statement of which this proxy statement/prospectus forms a part, despite having previously rendered services in connection with the Business Combination. Such actions indicate that Goldman Sachs, as financial advisor, does not want to be associated with the disclosure or the underlying business analysis related to the Business Combination and that it is not willing to have the liability associated with its work in connection with the Business Combination.

Prior to its resignation, Goldman Sachs assisted Thunder Bridge’s management and board by providing general financial advisory services, providing market commentary, assisting Thunder Bridge in negotiating the financial aspects of the transaction, and assisting with structuring the Business Combination transaction.

The Thunder Bridge Board did not consider the potential impact of the resignation of Goldman Sachs on its assessment of the Business Combination, given the timing of the resignation, and the fact that the services to be provided by Goldman Sachs were complete or substantially complete at the time of the resignation. In addition, Goldman Sachs did not have any meaningful involvement in the preparation of any of the disclosure in this proxy statement/prospectus and did not provide an opinion in connection with the transactions described in this proxy statement/prospectus. Neither Thunder Bridge nor Coincheck believes that Goldman Sachs’ resignation will have any significant impact on the Business Combination other than reducing the amount of expenses associated with the Business Combination and potentially adversely affecting investors’ perception of the Business Combination. Goldman Sachs has declined to (i) review the disclosure in this proxy statement/prospectus pertaining to the resignation from and termination of its engagements with Thunder Bridge or otherwise or (ii) provide any letter stating whether it agrees with such disclosure, and there can be no assurance that Goldman Sachs agrees with such disclosure and no inference should be drawn to such effect. Investors should not put any reliance on the fact that Goldman Sachs was involved with any aspect of the Business Combination. Except as described in this proxy statement/prospectus, neither Thunder Bridge nor Coincheck are party to any other engagement with Goldman Sachs.

Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. The Sponsor and our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, including other special purpose acquisition companies with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act.

Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as our director or officer and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating any legal obligation.

In the absence of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our charter, certain candidates would not be able to serve as an officer or director. We believe we substantially benefit from having representatives who bring significant, relevant and valuable experience to our management, and, as a result, the inclusion of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides us with greater flexibility to attract and retain the officers and directors that we feel are the best candidates.

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However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination. We are not aware of any such conflicts of interest and do not believe that any such conflicts of interest impacted our search for an acquisition target.

Thunder Bridge stockholders who do not redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock will have a reduced ownership and voting interest after the Business Combination and will exercise less influence over management.

Upon the issuance of Thunder Bridge Common Stock in connection with the Business Combination, the percentage ownership of Public Stockholders who do not redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock will be diluted. The percentage of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares that will be owned by Public Stockholders as a group will vary based on the number of Public Shares for which the holders thereof request redemption in connection with the Business Combination. To illustrate the potential ownership percentages of Public Stockholders under different redemption levels, based on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Coincheck ordinary shares following the 2024 Special Meeting, and based on the Post-Combination Company ordinary shares expected to be issued in the Business Combination, non-redeeming Public Stockholders, as a group, will own:

        if there are no redemptions of Public Shares, 1.9% of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares expected to be outstanding immediately after the Business Combination; and

        if there are maximum redemptions of 100.0% of the outstanding Public Shares, none of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares expected to be outstanding immediately after the Business Combination.

Because of this, Public Stockholders, as a group, will have less influence on the board of directors, management and policies of the Post-Combination Company than they now have on the board of directors, management and policies of Thunder Bridge. See “Certain Agreements Related to the Business Combination — Stockholders Agreement.”

The ownership percentage with respect to the Post-Combination Company following the Business Combination does not take into account the following potential issuances of securities, which will result in further dilution to Public Stockholders who do not redeem their Public Shares:

        the issuance of up to 129,611 shares upon exercise of the placement warrants in the Private Placement Units held by the Sponsor at a price of $11.50 per share;

        the issuance of up to 4,730,557 shares upon exercise of PubCo Warrants at a price of $11.50 per share;

        the issuance of up to 2,412,384 restricted stock units issuable after the closing of the Business Combination;

        the issuance of up to 9,079,565 shares under the Omnibus Incentive Plan; and

        if the Sponsor, or Thunder Bridge’s officers, directors or their affiliates make any working capital loans prior to the closing of the Business Combination, they may convert up to $1,500,000 of those loans into Units to purchase 150,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit.

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If all such shares were issued immediately after the Business Combination, based on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Coincheck ordinary shares following the 2024 Special Meeting, and based on the Thunder Bridge Common Stock expected to be issued in the Business Combination, non-redeeming Public Stockholders, as a group, would own:

        if there are no redemptions of Public Shares, 1.7% of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares outstanding assuming all such shares were issued immediately after the Business Combination; and

        if there are maximum redemptions of 100.0% of the outstanding Public Shares, none of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares outstanding assuming all such shares were issued immediately after the Business Combination.

Thunder Bridge’s ability to successfully effect the Business Combination and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to successfully operate the business thereafter will be largely dependent upon the efforts of certain key personnel of Coincheck, all of whom we expect to stay with the Post-Combination Company following the Business Combination. The loss of such key personnel could negatively impact the operations and financial results of the combined business.

Thunder Bridge’s ability to successfully effect the Business Combination and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to successfully operate the business following the Closing is dependent upon the efforts of certain key personnel of Coincheck. Although we expect key personnel to remain with the Post-Combination Company following the Business Combination, there can be no assurance that they will do so. It is possible that Coincheck will lose some key personnel, the loss of which could negatively impact the operations and profitability of the Post-Combination Company.

Thunder Bridge’s board of directors did not obtain a fairness opinion in determining whether to proceed with the Business Combination and, as a result, the terms may not be fair from a financial point of view to the Public Stockholders.

In analyzing the Business Combination, Thunder Bridge’s management conducted significant due diligence on Coincheck. For a complete discussion of the factors utilized by Thunder Bridge’s board of directors in approving the business combination, see the section entitled, “The Business Combination — Thunder Bridge’s Board of Directors’ Reasons for the Approval of the Business Combination.” Thunder Bridge’s board of directors believes that based upon the financial skills and background of its directors, it was qualified to conclude that the Business Combination was fair from a financial perspective to its stockholders and that Coincheck’s fair market value was at least 80% of Thunder Bridge’s net assets (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned).

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Thunder Bridge’s board of directors did not obtain a fairness opinion to assist it in its determination. Thunder Bridge’s board of directors may be incorrect in its assessment of the Business Combination.

Unlike many blank check companies, Thunder Bridge does not have a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will Thunder Bridge redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for Thunder Bridge to consummate the Business Combination even if a substantial majority of Thunder Bridge’s stockholders do not agree.

Since Thunder Bridge has no specified percentage threshold for redemption contained in its amended and restated certificate of incorporation, its structure is different in this respect from the structure used by many blank check companies. Historically, blank check companies would not be able to consummate an initial business combination if the holders of such company’s public shares voted against a proposed business combination and elected to convert or redeem more than a specified maximum percentage of the shares sold in such company’s initial public offering, which percentage threshold was typically between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies were unable to complete a business combination because the amount of shares voted by their public stockholders electing conversion or redemption exceeded the maximum conversion or redemption threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with its initial business combination. As a result, Thunder Bridge may be able to consummate the Business Combination even if a substantial majority of the Public Stockholders do not agree with the Business Combination and have redeemed their shares. However, in no event will Thunder

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Bridge redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon the consummation of the Business Combination. If enough Public Stockholders exercise their redemption rights such that Thunder Bridge cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, Thunder Bridge would not proceed with the redemption of Public Shares and the Business Combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination. However, because the minimum cash requirements provided in the Business Combination Agreement may be waived by Coincheck, if Thunder Bridge did not proceed with the Business Combination in such situation, it may be in breach of its obligations under the Business Combination Agreement, which could have an adverse effect on its ability to consummate an alternate business combination.

Public Stockholders will not have any rights or interests in funds from the Trust Account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate their investment, therefore, Public Stockholders may be forced to sell their securities, potentially at a loss.

Public Stockholders are entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only (i) in the event of a redemption to Public Stockholders prior to any winding up in the event Thunder Bridge does not consummate its initial business combination or its liquidation, (ii) if they redeem their shares in connection with an initial business combination that Thunder Bridge consummates, or (iii) if they redeem their shares in connection with a stockholder vote to amend Thunder Bridge’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of Thunder Bridge’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if Thunder Bridge does not complete its initial business combination prior to January 2, 2025 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to Thunder Bridge’s pre-business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to the funds in the Trust Account. Accordingly, to liquidate their investment, the Public Stockholders may be forced to sell their securities, potentially at a loss.

If third parties bring claims against Thunder Bridge, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

Thunder Bridge’s placing of funds in the Trust Account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against Thunder Bridge. Although Thunder Bridge has sought to have all vendors, service providers (other than its independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which it does business execute agreements with Thunder Bridge waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of the Public Stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against Thunder Bridge’s assets, including the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account, Thunder Bridge’s management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to Thunder Bridge than any alternative.

Examples of possible instances where Thunder Bridge may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where Thunder Bridge is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason. Upon redemption of our Public Shares, if Thunder Bridge is unable to complete its initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with its initial business combination, Thunder Bridge will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against Thunder Bridge within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per share redemption amount received by Public Stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the Trust Account, due to claims of such creditors.

The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to Thunder Bridge if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than Thunder Bridge’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which Thunder Bridge has discussed entering into a transaction

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agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.00 per Public Share or (2) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay Thunder Bridge’s franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under Thunder Bridge’s indemnity of the underwriter of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. Thunder Bridge believes that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of Thunder Bridge and, therefore, the Sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. Thunder Bridge has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for Thunder Bridge’s initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per Public Share. In such event, Thunder Bridge may not be able to complete its initial business combination, and its stockholders would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of their Public Shares. None of Thunder Bridge’s officers or directors will indemnify Thunder Bridge for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

Thunder Bridge’s directors may decide not to enforce indemnification obligations against the Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to the Public Stockholders.

In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below $10.00 per Public Share and the Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, Thunder Bridge’s independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against the Sponsor to enforce such indemnification obligations. It is possible that Thunder Bridge’s independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If Thunder Bridge’s independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to Public Stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per Public Share.

Thunder Bridge’s stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against Thunder Bridge to the extent of distributions received by them.

Thunder Bridge’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that Thunder Bridge will continue in existence only until January 2, 2025. As promptly as reasonably possible following the redemptions Thunder Bridge is required to make to the Public Stockholders in such event, subject to the approval of Thunder Bridge’s remaining stockholders and board of directors, Thunder Bridge would dissolve and liquidate, subject to its obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Thunder Bridge cannot assure you that it will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against it. As such, Thunder Bridge’s stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of Thunder Bridge’s stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, Thunder Bridge cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by Thunder Bridge.

If Thunder Bridge is forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against Thunder Bridge which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by Thunder Bridge’s stockholders. Furthermore, because Thunder Bridge intends to distribute the proceeds held in the Trust Account to the Public Stockholders promptly after expiration of the time Thunder Bridge has to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to the Public Stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from Thunder Bridge’s assets. Furthermore, Thunder Bridge’s board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to Thunder Bridge’s creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and Thunder Bridge to claims of punitive damages, by paying Public Stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. Thunder Bridge cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against Thunder Bridge for these reasons.

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We may amend the terms of the Thunder Bridge Warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants.

The Thunder Bridge Warrants were issued in registered form under the Thunder Bridge Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The Thunder Bridge Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Thunder Bridge Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision but requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Thunder Bridge Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Thunder Bridge Warrants with the consent of a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the Thunder Bridge Warrants, convert the Thunder Bridge Warrants into stock or cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise of a Thunder Bridge Warrant.

PubCo may redeem your unexpired Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your Public Warrants worthless.

PubCo will have the ability to redeem outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of PubCo Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date PubCo gives notice of redemption. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by PubCo, PubCo may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding Public Warrants could force you (i) to exercise your Public Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your Public Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your Public Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Public Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Public Warrants. None of the Private Warrants will be redeemable by PubCo so long as they are held by their initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.

Historical trading prices for the Public Shares have varied between a low of approximately $9.55 per share on September 13, 2021 to a high of approximately $10.99 per share on June 16, 2023 but have not approached the $18.00 per share threshold for redemption (which, as described above, would be required for 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at which point the public warrants would become redeemable). In the event that PubCo elects to redeem all of the redeemable warrants as described above, PubCo will fix a date for the redemption. Notice of redemption will be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by PubCo not less than 30 days prior to the redemption date to the registered holders of the Public Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner provided in the Warrant Agreement shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the registered holder received such notice. In addition, beneficial owners of the redeemable warrants will be notified of such redemption by posting of the redemption notice to DTC. PubCo is not contractually obligated to notify investors when its warrants become eligible for redemption, and does not intend to so notify investors upon eligibility of the warrants for redemption.

Thunder Bridge will require Public Stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock in connection with the Business Combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

Thunder Bridge will require the Public Stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the expiration date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or in the event we distribute proxy materials, up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the Business Combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using DTC’s DWAC System, at the holder’s option. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least one week to obtain

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physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than one week to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, this may not be the case. Under our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days’ advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise redemption rights. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem Public Shares, its shares may not be redeemed.

Additionally, despite our compliance with the proxy rules, stockholders may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem their shares.

We may be the target of securities class action and derivative lawsuits which could result in substantial costs and may delay or prevent the Business Combination from being completed.

Securities class action lawsuits and derivative lawsuits are often brought against public companies that have entered into merger or business combination agreements. Even if the lawsuits are without merit, defending against these claims can result in substantial costs and divert management time and resources. An adverse judgment could result in monetary damages, which could have a negative impact on Thunder Bridge’s or Coincheck’s liquidity and financial condition. Additionally, if a plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting completion of the Business Combination, then that injunction may delay or prevent the Business Combination from being completed, which may adversely affect Thunder Bridge’s or Coincheck’s or, if the Business Combination is completed but delayed, PubCo’s business, financial position and results of operations. We cannot predict whether any such lawsuits will be filed.

The Thunder Bridge Warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of the Thunder Bridge Warrants could have a material effect on Thunder Bridge’s financial results.

The Thunder Bridge Warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of the Thunder Bridge Warrants could have a material effect on Thunder Bridge’s financial results. As a result, included on Thunder Bridge’s balance sheet as of June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2023 contained elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus are derivative liabilities related to embedded features contained within the Thunder Bridge Warrants. Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-40 provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of income. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, Thunder Bridge’s financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly based on factors which are outside of its control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, Thunder Bridge expects that it will recognize non-cash gains or losses on the Thunder Bridge Warrants for each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

The Business Combination Agreement, Omnibus Incentive Plan, Sponsor Support Agreement, Company Support Agreement, Registration Rights Agreement, and Lock-Up Agreements each include a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision that may limit the ability of the respective signatories thereto, some of whom may be shareholders of the Post-Combination Company, to bring or demand a jury trial in any litigation for claims based upon, arising out of or related to such agreements or the transactions contemplated thereby.

If the Post-Combination Company were to oppose a jury trial demand based on a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, the appropriate court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal laws, including in respect of U.S. federal securities laws claims. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the U.S. federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of Delaware and by the federal and state courts located in the State of Delaware (which respectively govern, and have exclusive jurisdiction over, matters arising under the Business Combination Agreement, Sponsor Support Agreement, Company Support Agreement, and Lock-Up

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Agreements) and under the laws of the State of New York and by the federal and state courts located in New York County, New York (which respectively govern, and have exclusive jurisdiction over, matters arising under the Omnibus Incentive Plan and Registration Rights Agreement).

In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the aforementioned agreements that include a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision. Nevertheless, if the contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provisions are not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed with a jury trial under the terms of the aforementioned agreements that include a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision. No condition, stipulation or provision of any of the aforementioned agreements serves as a waiver by any shareholder of compliance with the federal securities laws.

The contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring or demand a jury trial in any claim or cause of action that it seeks to bring based upon, arising out of or related to the aforementioned agreements or the transactions contemplated thereby, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision contained in the aforementioned agreements to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Post-Combination Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action, which could harm its business, results from operations and/or financial condition.

Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or our prospects.

The funds in Thunder Bridge’s operating account and our trust account are held in banks or other financial institutions. Thunder Bridge’s cash held in non-interest bearing and interest-bearing accounts would exceed any applicable FDIC insurance limits. Should events, including limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments occur with respect to the banks or other financial institutions that hold Thunder Bridge’s funds, or that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, our liquidity may be adversely affected. For example, on March 10, 2023, the FDIC announced that Silicon Valley Bank had been closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Although we did not have any funds in Silicon Valley Bank or other institutions that have been closed, we cannot guarantee that the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds will not experience similar issues.

In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on terms favorable to us in connection with a potential business combination, or at all, and could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity, our business, financial condition or results of operations, and Thunder Bridge’s prospects. Thunder Bridge’s business may be adversely impacted by these developments in ways that we cannot predict at this time, there may be additional risks that we have not yet identified, and Thunder Bridge cannot guarantee that we will be able to avoid negative consequences directly or indirectly from any failure of one or more banks or other financial institutions.

Market conditions, economic uncertainty or downturns could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and our ability to consummate a Business Combination.

In recent years, the United States and other markets have experienced cyclical or episodic downturns, and worldwide economic conditions remain uncertain, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the recent seizures and attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea by the Houthi and Iran, advances of ISIS and other terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Africa and political tension or conflicts in the Asia Pacific Region such as in the South China Sea and North Korea, instability in the U.S. and global banking systems, rising fuel prices, increasing interest rates or foreign exchange rates and high inflation and the possibility of a recession. A significant downturn in economic conditions may make it more difficult for us to consummate a Business Combination.

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We cannot predict the timing, strength, or duration of any future economic slowdown or any subsequent recovery generally, or in any industry. If the conditions in the general economy and the markets in which we operate worsen from present levels, our business, financial condition, operating results and our ability to consummate a Business Combination could be adversely affected. For example, in January 2023, the outstanding national debt of the U.S. government reached its statutory limit. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury Department”) has announced that, since then, it has been using extraordinary measures to prevent the U.S. government’s default on its payment obligations, and to extend the time that the U.S. government has to raise its statutory debt limit or otherwise resolve its funding situation. The failure by Congress to raise the federal debt ceiling could have severe repercussions within the U.S. and to global credit and financial markets. If Congress does not raise the debt ceiling, the U.S. government could default on its payment obligations, or experience delays in making payments when due. A payment default or delay by the U.S. government, or continued uncertainty surrounding the U.S. debt ceiling, could result in a variety of adverse effects for financial markets, market participants and U.S. and global economic conditions. In addition, U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility a downgrade in the credit rating of the U.S. government and could result in economic slowdowns or a recession in the U.S. Although U.S. lawmakers have passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, ratings agencies have lowered or threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States as a result of disputes over the debt ceiling. The impact of a potential downgrade to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could adversely affect economic conditions, as well as our business, financial condition, operating results and our ability to consummate a Business Combination.

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at Thunder Bridge or third parties could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

Thunder Bridge depends on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with whom Thunder Bridge may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of Thunder Bridge’s assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early-stage company without significant investments in data security protection, Thunder Bridge may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. Thunder Bridge also lacks sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. Any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have material adverse consequences on Thunder Bridge’s business and lead to financial loss.

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect Thunder Bridge’s business, including Thunder Bridge’s ability to negotiate and complete Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination and results of operations.

Thunder Bridge is subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, Thunder Bridge is required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements and numerous complex tax laws. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on Thunder Bridge’s business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on Thunder Bridge’s business, including Thunder Bridge’s ability to negotiate and complete Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination and results of operations.

On January 24, 2024, the SEC adopted new rules and regulations for SPACs, which will become effective on July 1, 2024 (the “2024 SPAC Rules”) requiring, among other matters, (i) additional disclosures relating to SPAC Business Combination transactions; (ii) additional disclosures relating to dilution and to conflicts of interest involving sponsors and their affiliates in both SPAC initial public offerings and Business Combination transactions; (iii) additional disclosures regarding projections included in SEC filings in connection with proposed Business Combination transactions; and (iv) the requirement that both the SPAC and its target company be co-registrants for Business Combination registration statements.

In addition, the SEC’s adopting release provided guidance describing circumstances in which a SPAC could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, including its duration, asset composition, business purpose, and the activities of the SPAC and its management team in furtherance of such goals.

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Compliance with the 2024 SPAC Rules and related guidance may (i) increase the costs of and the time needed to negotiate and complete an initial Business Combination and (ii) negatively affect Thunder Bridge’s ability to complete an initial Business Combination.

If Thunder Bridge is deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and Thunder Bridge’s activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination.

The SEC’s adopting release with respect to the 2024 SPAC Rules provided guidance relating to the potential status of SPACs as investment companies subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. Whether a SPAC is an investment company is dependent on specific facts and circumstances and we can give no assurance that a claim will not be made that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company.

If Thunder Bridge is deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, Thunder Bridge’s activities may be restricted, including (i) restrictions on the nature of Thunder Bridge’s investments; and (ii) restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination.

In addition, Thunder Bridge may become subject to more burdensome requirements, including: (i) registration as an investment company; (ii) adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and (iii) reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless Thunder Bridge can qualify for an exclusion, Thunder Bridge must ensure that Thunder Bridge is engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that Thunder Bridge’s activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of Thunder Bridge’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Thunder Bridge is mindful of the SEC’s investment company definition and guidance and intends to complete an initial Business Combination with an operating business, and not with an investment company, or to acquire minority interests in other businesses exceeding the permitted threshold.

Thunder Bridge does not believe that Thunder Bridge’s business activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the Trust Account were initially invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended Business Combination. To mitigate the risk that Thunder Bridge might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that Thunder Bridge holds investments in the Trust Account, on June 22, 2023, Thunder Bridge instructed Continental, as trustee of the Trust Account, to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account as of July 1, 2023, and instead to hold the funds in the Trust Account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, Continental is not permitted to invest in securities or assets other than as described above. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), Thunder Bridge intended to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. Thunder Bridge’s Initial Public Offering was not intended for persons who were seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The Trust Account is intended solely as a temporary depository for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend Thunder Bridge’s Amended and Restated Charter (x) in a manner that would affect the substance or timing of Thunder Bridge’s obligation to redeem 100% of Thunder Bridge’s Public Shares if Thunder Bridge does not complete Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination within the Combination Period; or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of shares of Thunder Bridge’s Class A Common Stock or pre-initial Business Combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, Thunder Bridge’s return of the funds held in the Trust Account to Thunder Bridge’s Public Stockholders as part of Thunder Bridge’s redemption of the Public Shares.

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Thunder Bridge is aware of litigation claiming that certain SPACs should be considered investment companies. Although Thunder Bridge believes that these claims are without merit, Thunder Bridge cannot guarantee that Thunder Bridge will not be deemed to be an investment company and thus subject to the Investment Company Act. If Thunder Bridge were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which Thunder Bridge has not allotted funds and may hinder Thunder Bridge’s ability to complete an initial Business Combination or may result in Thunder Bridge’s liquidation. If Thunder Bridge is unable to complete Thunder Bridge’s initial Business Combination, Thunder Bridge’s Public Stockholders may receive only approximately $10.60 per Public Share upon the liquidation of Thunder Bridge’s Trust Account and Thunder Bridge’s Warrants will expire worthless.

Risks Relating to Tax Matters

A 1% U.S. federal excise tax may be imposed on us with respect to our redemptions of Public Shares (in connection with the Business Combination or other Thunder Bridge stockholder vote pursuant to which Thunder Bridge stockholders would have a right to submit their shares for redemption (a “Redemption Event”)).

Pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376), commencing in 2023, a 1% U.S. federal excise tax (the “Excise Tax”) is imposed on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of stock by publicly traded domestic (i.e., U.S.) corporations and certain domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations. The Excise Tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation and not on its stockholders. Subject to certain exceptions and adjustments that could reduce the amount of any Excise Tax liability, redemptions of Public Shares are generally expected to be subject to the Excise Tax.

The Excise Tax is generally assessed at a rate of 1% of the fair market value (determined at the time of repurchase) of the repurchased shares, subject to the adjustment described in the following sentence. For purposes of calculating any Excise Tax liability, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. Based on the transactions currently contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, we expect issuances in connection with the Business Combination to significantly reduce the amount of any Excise Tax otherwise incurred in connection with our redemptions.

Accordingly, although we do not currently expect to incur significant Excise Tax liability in connection with the Business Combination (including redemptions pursuant to the redemption rights described herein), the extent to which PubCo would be subject to the Excise Tax in connection with any Redemption Event would depend on a number of factors, including: (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Redemption Event and (ii) the content of any proposed or final regulations and other guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In addition, because the Excise Tax would be payable by PubCo (or Thunder Bridge) and not by the redeeming holders, the mechanics of any required payment of the Excise Tax remain to be determined. Any Excise Tax payable by PubCo (or Thunder Bridge) in connection with a Redemption Event may cause a reduction in the cash available to Thunder Bridge to complete an initial business combination and could affect Thunder Bridge’s ability to complete an initial business combination.

If Thunder Bridge were to fail to complete an initial business combination by January 2, 2025, repurchases in connection with Thunder Bridge’s liquidation, or that occur in the same taxable year as such liquidation, are currently expected to be exempt from the Excise Tax under interim guidance issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

The imposition of additional or higher taxes, whether resulting from a change of tax laws or a different interpretation or application of tax laws, could affect demand for our exchange services and/or may otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results from operations and/or financial condition.

Tax laws, regulations and treaties are complex and their application is often subject to interpretation. We may, periodically or on an ad hoc basis, be subject to tax audits or other investigations aimed at assessing our compliance with any direct and/or indirect taxes or levies. Tax authorities may not agree with our interpretations of, or the positions we have taken or intend to take on, tax laws, regulations or treaties applicable to us, our activities, services or transactions. In case of challenges by tax authorities, these may result in lengthy and costly proceedings, additional tax assessments, and the actual payment of additional taxes or levies, interest and/or penalties.

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Unilateral or internationally agreed changes in tax laws or regulations or in the policies or positions of relevant tax authorities, including Japanese, U.S. or Dutch tax authorities, regarding the application, administration or interpretation of tax laws, regulations or treaties, could also increase the taxes or levies payable by us or in respect of our services or transactions, possibly even with retroactive effect. Notable international developments include the introduction of a re-allocation of profits and taxing rights among countries and a global minimum tax of 15% under the Two-Pillar Solution to Address the Tax Challenges of the Digitalization of the Economy, agreed upon by over 135 jurisdictions under the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS and the related developments in respect of implementation of such agreement in relevant tax laws and regulations. Further, the European Commission has published a draft directive laying down rules to prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes (the so-called third anti-tax avoidance directive, or ATAD 3). If the directive would be adopted, companies that qualify as a shell company without being eligible for one or more exemptions or exclusions or their EU shareholders may face material adverse consequences. While it is currently uncertain if and in what form the directive would be adopted, we cannot rule out that ATAD 3 may be relevant to PubCo or additional measures need to be adopted by PubCo in that respect with associated costs and changes to our organization.

Further, the imposition of any new or additional taxes or levies on the services and products we offer or may offer in the future, or in respect of holding, entering into transactions or otherwise relating to crypto assets, could adversely affect the demand for our services and our results from operations.

Each of the above risks could have a material adverse impact on our business or organization, results from operations and/or financial condition.

If PubCo ceases to be a Dutch tax resident for the purposes of a tax treaty concluded by the Netherlands and in certain other events, we could potentially be subject to a proposed Dutch dividend withholding tax in respect of a deemed distribution up to our entire market value less paid-up capital insofar as it exceeds EUR 50 million.

Under a proposal of law currently pending before the Dutch parliament, the Emergency act conditional exit tax dividend withholding tax (Spoedwet conditionele eindafrekening dividendbelasting, “DWT Exit Tax”), PubCo will be deemed to have distributed an amount up to its entire market capitalization less recognized paid-up capital immediately before the occurrence of certain events, including if it ceases to be a Dutch tax resident for purposes of a tax treaty concluded by the Netherlands with another jurisdiction and becomes, for purposes of such tax treaty, exclusively a tax resident of that other jurisdiction which is a qualifying jurisdiction. A qualifying jurisdiction is a jurisdiction other than a member state of the EU/EEA which does not impose a withholding tax on distributions sufficiently similar to the Dutch dividend withholding tax, or that does impose such tax but that grants a step-up for earnings attributable to the period prior to it becoming exclusively a resident in such jurisdiction. This deemed distribution will be subject to a 15% tax insofar as it exceeds a franchise of EUR 50 million. The tax is payable by PubCo as a withholding agent. A full exemption applies insofar shareholders are resident in an EU/EEA member state or a state that has concluded a tax treaty with the Netherlands that contains a dividend article, provided PubCo submits a declaration confirming the satisfaction of applicable conditions by qualifying shareholders within one month following the taxable event. PubCo will be deemed to have withheld the tax on the deemed distribution and has a statutory right to recover this from its shareholders. Dutch resident shareholders qualifying for the exemption are entitled to a credit or refund, and non-Dutch resident shareholders qualifying for the exemption are entitled to a refund, subject to applicable statutory limitations, provided the tax has been actually recovered from them.

The DWT Exit Tax has been amended several times since the initial proposal of law and is still under discussion. It is therefore not certain whether the DWT Exit Tax will be enacted and if so, in what form. If enacted in its present form, the DWT Exit Tax will have retroactive effect as from 8 December 2021.

We may not be eligible for withholding tax relief benefits in respect of income received by us under relevant treaties for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital and may be required to adopt additional measures to claim such benefits under the relevant tax treaties.

Our ability to efficiently fund, realize investments and/or repatriate income or capital gains from jurisdictions in which we are or will be active may depend on our ability to claim benefits under relevant treaties for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital (“tax treaties”) concluded between the Netherlands and such jurisdictions. It depends on the provisions of the relevant tax treaty and the specific circumstances whether we would be entitled to tax treaty benefits (including, for example, the principal purpose test or any other provision of the Multilateral Instrument if applicable) and our entitlement to such

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benefits may change due to changes to the tax treaty or the interpretation or application thereof or relevant facts and circumstances. The ability to claim tax treaty benefits may necessitate restructuring our corporate structure and/or business operations, including changes to our management and organizational structure. This may result in additional complexity and costs. If we are not eligible to claim materially relevant tax treaty benefits, this could result in additional tax costs that may have an adverse impact on our ability to efficiently fund, realize investments and/or repatriate income or capital gains from the jurisdictions in which we are or will be active, and our after tax results and financial condition.

By way of example, under Japanese tax law, dividends paid by our subsidiary M1 GK to us are in principle subject to a 20.42% withholding tax, unless reduced by the tax treaty between Japan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (the “Japan-NL tax treaty”). We believe we are currently a qualified person for purposes of the limitation on benefits clause of the Japan-NL tax treaty (the “LOB Clause”) and entitled to a reduced rate of 0% Japanese withholding tax on dividends paid by M1 GK. For our qualification as a qualified person we currently intend to rely on the so-called ‘indirect stock exchange test’ of the Japan-NL tax treaty a prerequisite of which is the voting power held by Monex Group, Inc. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange being at least 50%. In order to obtain withholding tax exemption in Japan under the Japan-NL Tax Treaty, a residency certificate issued by the competent Dutch tax authority must be submitted to the district director of the relevant tax office via M1 GK. If a residency certificate cannot be issued by the competent Dutch tax authority, we will not be entitled to exemption from Japanese withholding tax under the LOB Clause, but will be entitled to a reduction of the Japanese withholding tax rate to 5%. Changing circumstances, such as Monex Group, Inc.’s voting power dropping below 50% could necessitate restructuring of our corporate structure and/or business operations, including changes to our management and organizational structure, in order to continue to be a qualified person for purposes of claiming certain benefits under the Japan-NL tax treaty or otherwise result in us no longer being eligible to claim such benefits.

We operate so as to be treated exclusively as a resident of the Netherlands for tax purposes, but other jurisdictions may also claim taxation rights over us.

As a Dutch limited liability company incorporated under Dutch law, we are in principle deemed to be a tax resident of the Netherlands subject to Dutch corporate income tax on our worldwide income and obliged to withhold Dutch dividend withholding tax on (deemed) distributions to our shareholders. We intend to maintain our organizational and management structure in such a manner that we should be regarded to have our residence for tax purposes exclusively in the Netherlands and should not be regarded as a tax resident of any other jurisdiction. Because our group conducts most of its business operations outside of the Netherlands, other jurisdictions, including Japan, may also claim taxation rights over us, for instance by virtue of tax residency, having a permanent establishment or otherwise. Furthermore, changes to applicable laws or interpretations thereof may also result in us ceasing to be exclusively tax resident in the Netherlands. A failure to achieve or maintain exclusive tax residency in the Netherlands may result in material adverse tax consequences. The impact of this risk would differ depending on the jurisdictions and tax authorities involved and our ability to resolve double taxation issues, for instance through mutual agreement procedures and/or other dispute resolution mechanisms under an applicable tax treaty or the dispute resolution mechanism under the EU Arbitration Directive (in case of an EU jurisdiction).

There is uncertainty regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock who exercise their redemption rights.

There is some uncertainty regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock who exercise their redemption rights. The uncertainty of tax consequences relates primarily to the individual circumstances of the taxpayer and include (i) whether the redemption results in a dividend, taxable as ordinary income, or a sale, taxable as capital gain, and (ii) whether such capital gain is “long-term” or “short-term.” Whether the redemption qualifies for sale treatment, resulting in taxation as capital gain rather than ordinary income, will depend largely on whether the holder owns (or is deemed to own) any shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock following the redemption, and if so, the total number of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock held by the holder both before and after the redemption relative to all shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption generally will be treated as a sale, rather than a dividend, if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the holder’s equity interest in Thunder Bridge or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the holder. Due to the personal and subjective nature of certain of such tests and

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the absence of clear guidance from the IRS, there is uncertainty as to whether a holder who elects to exercise its redemption rights will be taxed on any gain from the redemption as ordinary income or capital gain. See the section entitled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations of the Redemption Rights and the Business Combination.”

Risks Relating to PubCo and its Shares Following the Business Combination

The Post-Combination Company may issue additional ordinary shares or other equity securities, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares.

The Post-Combination Company may issue additional ordinary shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among other things, financings, future acquisitions, repayment of outstanding indebtedness, employee benefit plans and exercises of outstanding options, warrants and other convertible securities, in a number of circumstances.

The Post-Combination Company’s issuance of additional ordinary shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:

        Public Stockholders’ proportionate ownership interest in the Post-Combination Company will decrease;

        the amount of cash available per share, including for payment of dividends (if any) in the future, may decrease;

        the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding share of Thunder Bridge Common Stock may be diminished; and

        the market price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares may decline.

See “— Risks Relating to Thunder Bridge and the Business Combination — Thunder Bridge stockholders who do not redeem their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock will have a reduced ownership and voting interest after the Business Combination and will exercise less influence over management.”

Following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will incur significant increased expenses and administrative burdens as a public company, which could have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.

Following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses as a public company that Coincheck does not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including the requirements of Section 404 thereof, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, the PCAOB and the securities exchanges, impose additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. Compliance with public company requirements will increase costs and make certain activities more time-consuming. A number of those requirements will require the Post-Combination Company to carry out activities Coincheck does not currently conduct. For example, the Post-Combination Company will adopt new internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. In addition, expenses associated with SEC reporting requirements will be incurred. Furthermore, if any issues in complying with those requirements are identified (for example, if the auditors identify a material weakness or significant deficiency in the internal control over financial reporting), the Post-Combination Company could incur additional costs rectifying those issues, and the existence of those issues could adversely affect the Post-Combination Company’s reputation or investor perceptions of it. It may also be more expensive to obtain director and officer liability insurance. Risks associated with the Post-Combination Company’s status as a public company may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on the Post-Combination Company Board or as executive officers. The additional reporting and other obligations imposed by these rules and regulations will increase legal and financial compliance costs and the costs of related legal, accounting and administrative activities. These increased costs will require the Post-Combination Company to divert a significant amount of money that could otherwise be used to expand the business and achieve strategic objectives. Advocacy efforts by stockholders and third parties may also prompt additional changes in governance and reporting requirements, which could further increase costs.

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If PubCo fails to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, the price of PubCo Ordinary Shares may be adversely affected.

PubCo will be required to establish and maintain appropriate internal control over financial reporting. Failure to establish those controls, or any failure of those controls once established, could adversely affect PubCo’s public disclosures regarding its business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting may identify weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in PubCo’s internal control over financial reporting, or other matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in PubCo’s internal control over financial reporting, or disclosure of management’s assessment of the PubCo’s internal control over financial reporting, may have an adverse impact on the price of PubCo Ordinary Shares.

The Post-Combination Company’s failure to timely and effectively implement controls and procedures required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that will be applicable to it after the Business Combination is consummated could have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results and financial condition.

Coincheck is currently not subject to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will be required to comply with the management certification requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in its annual report on Form 20-F for its first annual report that is filed with the SEC (subject to any change in applicable SEC rules). The Post-Combination Company will thereafter be required to comply with Section 404 in full (including an auditor attestation on management’s internal controls report) beginning with its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year following its first annual report required to be filed with the SEC (subject to any change in applicable SEC rules). The standards required for a public company under Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are significantly more stringent than those required of Coincheck as a privately-held company. For example, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Accordingly, the Post-Combination Company will be required to perform system and process evaluations and testing of internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report annually on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. This assessment requires disclosure of any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified by management.

In connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2023, Coincheck identified a material error and therefore restated its financial statements for the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2022 previously included in a prior amendment to this proxy statement/prospectus confidentially submitted to the SEC related to the accounting for marketplace transaction revenue recognition. As a result of this material error, Coincheck’s management has concluded that a material weakness exists, which remains unremediated, and therefore its internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of March 31, 2024. See “— Risks Related to Coincheck’s Business and Industry — We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate this material weakness, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, this may impair our and the Post-Combination Company’s ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations, which may adversely affect investor confidence.

Compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires the incurrence of substantial accounting expense and consumes significant management efforts. Management may not be able to effectively and timely implement controls and procedures that adequately respond to the increased regulatory compliance and reporting requirements that will be applicable after the Business Combination. If the Post-Combination Company is not able to implement the additional requirements of Section 404(a) in a timely manner, with adequate compliance or is otherwise unable to conclude that internal control over its financial reporting is effective, or if its independent registered public accounting firm determines that it has a material weakness or significant deficiency in internal control over financial reporting, the Post-Combination Company could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of its financial reports, the market price of its securities could decline, and it could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness

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in internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict future access to the capital markets. In addition, if the Post-Combination Company is unable to meet the requirements of Section 404, it may not be able to remain listed on Nasdaq.

The Post-Combination Company will qualify as a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such the Post-Combination Company is exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

Because the Post-Combination Company will qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company is exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: (i) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (iii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iv) the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

The Post-Combination Company will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, the Post-Combination Company intends to publish its results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information the Post-Combination Company is required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. Accordingly, after the Business Combination, if you continue to hold the Post-Combination Company’s securities, you may receive less or different information about the Post-Combination Company than you currently receive about Thunder Bridge or that you would receive about a U.S. domestic public company.

The Post-Combination Company could lose its status as a foreign private issuer under current SEC rules and regulations if more than 50% of the Post-Combination Company’s outstanding voting securities become directly or indirectly held of record by U.S. holders and any one of the following is true: (i) the majority of the Post-Combination Company’s directors or executive officers are U.S. citizens or residents; (ii) more than 50% of the Post-Combination Company’s assets are located in the United States; or (iii) the Post-Combination Company’s business is administered principally in the United States. If the Post-Combination Company loses its status as a foreign private issuer in the future, it will no longer be exempt from the rules described above and, among other things, will be required to file periodic reports and annual and quarterly financial statements as if it were a company incorporated in the United States. If this were to happen, the Post-Combination Company would likely incur substantial costs in fulfilling these additional regulatory requirements and members of the Post-Combination Company’s management would likely have to divert time and resources from other responsibilities to ensuring these additional regulatory requirements are fulfilled. See “Management of the Post-Combination Company Following the Business Combination — Foreign Private Issuer Status.

The Post-Combination Company will be a Dutch public company with limited liability, and its shareholders may have rights different to those of shareholders of companies organized in the United States.

The rights of the shareholders of the Post-Combination Company may be different from the rights of shareholders of companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions. Following the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will be a Dutch public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap). Its corporate affairs will be governed by the Post-Combination Company Articles of Association. The rights of the Post-Combination Company’s shareholders and the responsibilities of members of its Board of Directors may be different from the rights of shareholders and the responsibilities of members of board of directors of companies governed by the laws of other jurisdictions including the United States. In the performance of its duties, the Post-Combination Company Board will be required by Dutch law to consider the Post-Combination Company’s interests, the interests of its affiliated enterprise and the interests of all of its stakeholders, including its shareholders and employees, in all cases with due observation of the principles of reasonableness and fairness. It is possible that some of these parties will have interests that are different from, or in addition to, the interests of shareholders.

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Because we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on PubCo Ordinary Shares for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell PubCo Ordinary Shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We may retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends as a public company in the future will be made at the discretion of the Post-Combination Company’s board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that the Post-Combination Company’s board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in Thunder Bridge Common Stock unless you sell Post-Combination Company ordinary shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it. See the section entitled “Price Range of Securities and Dividends.”

Our largest shareholder, Monex, will continue to exercise control over us after the Business Combination and may have interests that differ from or conflict with ours and exert influence over our management policies.

Following the Business Combination, we expect that Monex Group, Inc. will hold in the aggregate over 70% of the outstanding shares of our common stock immediately following the consummation of the Business Combination, assuming the Maximum Redemption Scenario. Accordingly, Monex may continue to exercise significant influence, including veto rights, over fundamental decisions that require shareholder approval such as the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions, the sale of businesses and amendments to our articles of incorporation. As a result, Monex may have the power effectively to prevent or delay change of control or other transactions that may otherwise benefit our shareholders, which may also prevent or discourage shareholder initiatives aimed at changing our management or strategy or otherwise exerting influence over us. In addition, Monex will exercise its voting power in its own interest, which may not be in line or even be in conflict with the interests of the remaining shareholders.

It may be difficult to enforce U.S. judgments against us.

Following the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company will be a company incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands, and a substantial portion of its assets will be outside of the United States. Most of the Post-Combination Company’s directors and senior management and independent auditors will reside outside the United States, and all or a substantial portion of their respective assets may be located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for U.S. investors to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons. It may also be difficult for U.S. investors to enforce within the United States judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts outside the United States would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against the Post-Combination Company or its directors and officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. Therefore, it may be difficult to enforce U.S. judgments against the Post-Combination Company, its directors and officers and independent auditors.

There may not be an active trading market for PubCo’s ordinary shares, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities and make it difficult for you to sell PubCo’s ordinary shares.

Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, there has not been a public trading market for PubCo’s ordinary shares. It is possible that after this Business Combination an active trading market will not develop or continue or, if developed, that any market will be sustained which would make it difficult for you to sell your PubCo Ordinary Shares at an attractive price or at all.

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If, following the Business Combination, securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about the Post-Combination Company, its business, or its market, or if they change their recommendations regarding the Post-Combination Company’s securities adversely, the price and trading volume of the Post-Combination Company’s securities could decline.

The trading market for the Post-Combination Company’s securities will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about the Post-Combination Company, its business, market or competitors. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on Coincheck. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of the Post-Combination Company, the Post-Combination Company’s share price and trading volume would likely be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who may cover the Post-Combination Company change their recommendation regarding the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about the Post-Combination Company’s competitors, the price of the Post-Combination Company’s ordinary shares would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover the Post-Combination Company were to cease coverage of the Post-Combination Company or fail to regularly publish reports on it, the Post-Combination Company could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause its share price or trading volume to decline.

The Post-Combination Company may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.

Following the Business Combination, the Post-Combination Company’s share price may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities litigation, including class action litigation. The Post-Combination Company may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on the Post-Combination Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject the Post-Combination Company to significant liabilities.

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF THE REDEMPTION
RIGHTS AND THE BUSINESS COMBINATION

The following is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences for holders of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Public Warrants that either (a) participate in the Business Combination, or (b) elect to have their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock redeemed for cash. This discussion also addresses certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants. This discussion addresses only those Thunder Bridge security holders that hold their securities, and, if they participate in the Business Combination, will hold PubCo’s securities, as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment).

This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to a holder’s particular circumstances, including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant to holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:

        U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

        persons subject to the alternative minimum tax;

        persons holding shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrants as part of a hedge, straddle or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated transaction;

        banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions;

        brokers, dealers or traders in securities;

        “controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies” and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax;

        tax-exempt organizations or governmental organizations;

        persons subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrants being taken into account in an applicable financial statement;

        U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

        holders actually, or through attribution, owning 5% or more (by vote or value) of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock or, following the Business Combination, the PubCo Ordinary Shares;

        regulated investment companies (RICs) or real estate investment trusts (REITs);

        tax-qualified retirement plans; and

        “qualified foreign pension funds,” as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code, and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds.

If an entity or arrangement is treated as a partnership (or other pass-through entity or arrangement) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax treatment of the persons treated as partners (or other owners) will generally depend on the status of the partners, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. Accordingly, partnerships (or other pass-through entities or arrangements) and the partners (or other owners) in such partnerships (or such other pass-through entities or arrangements) should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them relating to the matters discussed below.

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrants that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

        an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States,

        a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia,

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        an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source, or

        an entity treated as a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and the control of one or more “United States persons” (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) or (2) was in existence on August 20, 1996 and has a valid election in effect to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Also, for purposes of this discussion, a “Non-U.S. holder” is any beneficial owner of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrants, as the case may be, who or that is neither a U.S. holder nor an entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS, AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX LAWS, UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.

Treatment of PubCo

Treatment of PubCo as a Non-U.S. Corporation for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes

Under current U.S. federal income tax law, a corporation generally will be considered to be a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes only if it is created or organized in the United States or under the law of the United States or of any state or the District of Columbia. Accordingly, under generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rules, PubCo, which is not created or organized in the United States or under the law of the United States or of any state but is instead a Dutch incorporated entity (and a tax resident of the Netherlands) would generally be classified as a non-U.S. corporation. Section 7874 of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, however, contain specific rules (more fully discussed below) that may cause a non-U.S. corporation to be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The rules under Section 7874 of the Code are complex and require analysis of all relevant facts, and there is limited guidance as to their application. Under Section 7874 of the Code, a corporation created or organized outside the United States (i.e., a non-U.S. corporation) will nevertheless be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and, therefore, be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its worldwide income) if (1) the non-U.S. corporation directly or indirectly acquires substantially all of the assets held directly or indirectly by a U.S. corporation (including through the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of the U.S. corporation), (2) the non-U.S. corporation’s “expanded affiliated group” does not have substantial business activities in the non-U.S. corporation’s country of organization or incorporation relative to the expanded affiliated group’s worldwide activities, and (3) the former stockholders of the acquired U.S. corporation hold at least 80%, or in certain circumstances 60%, as described below (by either vote or value) of the shares of the non-U.S. acquiring corporation after the acquisition by reason of holding shares in the acquired U.S. corporation (taking into account the receipt of the non-U.S. corporation’s shares in exchange for the U.S. corporation’s shares) as determined for purposes of Section 7874 of the Code (the “80% Ownership Test”). Where the non-U.S. acquiring corporation is a tax resident of a different jurisdiction than an acquired non-U.S. corporation acquired in connection with the acquisition of the U.S. corporation, the 80% Ownership Test will generally be satisfied if the shareholders of the acquired U.S. corporation receive at least 60% of the stock of the new non-U.S. acquiring corporation. Since PubCo is incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands, the 80% Ownership Test will generally be satisfied if the holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock receive at least 60% of the stock of PubCo.

Based on the complex rules for determining share ownership under Section 7874 of the Code and certain factual assumptions, former holders of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock are expected to be treated as holding less than 60% (by both vote and value) of PubCo by reason of their former ownership of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, and therefore PubCo is not expected to satisfy the 80% Ownership Test. As a result, PubCo believes, and the remainder of this discussion assumes that, it will not be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income

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tax purposes under Section 7874 of the Code. However, whether the 80% Ownership Test has been satisfied must be finally determined after the completion of the Business Combination, by which time there could be adverse changes to the relevant facts and circumstances. Furthermore, the interpretation of Treasury regulations relating to the 80% Ownership Test is subject to uncertainty, and there is limited guidance regarding their application. In addition, changes to the rules in Section 7874 of the Code or the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, or other changes in law, could adversely affect PubCo’s status as a non-U.S. entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not take a contrary position to those described above or that a court will not agree with a contrary position of the IRS in the event of litigation.

If it were determined that PubCo is treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 7874 of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, PubCo would be liable for U.S. federal income tax on its income just like any other U.S. corporation, and holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants would be treated as holders of stock and warrants of a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Treatment of PubCo as a “Surrogate Foreign Corporation” for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes

In addition to the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences discussed above, Section 7874 of the Code can also apply to limit the ability of the acquired U.S. corporation and its U.S. affiliates to utilize certain U.S. tax attributes (including net operating losses and certain tax credits) to offset U.S. taxable income resulting from certain transactions, cause dividends paid by the non-U.S. acquiring corporation to not be treated as “qualified dividend income,” and subject the U.S. affiliates (including the acquired U.S. corporation) of the non-U.S. acquiring corporation to additional taxes under Section 59A of the Code (as discussed below). These limitations will potentially apply if: (1) the non-U.S. corporation directly or indirectly acquires substantially all of the assets held directly or indirectly by a U.S. corporation (including through the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of the U.S. corporation), (2) the non-U.S. corporation’s “expanded affiliated group” does not have substantial business activities in the non-U.S. corporation’s country of organization or incorporation relative to the expanded affiliated group’s worldwide activities, and (3) the former stockholders of the acquired U.S. corporation hold at least 60% (but less than 80%), by either vote or value, of the shares of the non-U.S. acquiring corporation after the acquisition by reason of holding shares in the acquired U.S. corporation (the “60% Ownership Test” and, together with the “80 Ownership Test,” the “Ownership Tests”).

If each condition is met, then the non-U.S. corporation would be treated as a “surrogate foreign corporation” and taxable income of the U.S. corporation (and any U.S. person considered to be related to the U.S. corporation pursuant to applicable rules) for any given year, within a period beginning on the first date the U.S. corporation’s properties were acquired directly or indirectly by the non-U.S. acquiring corporation and ending 10 years after the last date the U.S. corporation’s properties were acquired, will be no less than that person’s “inversion gain” for that taxable year. A person’s inversion gain includes gain from the transfer of shares or any other property (other than property held for sale to customers) and income from the license of such property that is either transferred or licensed as part of the acquisition or after the acquisition to a non-U.S. related person. In general, the effect of this provision is to deny the use of net operating losses, foreign tax credits or other tax attributes to offset the inversion gain. Further, such U.S. corporation must include, as base erosion payments that may be subject to a minimum tax, any amounts treated as reductions in gross income paid to a related foreign person within the meaning of Section 59A of the Code. Also, dividends paid by a surrogate foreign corporation would not qualify for a reduced rate of tax as “qualified dividend income,” discussed below under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — U.S. Holders — Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution” when such dividends are received by stockholders of the non-U.S. acquiring corporation.

Based on the complex rules for determining share ownership under Section 7874 of the Code and certain factual assumptions, former holders of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock are expected to be treated as holding less than 60% (by both vote and value) of PubCo by reason of their former ownership of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, and therefore PubCo is not expected to satisfy the 60% Ownership Test. Accordingly, the limitations and other rules described above are not expected to apply to PubCo or its U.S. affiliates, including Thunder Bridge, after the Business Combination. However, whether the 60% Ownership Test has been satisfied must be finally determined after the completion of the Business Combination, by which time there could be adverse changes to the relevant facts and circumstances. Furthermore, the interpretation of Treasury regulations relating to the 60% Ownership

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Test is subject to uncertainty, and there is limited guidance regarding their application, such that any changes to the rules in Section 7874 of the Code or the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, or other changes in law, could adversely affect PubCo and its U.S. affiliates, including Thunder Bridge. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not take a contrary position to those described above or that a court will not agree with a contrary position of the IRS in the event of litigation.

Even if the IRS does not take a contrary position with respect to the Ownership Tests, PubCo may be limited in using its equity to engage in future acquisitions of U.S. corporations over a 36-month period following a Business Combination. For purposes of calculating the Ownership Tests with respect to a subsequent acquisition, Treasury regulations under Section 7874 of the Code would exclude certain shares of PubCo, making it more likely that Section 7874 of the Code would apply to such subsequent acquisition.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock

U.S. Holders

Redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.    In the event that a U.S. holder’s Thunder Bridge Common Stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section entitled “The Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge — Redemption Rights,” the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Redemption Treated as a Sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock” below. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described below under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — U.S. Holders — Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution.”

Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on whether the U.S. holder owns any of Thunder Bridge’s stock following the redemption (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder as described in the following paragraph), and if so, the total number of shares of Thunder Bridge’s stock held by the U.S. holder both before and after the redemption (including any stock constructively treated as owned by the U.S. holder) relative to all of Thunder Bridge’s shares outstanding both before and after the redemption, taking into account other transactions occurring in connection with the redemption (including the Business Combination). The redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock generally will be treated as a sale of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s equity interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also shares of stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any stock that the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Thunder Bridge Common Stock that could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Public Warrants. Moreover, any Thunder Bridge Common Stock that a U.S. holder directly or constructively acquires pursuant to the Business Combination generally should be included in determining the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the redemption.

In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of Thunder Bridge’s outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of Thunder Bridge’s outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by such U.S. holder immediately before the redemption (taking into account both redemptions by other holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and the PubCo Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Business Combination). There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s

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interest if either (i) all of the shares of our capital stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our capital stock actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed, the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other stock. The redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in Thunder Bridge.

Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in Thunder Bridge will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.

If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution, and the tax effects will be as described under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — U.S. Holders — Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution” below. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Thunder Bridge Common Stock will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Public Warrants or possibly to the basis of other stock constructively owned by it.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a U.S. holder exercises its redemption rights to receive cash from the Trust Account in exchange for a portion of its Thunder Bridge Common Stock and exchanges the remainder of such stock for PubCo Ordinary Shares in the Business Combination, such redemption may be treated as integrated with the Business Combination rather than as a separate transaction. In such case, cash received by such U.S. holder in the redemption may also be treated as taxable boot received in a “reorganization” (which, depending on the circumstances applicable to such U.S. holder, may be treated as capital gain or dividend income to the extent of Thunder Bridge’s accumulated earnings and profits, as described below) or a transaction governed by Section 351 of the Code. Under this characterization, such U.S. holder may be required to recognize more gain or income than if the redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock was treated as a separate transaction from the exchange pursuant to the Business Combination and the related transactions, and would not be entitled to recognize any loss with respect to its redeemed Thunder Bridge Common Stock. In addition, if a U.S. holder that elects to participate in a redemption with respect to all its Thunder Bridge Common Stock maintains its ownership of Public Warrants, such redemption also may be treated as integrated with the Business Combination rather than as a separate transaction (with the same taxation effects described above). If the IRS were to assert, and a court were to sustain such a contrary position, such U.S. holder may be required to recognize more gain or income than if the redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock was treated as a separate transaction from the exchanges pursuant to the Business Combination and the related transactions.

Gain or Loss on Redemption Treated as a Sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.    If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received in the redemption and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its redeemed Thunder Bridge Common Stock. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Thunder Bridge Common Stock generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Thunder Bridge Common Stock so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Thunder Bridge Common Stock may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution.    If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, a U.S. holder will generally be treated as receiving a distribution. Such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles.

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Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in Thunder Bridge Common Stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock as described above.

Dividends (including amounts treated as dividends paid pursuant to a redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock) that Thunder Bridge pays to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends (including constructive dividends paid pursuant to a redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock) treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided that certain holding period requirements are met, dividends Thunder Bridge pays to a non-corporate U.S. holder generally will constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the preferential tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Thunder Bridge Common Stock described in this proxy statement/prospectus may prevent a U.S. holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.    In general, information reporting requirements will apply to dividends (including constructive dividends paid pursuant to a redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock) paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn). Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s federal income tax liability provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Non-U.S. Holders

Redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.    Subject to the discussions of backup withholding and FATCA below, the characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s Thunder Bridge Common Stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section entitled “The Stockholders Meeting of Thunder Bridge — Redemption Rights” generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s Thunder Bridge Common Stock, as described under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — U.S. Holders — Redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described below under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common StockNon-U.S. Holders — Gain on Redemption Treated as a Sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock” and “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common StockNon-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution,” as applicable.

Gain on Redemption Treated as a Sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.    A Non-U.S. holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized on a redemption treated as a sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock unless:

        the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in the United States to which such gain is attributable);

        the Non-U.S. holder is an individual who is treated as present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the redemption and certain other requirements are met; or

        Thunder Bridge Common Stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest by reason of Thunder Bridge’s status as a U.S. real property holding corporation (“USRPHC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

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Gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates. A Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.

Gain described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States) provided that the Non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.

With respect to the third bullet point above, Thunder Bridge believes it is not and has not been at any time since its formation, and does not expect to be immediately after the Business Combination is completed, a USRPHC. The rest of this discussion assumes that Thunder Bridge is not, has not been, and will not be a USRPHC.

Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution.    If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, a Non-U.S. holder generally will be treated as receiving a distribution. Such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from Thunder Bridge’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of Thunder Bridge’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in Thunder Bridge Common Stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock and will be treated as described under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common StockNon-U.S. Holders — Gain on Redemption Treated as a Sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock” above. In general, with respect to any distributions that constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we or an applicable withholding agent will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or other applicable documentation. It is possible that because the applicable withholding agent may not be able to determine the proper characterization of a redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s Thunder Bridge Common Stock, the withholding agent might treat the redemption as a distribution subject to withholding tax. A Non-U.S. holder may generally obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.

If dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in the United States to which such dividends are attributable), the Non-U.S. holder will be exempt from the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax described above if such Non-U.S. holder furnishes to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Any such effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates. A Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected dividends, as adjusted for certain items. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.    Payments of dividends (including constructive dividends received pursuant to a redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock) on Thunder Bridge Common Stock will not be subject to backup withholding, provided that the applicable withholding agent does not have actual knowledge or reason to know the holder is a United States person and the holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any payments of dividends on Thunder Bridge Common Stock paid to the Non-U.S. holder, regardless of whether any tax was actually withheld. In addition, proceeds of the sale or other taxable disposition of Thunder Bridge Common Stock within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related brokers generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above and does not have actual

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knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person, or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds of a disposition of Thunder Bridge Common Stock conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting.

Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. holder resides or is established. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

FATCA Withholding Taxes.    Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred to as “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends (including amounts paid in redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock that are treated as dividends) paid to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied, or an exemption applies (typically certified by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. The IRS has issued proposed regulations (on which taxpayers may rely until final regulations are issued) that would generally not apply these withholding requirements to gross proceeds from sales or other disposition proceeds of Thunder Bridge Common Stock. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on the redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock.

IF YOU ARE A HOLDER OF THUNDER BRIDGE COMMON STOCK CONTEMPLATING EXERCISE OF YOUR REDEMPTION RIGHTS, WE URGE YOU TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES THEREOF.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination

U.S. Holders

Subject to the discussion below of Section 367(a) of the Code under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination — U.S. Holders — Additional Requirements for Tax Deferral,” the transfer by U.S. holders of their Thunder Bridge Common Stock to PubCo pursuant to the BCA, taken together with the related transactions, should qualify either as a transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code or as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code. Thunder Bridge has received the Tax Opinion from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP (the “Tax Opinion”) which concludes that, subject to the limitations and qualifications set forth therein, in this Registration Statement, and Section 367(a) of the Code, the transfer by a U.S. holder of their shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock to PubCo pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, taken together with related transactions, should qualify as a transaction governed by Section 351 of the Code.

Receipt of the Tax Opinion is not a condition to the obligations of Thunder Bridge, Coincheck and other parties to the Business Combination Agreement to complete the transactions under the Business Combination Agreement. The Tax Opinion is based upon representations, warranties and covenants provided by Thunder Bridge, Coincheck and other relevant parties and certain assumptions (including those related to Section 367(a) of the Code), all of which must continue to be true and accurate as of the effective time of the Business Combination. In addition, the Tax Opinion is subject to certain qualifications and limitations as set forth in the Tax Opinion. If any of the assumptions, representations, warranties or covenants upon which the Tax Opinion is based are inconsistent with the actual facts, the Tax Opinion could be invalid. Also, given the complex nature of the tax rules applicable to the Business Combination and the related transactions and the absence of authorities directly on point or an advance ruling from the IRS, the conclusions stated in the Tax Opinion are not free from doubt, and there is a risk that the IRS could take a contrary position to those described in the Tax Opinion and that a court will agree with such contrary position in the event of litigation.

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U.S. Holders Exchanging Only Thunder Bridge Common Stock for PubCo Ordinary Shares.    A U.S. holder that owns only shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock but not Public Warrants and that exchanges such Thunder Bridge Common Stock for PubCo Ordinary Shares as a result of the Business Combination and related transactions generally should not recognize gain or loss. The aggregate tax basis of the PubCo Ordinary Shares received by such U.S. holder should be the same as the aggregate adjusted tax basis of the Thunder Bridge Common Stock exchanged therefor. The holding period of the PubCo Ordinary Shares received by such U.S. holder will include the period during which the shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock exchanged therefor were held by such U.S. holder.

U.S. Holders whose Public Warrants Become PubCo Warrants.    Thunder Bridge and PubCo have agreed pursuant to the BCA to report the Business Combination as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code. To qualify as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, a transaction must satisfy certain requirements, including, among others, that the acquiring corporation continue, either directly or indirectly through certain controlled corporations, either a significant line of the acquired corporation’s historic business or use a significant portion of the acquired corporation’s historic business assets in a business, in each case, within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.368-1(d). However, due to the absence of guidance bearing directly on how the above rules apply in the case of an acquisition of stock of a corporation with no active business and only investment-type assets, such as Thunder Bridge, the qualification of the Business Combination as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code is not free from doubt.

If the Business Combination is treated as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, a U.S. holder of Public Warrants that are converted to PubCo Warrants generally should not recognize gain or loss. The aggregate tax basis of the PubCo Warrants received by such U.S. holder should be the same as the aggregate adjusted tax basis of Public Warrants exchanged therefor. The holding period of the PubCo Warrants received by such U.S. holder will include the period during which Public Warrants exchanged therefor were held by such U.S. holder.

If the Business Combination and related transactions are treated as a transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code but not as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, a U.S. holder that owns only Public Warrants but not Thunder Bridge Common Stock should recognize gain or loss upon the conversion of those Public Warrants to PubCo Warrants equal to the difference between the fair market value of the PubCo Warrants received and such U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such U.S. holder’s Public Warrants. A U.S. holder’s tax basis in the PubCo Warrants received in the Business Combination will equal the fair market value of such PubCo Warrants. A U.S. holder’s holding period in the PubCo Warrants received in the Business Combination should begin on the day after the Business Combination.

If the Business Combination and related transactions are treated as a transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code but not as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, the treatment of a U.S. holder that owns both Thunder Bridge Common Stock that are exchanged for PubCo Ordinary Shares and Public Warrants that are converted into PubCo Warrants in the Business Combination depends on whether the conversion of Public Warrants into PubCo Warrants in the Business Combination is treated as part of the transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code or as a separate transaction. If the conversion of Public Warrants into PubCo Warrants is treated as a separate transaction, then the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the U.S. holder’s exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock for PubCo Ordinary Shares should be treated as described above under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination — U.S. Holders — U.S. Holders Exchanging Only Thunder Bridge Common Stock for PubCo Ordinary Shares,” and the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the conversion of Public Warrants for PubCo Warrants should generally be treated as described in the previous paragraph.

If the conversion of Public Warrants into PubCo Warrants in the Business Combination is treated as part of the transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code, a U.S. holder would generally be treated as transferring each of (i) its Thunder Bridge Common Stock and (ii) its Public Warrants for a combination of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants received by such U.S. holder in the Business Combination. The PubCo Warrants received by such U.S. holder in the Business Combination would be allocated ratably between the Thunder Bridge Common Stock and the Public Warrants in proportion to their relative fair market values, and the U.S. holder would generally recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to each share of its Thunder Bridge Common Stock and each of its Public Warrants equal to the lesser of (i) the excess (if any) of the fair market value of such share or warrant over such U.S. holder’s tax basis in such share or warrant or (ii) the fair market value of such PubCo

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Warrants allocated to such share or warrant. Any loss realized by a U.S. holder would not be recognized. The holding period of the PubCo Ordinary Shares received by such U.S. holder should include the period during which the Thunder Bridge Common Stock exchanged therefor were held by such U.S. holder. A U.S. holder’s holding period in the PubCo Warrants received in the Business Combination should begin on the day after the Business Combination.

Gain, if any, described in the previous paragraphs that is recognized by a U.S. holder will generally be long-term capital gain to the extent it is allocated to exchanged Thunder Bridge Common Stock, or Public Warrants converted into PubCo Warrants, that were held by such U.S. holder for more than one year at the time of the Business Combination. Long-term capital gains recognized by a non-corporate U.S. holder generally would be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Thunder Bridge Common Stock described in this proxy statement/prospectus could toll a U.S. holder’s holding period.

Alternative Treatment of the Business Combination.    If the Business Combination and related transactions are not treated as a transfer of property to a corporation under Section 351 of the Code or as a reorganization under Section 368 of the Code, the Business Combination will generally be treated as a taxable exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or Public Warrants for PubCo Ordinary Shares and/or PubCo Warrants. A U.S. holder of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or Public Warrants would generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the excess of (i) the fair market value of the PubCo Ordinary Shares (and, if such holder also holds Public Warrants that convert into PubCo Warrants, the converted PubCo Warrants) received over (ii) such holder’s adjusted tax basis in such Thunder Bridge Common Stock (and Public Warrants, if any).

Any such gain would be capital gain, and generally would be long-term capital gain if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Thunder Bridge Common Stock (and/or Public Warrants, as applicable) exceeded one year at the time of the Business Combination. Long-term capital gains recognized by a non-corporate U.S. holder generally would be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Thunder Bridge Common Stock described in this proxy statement/prospectus could toll a U.S. holder’s holding period.

A U.S. holder’s holding period for the PubCo Ordinary Shares (and/or PubCo Warrants, as applicable) would begin on the day after the Business Combination and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants received in the exchange should equal the fair market value of such PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants at the time of the exchange.

U.S. holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrants are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the proper U.S. federal income tax treatment of the Business Combination, including with respect to its qualification as a “reorganization” under Section 368 of the Code, or, alternatively, as part of a tax-deferred transaction pursuant to Section 351 of the Code.

Additional Requirements for Tax Deferral.    Section 367(a) of the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder impose certain additional requirements for qualifying for nonrecognition of gain under Section 351 or Section 368 of the Code with respect to transactions where a U.S. person transfers stock or securities (or is deemed to transfer stock or securities) in a U.S. corporation to a foreign corporation in exchange for stock or securities in a foreign corporation. U.S. holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock will be deemed to transfer shares of such stock to PubCo in exchange for PubCo Ordinary Shares for purposes of the rules under Section 367(a) of the Code.

In general, for the Business Combination to meet these additional requirements, certain reporting requirements must be satisfied and each of the following conditions must be met: (i) no more than 50% of both the total voting power and the total value of the stock of PubCo is received in the exchange, in the aggregate, by “U.S. transferors” (as defined in the Treasury regulations and computed taking into account direct, indirect and constructive ownership); (ii) no more than 50% of each of the total voting power and the total value of the stock of PubCo is owned, in the aggregate, immediately after the exchange by “U.S. persons” (as defined in the Treasury regulations) that are either officers or directors or “five-percent target shareholders” (as defined in the Treasury regulations and computed taking into account direct, indirect and constructive ownership) of Thunder Bridge; (iii) either (A) the U.S. holder is not a “five-percent transferee shareholder” (as defined in the Treasury regulations and computed taking into account direct ownership and ownership as a result of attribution rules) of PubCo or (B) the U.S. holder is a “five-percent transferee shareholder” of PubCo and enters into an agreement with the IRS to recognize gain on the transferred

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shares under certain circumstances; and (iv) the “active trade or business test” as defined in Treasury Regulations Section 1.367(a)-3(c)(3) is satisfied. The active trade or business test generally requires (A) PubCo, or any qualified subsidiary of PubCo, to be engaged in an “active trade or business” outside of the U.S. for the 36-month period immediately before the transfer and neither the transferors nor PubCo to have an intention to substantially dispose of or discontinue such trade or business and (B) the fair market value of PubCo to be at least equal to the fair market value of Thunder Bridge, as specifically determined for purposes of Section 367 of the Code, at the time of the transfer. It is currently expected that conditions (i) and (ii) will be met, and (iv) will be met as a result of the activities of Coincheck. As a result, it is expected that the Business Combination and related transactions will not be taxable under Section 367 of the Code on account of such conditions. It should be noted, however, that there is limited guidance regarding the application of these requirements to facts similar to the Business Combination. In addition, the determination of whether Section 367(a) of the Code will apply to holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and Public Warrants cannot be made until the Business Combination is completed. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that Section 367(a) of the Code will not apply to U.S. holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or Public Warrants that participate in the Business Combination.

If the exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or the conversion of Public Warrants pursuant to the Business Combination, taken together with the related transactions, would otherwise qualify for nonrecognition treatment under Section 351 of the Code or Section 368 of the Code, but it is determined that Section 367(a) of the Code applies, then a U.S. holder of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or Public Warrants would generally recognize gain with respect to each share of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrant in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (i) the fair market value of the PubCo Ordinary Shares and/or PubCo Warrants received over (ii) such holder’s adjusted tax basis in such share of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrant. Any such gain would be capital gain, and generally would be long-term capital gain if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Thunder Bridge Common Stock (and/or Public Warrants, as applicable) exceeded one year at the time of the Business Combination. Long-term capital gains recognized by a non-corporate U.S. holder generally would be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The U.S. holder would not recognize any loss in such holder’s Thunder Bridge Common Stock (and/or Public Warrants, if applicable) and would not be permitted to net any such losses against any gain recognized with respect to other shares of Thunder Bridge Common Stock (or Public Warrants, if any). It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Thunder Bridge Common Stock described in this proxy statement/prospectus could toll a U.S. holder’s holding period.

The rules dealing with Section 367(a) of the Code discussed above are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor concerning the application of these rules to your exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or deemed exchange of Public Warrants under your particular circumstances, including, if you believe you will be a “five percent-transferee shareholder,” the possibility of entering into a “gain recognition agreement” under applicable Treasury regulations.

Information Reporting, Backup Withholding and Additional Reporting Requirements.    The information reporting and backup withholding requirements applicable to the sale or other taxable disposition of Thunder Bridge Common Stock, described above in “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — U.S. Holders — Information Reporting and Backup Withholding,” would apply to the Business Combination to the extent it results in a taxable exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and/or Public Warrants (which would be treated similarly to Thunder Bridge Common Stock for this purpose).

Certain U.S. holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property to PubCo. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply.

Non-U.S. Holders

The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Business Combination to Non-U.S. holders generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Business Combination to U.S. holders, as described under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination — U.S. Holders” above, although to the extent the Business Combination results in a taxable exchange of Thunder Bridge Common Stock or Public Warrants, the consequences would be similar to those described above under the heading “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax

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Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Redemption Treated as a Sale of Thunder Bridge Common Stock” and “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Redemption to the Holders of Thunder Bridge Common Stock — Non-U.S. Holders — Information Reporting and Backup Withholding” for a Non-U.S. holder’s gain on the redemption of Thunder Bridge Common Stock and the related information reporting and backup withholding requirements.

Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants

U.S. Holders

Dividends and Other Distributions on PubCo Ordinary Shares.    Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below under the heading “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” distributions (including, for the avoidance of doubt and for the purpose of the balance of this discussion, deemed distributions) on PubCo Ordinary Shares will generally be taxable as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from PubCo’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of PubCo’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its PubCo Ordinary Shares. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the PubCo Ordinary Shares and will be treated as described below under the heading “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants — U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants.” The amount of any such distribution will include any amounts withheld, if any, by us (or another applicable withholding agent). It is not expected that PubCo will determine earnings and profits in accordance with U.S. federal income tax principles. Therefore, U.S. holders should expect that a distribution will generally be treated as a dividend.

Amounts treated as dividends that PubCo pays to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation owning less than 10% of PubCo generally will be taxed at regular tax rates and will not qualify for the dividends received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax laws currently in effect and subject to certain exceptions described below, dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate only if PubCo Ordinary Shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States or PubCo is eligible for benefits under an applicable tax treaty with the United States, and, in each case, PubCo is not treated as a PFIC (as defined below) with respect to such U.S. holder at the time the dividend was paid or in the preceding year and is not a “surrogate foreign corporation” (as described above under “— Treatment of PubCo — Treatment of PubCo as a ‘Surrogate Foreign Corporation’ for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes”), and provided certain holding period requirements are met. United States Treasury Department guidance indicates that PubCo Ordinary Shares, which are intended to be listed on Nasdaq, will be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. There can be no assurance, however, that PubCo Ordinary Shares will be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States in later years or that PubCo will be eligible for the benefits of such a treaty. Non-corporate U.S. holders that do not meet a minimum holding period requirement during which they are not protected from the risk of loss or that elect to treat the dividend income as “investment income” for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations will not be eligible for the reduced rates of taxation regardless of PubCo’s status as a qualified foreign corporation. In addition, the rate reduction will not apply to dividends if the recipient of a dividend is obligated to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. This disallowance applies even if the minimum holding period has been met.

The amount of any dividend distribution paid in foreign currency will be the U.S. dollar amount calculated by reference to the applicable exchange rate in effect on the date of actual or constructive receipt, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars at the time. A U.S. holder may have foreign currency gain or loss, taxable as ordinary income, if the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars after the date of receipt.

Amounts taxable as dividends generally will be treated as income from sources outside the U.S. and will, depending on the circumstances of the U.S. holder, be “passive” or “general” category income which, in either case, is treated separately from other types of income for purposes of computing the foreign tax credit allowable to such U.S. holder. The rules governing foreign tax credits are complex and U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the creditability of foreign taxes in their particular circumstances. In lieu of claiming a foreign tax

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credit, a U.S. holder may, in certain circumstances, deduct foreign taxes in computing their taxable income, subject to generally applicable limitations under U.S. law. Generally, an election to deduct foreign taxes instead of claiming foreign tax credits applies to all foreign taxes paid or accrued in the taxable year.

Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants.    Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below under the heading “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” upon any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, a U.S. holder generally will recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of (x) the amount of cash and (y) the fair market value of any other property, received in such sale, exchange or other taxable disposition and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrant (determined as described above). A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the PubCo Ordinary Shares received in exchange for Thunder Bridge Common Stock and in the PubCo Warrants converted from Public Warrants is described above under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination — U.S. Holders.”

Any such gain or loss generally will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for such PubCo Ordinary Share or PubCo Warrant exceeds one year. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. holder generally will be taxable at a reduced rate. The deduction of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Any gain or loss recognized on the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants generally will be U.S.-source income or loss for purposes of computing the foreign tax credit allowable to a U.S. holder.

Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of PubCo Warrants.    Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a PubCo Warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the exercise of a PubCo Warrant. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the PubCo Ordinary Share received upon exercise of a PubCo Warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the PubCo Warrant and the exercise price of such PubCo Warrant. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in a PubCo Warrant that was converted from a Public Warrant is described under “— Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Business Combination — U.S. Holders. It is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the PubCo Ordinary Shares received upon exercise of the PubCo Warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the PubCo Warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the PubCo Warrants. If a PubCo Warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such U.S. holder’s tax basis in the PubCo Warrant.

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a PubCo Warrant are not clear under current tax law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the PubCo Ordinary Shares received would equal the holder’s basis in the PubCo Warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period in the PubCo Ordinary Shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the PubCo Warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the PubCo Ordinary Shares would include the holding period of the PubCo Warrants.

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of PubCo Warrants having an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of PubCo Warrants to be exercised, and the U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the PubCo Warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in such PubCo Warrants. In that case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the PubCo Ordinary Shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the PubCo Warrants exercised and the exercise price of such PubCo Warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the PubCo Ordinary Shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the PubCo Warrants; in either case, the holding period

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would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the PubCo Warrants. There may also be alternative characterizations of any such taxable exchange that would result in similar tax consequences, except that a U.S. holder’s gain or loss would be short-term.

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the PubCo Ordinary Shares received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

If PubCo redeems PubCo Warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this proxy statement/prospectus entitled “Description of the Post-Combination Company’s Securities — Warrants” or if PubCo purchases PubCo Warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants — U.S. Holders Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants.

Possible Constructive Distributions.    The terms of each PubCo Warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of PubCo Ordinary Shares for which the PubCo Warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the PubCo Warrant in certain events. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not a taxable event. Nevertheless, a U.S. holder of the PubCo Warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from PubCo if, for example, the adjustment increases PubCo Warrant holders’ proportionate interest in PubCo assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of PubCo Ordinary Shares that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares which is taxable to such holders as described under “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants — U.S. Holders — Dividends and Other Distributions on PubCo Ordinary Shares” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the PubCo Warrants received a cash distribution from PubCo equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.    Certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to a U.S. holder if PubCo is treated as a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for any taxable year during which the U.S. holder holds PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants. A non-U.S. corporation, such as PubCo, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules, either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, annuities, net gains from the sale or exchange of property producing such income and net foreign currency gains. For purposes of the PFIC income test and asset test described above, if PubCo owns, directly or indirectly, 25% or more of the total value of the outstanding shares of another corporation, PubCo will be treated as if it (a) held a proportionate share of the assets of such other corporation and (b) received directly a proportionate share of the income of such other corporation.

Coincheck does not believe that PubCo will be treated as a PFIC for its current taxable year and does not expect to become one in the near future. However, PFIC status depends on the composition of PubCo’s (and its subsidiaries’) income and assets and the fair market value of its (and its subsidiaries’) assets from time to time, as well as on the application of complex statutory and regulatory rules that are subject to potentially varying or changing interpretations. This conclusion is a factual determination, however, that must be made annually at the close of each taxable year and, thus, is subject to change. There can be no assurance that PubCo will not be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year.

If PubCo is a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder owns PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants and the U.S. holder did not make the QEF or mark-to-market elections discussed below, PubCo or such non-U.S. subsidiary generally will continue to be a PFIC with respect to that U.S. holder for all succeeding years during which the U.S. holder owns PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, even if it ceases to meet the thresholds set forth under the asset test or the income test above, unless the U.S. holder makes a “deemed sale” election with respect to its PubCo Ordinary Shares. If a U.S. holder makes a “deemed sale” election, it will be deemed to have sold PubCo Ordinary Shares at their fair market value and any gain from such deemed sale would be subject to the rules described in the following paragraphs. After the deemed sale election, so long as PubCo

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does not become a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year, PubCo Ordinary Shares with respect to which such election was made will not be treated as shares in a PFIC and, as a result, the U.S. holder will not be subject to the rules described below with respect to any “excess distribution” it receives from PubCo or any gain from an actual sale or other disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares. U.S. holders are strongly urged to consult their tax advisors as to the possibility and consequences of making a deemed sale election if PubCo is and then ceases to be a PFIC and such an election becomes available.

If PubCo is a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder holds PubCo Ordinary Shares, then, unless the U.S. holder makes either an applicable PFIC election (or elections), as further described below, for the first taxable year and each subsequent taxable year of PubCo in which it was treated as a PFIC, such U.S. holder generally will be subject to special adverse tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that it receives and any gain that it recognizes from a sale or other disposition, including certain pledges, of PubCo Ordinary Shares. For this purpose, distributions received in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or the U.S. holder’s holding period for PubCo Ordinary Shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these rules:

        the excess distribution or recognized gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. holder’s holding period for PubCo Ordinary Shares;

        the amount of the excess distribution or recognized gain allocated to the taxable year of distribution or gain, and to any taxable years in the U.S. holder’s holding period prior to the first taxable year in which PubCo was treated as a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income; and

        the amount of the excess distribution or recognized gain allocated to each other taxable year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as applicable, for each such year and the resulting tax will be subject to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax.

If PubCo is a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder holds PubCo Ordinary Shares and any of PubCo’s non-U.S. subsidiaries or other corporate entities in which PubCo owns equity interests is also a PFIC, the U.S. holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of each such non-U.S. entity classified as a PFIC (each such entity, a lower-tier PFIC). Rules similar to those described above and below would apply to such shares. There can be no assurance that any of PubCo’s non-U.S. subsidiaries will not be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to PubCo’s lower-tier PFICs (if any).

In general, if PubCo is determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. holder may avoid the adverse PFIC tax consequences described above in respect of PubCo Ordinary Shares (but not PubCo Warrants) by making and maintaining a timely and valid qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of PubCo’s (and any lower-tier PFICs’) net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the first taxable year of the U.S. holder in which or with which PubCo’s taxable year ends and each subsequent taxable year. A U.S. holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.

If a U.S. holder has made a QEF election with respect to its PubCo Ordinary Shares (and any lower-tier PFICs), and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for PubCo’s (and each lower-tier PFIC’s) first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, such as the deemed sale election described above), any gain recognized on the sale of PubCo Ordinary Shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances. As discussed above, if PubCo is a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of PubCo’s earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally may not be treated as dividends when distributed to such U.S. holder. The tax basis of a U.S. holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. In addition, if PubCo is not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to PubCo Ordinary Shares for such a taxable year.

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The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. In order to make a QEF election, a U.S. holder must receive a PFIC Annual Information Statement from PubCo (or the lower-tier PFIC, if applicable), which includes information about PubCo’s (or the lower-tier PFIC’s) ordinary earnings and net capital gain. If PubCo determines that it is a PFIC for any taxable year, PubCo will endeavor to provide a PFIC Annual Information Statement with respect to itself and any lower-tier PFIC subsidiaries for such taxable year. However, there can be no assurance that PubCo will know whether it is a PFIC or that it will provide the PFIC Annual Information Statement. A U.S. holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC Annual Information Statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.

Alternatively, if PubCo is a PFIC and PubCo Ordinary Shares constitute “marketable stock,” a U.S. holder may avoid the adverse PFIC tax consequences discussed above if such U.S. holder makes a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for the first taxable year in which it holds (or is deemed to hold) PubCo Ordinary Shares and each subsequent taxable year. Such U.S. holder generally will include for each of its taxable years as ordinary income the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its PubCo Ordinary Shares at the end of such year over its adjusted basis in its PubCo Ordinary Shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis of its PubCo Ordinary Shares over the fair market value of its PubCo Ordinary Shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s basis in its PubCo Ordinary Shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its PubCo Ordinary Shares will be treated as ordinary income.

Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to PubCo Warrants. Also, because a mark-to-market election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that PubCo may own, if PubCo were a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. holder that makes the mark-to-market election may continue to be subject to the tax and interest charges under the general PFIC rules with respect to such U.S. holder’s indirect interest in any subsidiaries of PubCo that are PFICs.

The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock” — generally, stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nasdaq (on which PubCo Ordinary Shares are intended to be listed). If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless PubCo Ordinary Shares cease to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consents to the revocation of the election. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election with respect to PubCo Ordinary Shares under their particular circumstances.

The application of the PFIC rules to PubCo Warrants is unclear. Proposed Treasury regulations issued under the PFIC rules generally treat an “option” (which would include a PubCo Warrant) to acquire the stock of a PFIC as stock of the PFIC, while final Treasury regulations issued under the PFIC rules provide that the QEF election does not apply to options and no mark-to-market election (discussed above) is currently available with respect to options. Therefore, if the proposed Treasury regulations are finalized in their current form, U.S. holders of PubCo Warrants would be subject to the PFIC rules described above, but would not be able to make any PFIC elections with respect to PubCo Warrants.

However, a U.S. holder may make a QEF election with respect to a PubCo Ordinary Share acquired upon the exercise of a PubCo Warrant and a QEF election previously made with respect to PubCo Ordinary Shares will apply to PubCo Ordinary Shares newly acquired upon exercise of a PubCo Warrant. Notwithstanding such QEF election, the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired PubCo Ordinary Shares (which under proposed regulations will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that

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includes the period the U.S. holder held PubCo Warrants), unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules (such as the deemed sale election discussed above). U.S. holders should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to PubCo Warrants.

A U.S. holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. holder may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund) (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and to provide such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations applicable to such U.S. holder until such required information is furnished to the IRS.

The rules dealing with PFICs and with the purging, QEF, and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to PubCo securities under their particular circumstances.

Information Reporting, Backup Withholding and Additional Reporting Requirements.    Dividend payments with respect to the PubCo Ordinary Shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants may be subject to information reporting filed with the IRS unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn). Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s federal income tax liability provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Certain U.S. holders (and to the extent provided in IRS guidance, certain individual Non-U.S. holders) holding specified foreign financial assets with an aggregate value in excess of the applicable dollar thresholds are required to report information to the IRS relating to PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for PubCo Ordinary Shares held in accounts maintained by U.S. financial institutions), by attaching a complete IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) with their tax return for each year in which they hold PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants. Substantial penalties apply to any failure to file IRS Form 8938 and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of these rules on the ownership and disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

Non-U.S. Holders

Dividends and Other Distributions on PubCo Ordinary Shares.    Subject to the discussion below concerning backup withholding, Non-U.S. holders generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax on dividends (including dividends with respect to constructive distributions, as described above under “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo WarrantsU.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions”) received from PubCo on PubCo Ordinary Shares (or, with respect to constructive distributions, on PubCo Warrants) unless the income from such dividends is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business of the Non-U.S. holder in the United States and, if provided under an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or a fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder in the United States, in which case, a Non-U.S. holder will be subject to regular federal income tax on such dividend generally in the same manner as discussed in the section above under “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo WarrantsU.S. Holders — Dividends and Other Distributions on PubCo Ordinary Shares,” unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. In addition, earnings and profits of such a Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation that are attributable to such dividend, as determined after allowance for certain adjustments, may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, or at a lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.

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Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or other Taxable Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants.    Subject to the discussion below concerning backup withholding, Non-U.S. holders generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, unless either:

        the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment or fixed place of business in the United States to which such gain is attributable); or

        the Non-U.S. holder is an individual who is treated as present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met.

Gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates. A Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.

Gain described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States) provided that the Non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.

Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of PubCo Warrant.    The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a PubCo Warrant, the lapse of a PubCo Warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, or PubCo’s redemption of PubCo Warrants for cash generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a PubCo Warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants — U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of PubCo Warrants,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described under the heading “— Tax Consequences to Ownership and Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo WarrantsU.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants” for a Non-U.S. holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of PubCo Warrants.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.    Payments of dividends on PubCo Ordinary Shares and amounts received with respect to the sale or other disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants will not be subject to backup withholding, provided that the applicable withholding agent does not have actual knowledge or reason to know the holder is a United States person and the holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns may be filed with the IRS in connection with any payments of dividends on PubCo Ordinary Shares paid to the Non-U.S. holder or amounts received with respect to the sale or other disposition of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants by the Non-U.S. holder, regardless of whether any tax was actually withheld.

Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. holder resides or is established. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE IS INCLUDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO YOU DEPENDING UPON YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU OF THE DISPOSITION OF THUNDER BRIDGE COMMON STOCK AND PUBLIC WARRANTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE BUSINESS COMBINATION, AND OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF PUBCO ORDINARY SHARES AND PUBCO WARRANTS, INCLUDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES UNDER STATE, LOCAL, ESTATE, FOREIGN AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN U.S. OR OTHER TAX LAWS.

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MATERIAL JAPANESE TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF ACQUIRING, OWNING OR
DISPOSING OF PUBCO ORDINARY SHARES OR PUBCO WARRANTS

PubCo Ordinary Shares and PubCo Warrants

The following discussion addresses certain Japanese tax consequences of acquiring, owning or disposing, as the case may be, of the PubCo Ordinary Shares, or the disposing or exercising, as the case may be, of the PubCo Warrants by Japanese and non-Japanese Holders. However, it does not present tax considerations for former Coincheck shareholders who will be owning PubCo Shares as a result of transactions in connection with the Business Combination.

This section is intended as general information only. Prospective holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants should consult their own tax adviser regarding the Japanese tax consequences of any acquisition, holding or disposal of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

Non-Japanese Holders

No particular tax consequences are expected to arise in Japan as a result of the acquiring, owning, exercising or disposing of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or the PubCo Warrants for a holder that is not a resident of Japan.

Japanese Holders

The following tax consequences are expected to arise in Japan for a holder that is a resident of Japan.

The merger between Thunder Bridge and Merger Sub may be interpreted as a transfer of Thunder Bridge shares by Thunder Bridge shareholders in exchange for PubCo Ordinary Shares, and the Thunder Bridge shareholders may be subject to taxation. Thunder Bridge shareholders may be taxed in Japan when exchanging their Public Warrants for PubCo Warrants. Japanese Holders who acquire PubCo shares or PubCo Warrants in exchange for Thunder Bridge shares or warrants through the merger should consult their own tax advisor for further information.

If a PubCo shareholder is an individual, dividends paid to the PubCo shareholder are taxable in Japan. As the dividends are paid by a foreign corporation, deduction for dividend cannot be claimed. When PubCo Ordinary Shares are transferred to third parties, shareholders will be taxed on the capital gains on transfer as they would be if they were investing in shares of a Japanese corporation, but they will also be taxed on foreign exchange gains. By filing a tax return, such shareholders may claim a foreign tax credit within certain credit limits for Dutch withholding tax.

If a PubCo shareholder is a corporation, and the PubCo Ordinary Shares held by the corporation are treated as “trading securities,” the valuation gain or loss at the end of the fiscal year is included in the amount of gain or loss for the purpose of calculating the Japanese corporate income tax for the fiscal year. When PubCo Ordinary Shares are transferred to third parties, Japanese corporate income tax will be imposed on gains on the transfer. The sale of PubCo Ordinary Shares in the U.S. public market does not affect the “taxable sales ratio” for Japanese consumption tax purposes since the transfer price is not taxable. If a share purchase agreement of PubCo Ordinary Shares is physically executed in Japan and the agreement specifies the price to be paid, then stamp tax will be imposed.

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MATERIAL Dutch Tax Considerations of Acquiring, Owning or
Disposing of PUBCO Ordinary Shares or PUBCO Warrants

Taxation in the Netherlands

This section outlines the principal Dutch tax consequences of the acquisition, holding, settlement, redemption and disposal of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants. It does not present a comprehensive or complete description of all aspects of Dutch tax law which could be relevant to a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants. For Dutch tax purposes, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants may include an individual or entity not holding the legal title to the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, but to whom, or to which, the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are, or the income from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is, nevertheless attributed based either on this individual or entity owning a beneficial interest in the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants or on specific statutory provisions. These include statutory provisions attributing PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants to an individual who is, or who has directly or indirectly inherited from a person who was, the settlor, grantor or similar originator of a trust, foundation or similar entity that holds the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

This section is intended as general information only. Prospective holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants should consult their own tax adviser regarding the tax consequences of any acquisition, holding or disposal of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

This section is based on Dutch tax law as applied and interpreted by Dutch tax courts and as published and in effect on the date of the Prospectus, including the tax rates applicable on that date, without prejudice to any amendments introduced at a later date and implemented with or without retroactive effect.

Any reference in this section made to Dutch taxes, Dutch tax or Dutch tax law should be construed as a reference to any taxes of any nature levied by or on behalf of the Netherlands or any of its subdivisions or taxing authorities or to the law governing such taxes, respectively. The Netherlands means the part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in Europe.

Any reference made to a treaty for the avoidance of double taxation concluded by the Netherlands includes the Tax Regulation for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Belastingregeling voor het Koninkrijk), the Tax Regulation for the State of the Netherlands (Belastingregeling voor het land Nederland), the Tax Regulations for the Netherlands and Curaçao (Belastingregeling Nederland Curaçao), the Tax Regulations for the Netherlands and St. Maarten (Belastingregeling Nederland Sint Maarten) and the Agreement between the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands and the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office in Taipei for the avoidance of double taxation.

This section does not describe any Dutch tax considerations or consequences that may be relevant where a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants:

(i)     is an individual and the income or capital gains derived by a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are attributable to employment activities, the income from which is taxable in the Netherlands;

(ii)    has a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang) or a fictitious substantial interest (fictief aanmerkelijk belang) in PubCo within the meaning of chapter 4 of the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001 (Wet inkomstenbelasting 2001) (the “ITA”). Generally, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants has a substantial interest in PubCo if the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, alone or — in case of an individual — together with a partner for Dutch tax purposes, or any relative by blood or by marriage in the ascending or descending line (including foster-children) of the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants or the partner, owns or holds, or is deemed to own or hold shares or certain rights to shares, including rights to directly or indirectly acquire shares, directly or indirectly representing 5% or more of PubCo’s issued capital as a whole or of any class of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants or profit participating certificates (winstbewijzen) relating to 5% or more of PubCo’s annual profits or 5% or more of PubCo’s liquidation proceeds;

(iii)   is an entity that, although it is in principle subject to Dutch corporate income tax under the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969 (Wet op de vennootschapsbelasting 1969) (the “CITA”), is not subject to Dutch corporate income tax or is fully or partly exempt from Dutch corporate income tax (such as a

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qualifying pension fund as described in Section 5 CITA and a tax exempt investment fund (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling) as described in Section 6a CITA), or is an entity that is not tax resident in the Netherlands and that has a function comparable to a tax exempt investment fund (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling) as described in Section 6a CITA;

(iv)   is an investment institution (beleggingsinstelling) as described in Section 28 CITA, or is an entity that is not tax resident in the Netherlands and that has a function comparable to an investment institution (beleggingsinstelling) as described in Section 28 CITA;

(v)    is required to apply the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) with respect to the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants (as described in Section 13 CITA). Generally, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is required to apply the participation exemption if it is subject to Dutch corporate income tax and it, or a related entity, holds an interest of 5% or more of the nominal paid-up share capital in PubCo;

(vi)   is an entity that is entitled or required to apply the dividend withholding tax exemption (inhoudingsvrijstelling) with respect to any profits derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares (pursuant to Section 4 or Section 4a of the Dutch Dividend Withholding Tax Act 1965 (Wet op de dividendbelasting 1965) (the “DWTA”). Pursuant to Section 4 DWTA, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares may, in general terms, be entitled or required to apply a dividend withholding tax exemption if it holds an interest of 5% or more of the nominal paid-up share capital in PubCo. Pursuant to Section 4a DWTA, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares may, in general terms, be entitled to apply a dividend withholding tax exemption if such holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares (x) is an entity that is tax resident in the Netherlands that is not subject to Dutch corporate income tax, or (y) is an entity which is (a) a resident in a member state of the European Union (“EU”), or a state that is a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (“‘EEA”; Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway) or, to the extent that it concerns shares that are held as a portfolio investment, another state that has been designated by means of a ministerial decree as a state with which the Netherlands can exchange information in line with the international standard on exchange of information, (b) is not subject to a profit tax levied by that state and (c) would not have been subject to Dutch corporate income tax had that entity been resident in the Netherlands, and such holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares has obtained a formal decision from the Dutch Tax Authorities stating that these requirements are met (kwalificatiebeschikking);

(vii)  is an entity that is related (gelieerd) to PubCo within the meaning of the Withholding Tax Act 2021 (Wet bronbelasting 2021). An entity is considered related if (i) it holds, directly or indirectly, a Qualifying Interest in PubCo, (ii) PubCo, directly or indirectly, holds a Qualifying Interest in the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, or (iii) a third party holds, directly or indirectly, a Qualifying Interest in both PubCo and the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants. An entity is also considered related to PubCo if the entity is part of a collaborating group (samenwerkende groep) of entities that jointly directly or indirectly holds a Qualifying Interest in PubCo. The term Qualifying Interest means a directly or indirectly held interest — either by an entity individually or jointly if an entity is part of a collaborating group — that enables such entity or such collaborating group to exercise a definite influence over another entities’ decisions, such as PubCo or the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants as the case may be, and allows it to determine the other entities’ activities;

(viii) is an entity which is a resident of Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten and fully or partly conducts a business through a permanent establishment (vaste inrichting) or a permanent representative (vaste vertegenwoordiger) in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius or Saba to which the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are attributable; and

(ix)   is not considered the beneficial owner (uiteindelijk gerechtigde) of these PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants or the benefits derived from or realized in respect of these PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

This section also does not describe any Dutch tax considerations or consequences arising from the Dutch Minimum Tax Act 2024 (Wet minimumbelasting 2024; the Dutch implementation of Directive (EU) 2022/2523 of 14 December 2022 on ensuring a global minimum level of taxation for multinational enterprise groups and large-scale domestic groups in the European Union). Generally, such Dutch tax considerations or consequences

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may arise for a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants that is part of a multinational enterprise group which has at least one Dutch resident constituent entity (including permanent establishments situated in the Netherlands) or a large-scale domestic group, both within the meaning of the Dutch Minimum Tax Act 2024, provided that such a group has an annual revenue of at least €750,000,000 in its (consolidated) financial statements in at least two of the four reporting years immediately preceding the relevant (reporting) year. If a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is part of such a multinational enterprise group or a large-scale domestic group, any benefits derived or deemed to be derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, including any capital gains realized on any transfer of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, may be subject to a (top-up) tax of up to 15% in the Netherlands.

Withholding Tax

Based on Dutch domestic law, PubCo is generally required to withhold Dutch dividend withholding tax at a rate of 15% from dividends distributed by it pursuant to the DWTA. Generally, PubCo is responsible for the withholding of such dividend withholding tax at source.

Dividends distributed by PubCo include, but are not limited to:

(i)     distributions of profits in cash or in kind, whatever they be named or in whatever form;

(ii)    proceeds from the liquidation of PubCo or proceeds from the repurchase of PubCo Ordinary Shares by PubCo, other than as a temporary portfolio investment (tijdelijke belegging), in excess of the average paid-in capital recognized for the purposes of the DWTA;

(iii)    the par value of the PubCo Ordinary Shares issued to a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants or an increase in the par value of the PubCo Ordinary Shares, to the extent that no related contribution, recognized for the purposes of the DWTA, has been made or will be made; and

(iv)   partial repayment of paid-in capital, that is,

        not recognized for DWTA purposes, or

        recognized for DWTA purposes, to the extent that PubCo has “net profits” (zuivere winst), unless (a) the general meeting of shareholders has resolved in advance to make this repayment, and (b) the par value of the PubCo Ordinary Shares concerned has been reduced by an equal amount by way of an amendment to the articles of association of PubCo. The term “net profits” includes anticipated profits that have yet to be realized.

In addition to the above, it cannot be excluded that proceeds of redemption of PubCo Warrants or proceeds of the repurchase of PubCo Warrants or an actual or deemed (including in connection with any cashless exercise of PubCo Warrants) full or partial cash settlement of PubCo Warrants fall within the scope of the expression “dividends distributed” and are therefore to such extent subject to Dutch dividend withholding tax at a rate of 15%. However, to date, no authoritative case law of the Dutch courts has been made publicly available in this respect.

The exercise of a PubCo Warrant will however in the view of PubCo not give rise to Dutch dividend withholding tax, except to the extent (i) the exercise price paid in cash per issued PubCo Ordinary Share is below the nominal value of a PubCo Ordinary Share (currently, the nominal value per PubCo Ordinary Share is €0.01 and the exercise price of a PubCo Warrant will be $11.50) and (ii) such difference is not charged against PubCo’s share premium reserve recognized for purposes of Dutch dividend withholding tax. If any Dutch dividend withholding tax due is not effectively withheld for the account of the relevant holder of PubCo Warrants, Dutch dividend withholding tax shall be due by PubCo on a grossed-up basis, meaning that the Dutch dividend withholding tax basis shall be equal to the amount referred to in the preceding sentence multiplied by 100/85. Exceptions and relief from Dutch dividend withholding tax may apply as set forth below.

If a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is an individual that is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands or is an individual that is not resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, but for whom dividends distributed by PubCo or income deemed to be derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is subject to income tax under the ITA, such holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is generally entitled to a credit for any Dutch dividend withholding tax against his Dutch tax liability and to a refund

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of any residual Dutch dividend withholding tax. Entities that are resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands and entities that are not resident or deemed resident in the Netherlands, but for which dividends distributed by PubCo are subject to corporate income tax under the CITA, can only credit Dutch dividend withholding tax up to the total amount of their Dutch corporate income tax liability without taking into account any credit for Dutch dividend withholding tax and gaming tax (kansspelbelasting). To the extent the aggregate of the Dutch dividend withholding tax and gaming tax exceeds the aggregate Dutch corporate income tax liability in respect of the relevant year, the excess is not refunded, but carried forward to future years subject to certain restrictions and conditions.

Depending on specific circumstances, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants resident in a country other than the Netherlands and for whom dividends distributed by PubCo or income deemed to be derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is not subject to tax under the ITA or the CITA may be entitled to exemptions from, reduction of, or full or partial refund of, Dutch dividend withholding tax under Dutch law, EU law, or treaties for the avoidance of double taxation.

A holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants that is resident (i) in an EU member state, (ii) in a state that is a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (“EEA”; Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway), or (iii) in a designated third state with which the Netherlands has agreed to an arrangement for the exchange of information on tax matters and for whom dividends distributed by PubCo or income deemed to be derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is not subject to tax under the ITA or the CITA, may be entitled to a full or partial refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax incurred in respect of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants if the final tax burden in respect of the dividends distributed by PubCo of a comparable Dutch resident holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is lower than the withholding tax incurred by the non-Dutch resident holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants. The refund is granted upon request, and is subject to conditions and limitations. No entitlement to a refund exists if the disadvantage for the non-Dutch resident holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is entirely compensated in his state of residence under the provisions of a treaty for the avoidance of double taxation concluded between his state of residence and the Netherlands.

A holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants who is resident in the United States for purposes of the 1992 treaty for the avoidance of double taxation between the United States and the Netherlands, as amended most recently by the Protocol signed March 8, 2004 (the “US Treaty”) and who is entitled to the benefits of the US Treaty, will be entitled to an exemption from or a reduction of Dutch dividend withholding tax as follows:

(i)     if the US holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is an exempt pension trust as described in Article 35 of the US Treaty or an exempt organization as described in Article 36 of the US Treaty, the US holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is entitled to an exemption from Dutch dividend withholding tax; and

(ii)    if the US holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is a company that directly holds at least 10%, but less than 80% of the voting power in PubCo, the US holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants will be entitled to a reduction of Dutch withholding tax to a rate of 5%.

A US holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants that qualifies for an exemption from, or a reduction of, Dutch dividend withholding tax may generally claim (i) an exemption or reduction at source, or (ii) a refund, by making the requisite filings within three years after the end of the calendar year in which the Dutch dividend withholding tax was levied.

A holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants who is resident in Japan for purposes of the treaty for the avoidance of double taxation between Japan and the Netherlands, signed on August 25, 2010 (the “Japan Treaty”) and who is entitled to the benefits of the Japan Treaty, will be entitled to an exemption from or a reduction of Dutch dividend withholding tax as follows:

(i)     all Japanese holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants will be entitled to a reduction of Dutch dividend withholding tax to a rate of 10%; and

(ii)    if the Japanese holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is a qualifying pension fund as described in Article 3, paragraph 1, under (m), of the Japan Treaty, the Japanese holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is entitled to an exemption from Dutch dividend withholding tax, provided that such dividends are not derived from the carrying on of a business, directly or indirectly, by such qualifying pension fund.

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A Japanese holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants that qualifies for an exemption from, or a reduction of, Dutch dividend withholding tax may generally claim (i) an exemption or reduction at source, or (ii) a refund, by making the requisite filings within five years after the end of the calendar year in which the Dutch dividend withholding tax was levied.

According to Dutch domestic anti-dividend stripping rules, no credit against Dutch tax, exemption from, reduction, or refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax will be granted if the recipient of the dividends paid by PubCo is not considered to be the beneficial owner (uiteindelijk gerechtigde) of those dividends.

The DWTA provides for a non-exhaustive negative description of a beneficial owner. According to the DWTA, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares will not be considered the beneficial owner of the dividends if as a consequence of a combination of transactions:

(i)     a person other than the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants wholly or partly, directly or indirectly, benefits from the dividends;

(ii)    whereby this other person retains or acquires, directly or indirectly, an interest similar to that in the PubCo Ordinary Shares on which the dividends were paid; and

(iii)   that other person is entitled to a credit, reduction or refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax that is less than that of the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares.

In general terms, the burden of proof with respect to beneficial ownership of dividends distributed by PubCo rests on the Dutch tax authorities. If, however, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants would receive dividends, including dividends on the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, in a calendar year in respect of which an aggregate amount of EUR 1,000 in Dutch dividend withholding tax would be due based on the rate of 15%, the burden of proof with respect to beneficial ownership of such dividends rests on the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

Taxes on Income and Capital Gains

Residents of the Netherlands

The description of certain Dutch tax consequences in this section is only intended for the following holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants:

(i)     individuals who are resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands (“Dutch Resident Individuals”); and

(ii)    entities or enterprises that are subject to the CITA and are resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands (“Dutch Resident Corporate Entities”).

Dutch Resident Individuals engaged or deemed to be engaged in an enterprise or in miscellaneous activities

Dutch Resident Individuals engaged or deemed to be engaged in an enterprise or in miscellaneous activities (resultaat uit overige werkzaamheden) are generally subject to income tax at statutory progressive rates with a maximum of 49.50% on any benefits derived or deemed to be derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, including any capital gains realized on any disposal of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, where those benefits are attributable to:

(i)     an enterprise from which a Dutch Resident Individual derives profits, whether as an entrepreneur (ondernemer) or by being co-entitled (medegerechtigde) to the net worth of this enterprise other than as an entrepreneur or shareholder; or

(ii)    miscellaneous activities, including activities which are beyond the scope of active portfolio investment activities (meer dan normaal vermogensbeheer).

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Dutch Resident Individuals not engaged or deemed to be engaged in an enterprise or in miscellaneous activities

Generally, PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants held by a Dutch Resident Individual who is not engaged or deemed to be engaged in an enterprise or in miscellaneous activities, or who is so engaged or deemed to be engaged but the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are not attributable to that enterprise or miscellaneous activities, will be subject to an annual income tax imposed on a fictitious yield on the fair market value of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants on 1 January of each calendar year under the regime for savings and investments (inkomen uit sparen en beleggen). Irrespective of the actual income or capital gains realized, the annual taxable benefit from a Dutch Resident Individual’s assets and liabilities taxed under this regime, including the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, is based on fictitious percentages applied to the fair market value of (i) bank savings, (ii) other assets, including the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, and (iii) liabilities.

Taxation only occurs if and to the extent the sum of the fair market value of bank savings and other assets minus the fair market value of the liabilities exceeds a certain threshold (heffingvrij vermogen). The tax rate under the regime for savings and investments is a flat rate of 36%.

For the calendar year 2024, the definitive fictitious percentages applicable to the first and third categories mentioned above (bank savings and liabilities) have not yet been determined. The definitive fictitious yield percentage applicable to the second category mentioned above (other assets, including the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants) is 6.04% for the calendar year 2024.

Transactions in the three months periods before and after 1 January will for this purpose be ignored unless the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants can demonstrate that such transactions are implemented for other reasons than arbitration between fictitious yield percentages.

On June 6, 2024, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the current regime for savings and investments is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights if the Dutch Resident Individual’s aggregate actual return on the assets and liabilities falling within the scope of this regime is lower than the fictitious yield. The Dutch Supreme Court provided general principles to calculate such actual return. The Dutch Resident Individual bears the burden of proof for demonstrating if and to what extent their actual return on the relevant assets and liabilities is lower than the fictitious yield. Holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are advised to consult their tax advisor on whether any tax levied under the current regime for savings and investments, including in respect of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, is in accordance with the judgement of the Dutch Supreme Court.

Dutch Resident Corporate Entities

Dutch Resident Corporate Entities are generally subject to corporate income tax at statutory rates up to 25.8% on any benefits derived or deemed to be derived from the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, including any capital gains realized on their disposal.

Non-Residents of the Netherlands

The description of certain Dutch tax consequences in this section is only intended for the following holders of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants:

(i)     individuals who are not resident and not deemed to be resident in the Netherlands (“Non-Dutch Resident Individuals”); and

(ii)    entities that are not resident and not deemed to be resident in the Netherlands (“Non-Dutch Resident Corporate Entities”).

Non-Dutch Resident Individuals

A Non-Dutch Resident Individual will not be subject to any Dutch taxes on income or capital gains derived from the purchase, ownership and disposal or transfer of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, other than withholding tax as described above, unless:

(i)     the Non-Dutch Resident Individual derives profits from an enterprise, whether as entrepreneur or by being co-entitled to the net worth of this enterprise other than as an entrepreneur or shareholder and this enterprise is fully or partly carried on through a permanent establishment (vaste inrichting) or a permanent representative (vaste vertegenwoordiger) in the Netherlands, to which the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are attributable;

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(ii)    the Non-Dutch Resident Individual derives benefits from miscellaneous activities carried on in the Netherlands in respect of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, including activities which are beyond the scope of active portfolio investment activities; or

(iii)   the Non-Dutch Resident Individual is entitled to a share — other than by way of securities — in the profits of an enterprise, which is effectively managed in the Netherlands and to which the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are attributable.

Non-Dutch Resident Corporate Entities

A Non-Dutch Resident Corporate Entity will not be subject to any Dutch taxes on income or capital gains derived from the purchase, ownership and disposal or transfer of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, other than withholding tax as described above, unless:

(i)     the Non-Dutch Resident Corporate Entity derives profits from an enterprise, which is fully or partly carried on through a permanent establishment or a permanent representative in the Netherlands to which the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are attributable; or

(ii)    the Non-Dutch Resident Corporate Entity is entitled to a share — other than by way of securities — in the profits of an enterprise or a co-entitlement to the net worth of an enterprise, which is effectively managed in the Netherlands and to which the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants are attributable.

Under certain specific circumstances, treaties for the avoidance of double taxation may restrict the extent to which Non-Dutch Resident Individuals and Non-Dutch Resident Corporate are subject to Dutch taxes in connection with the acquisition, holding, settlement, redemption, and transfer of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

Dutch Gift Tax or Inheritance Tax

No Dutch gift tax or inheritance tax is due in respect of any gift of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants by, or inheritance of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants on the death of, a holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants, unless:

(i)     the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is resident, or is deemed to be resident, in the Netherlands at the time of the gift or death of the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants;

(ii)    the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants dies within 180 days after the date of the gift of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants and was, or was deemed to be, resident in the Netherlands at the time of the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants’ death but not at the time of the gift; or

(iii)   the gift of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is made under a condition precedent and the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants is resident, or is deemed to be resident, in the Netherlands at the time the condition is fulfilled.

Other Taxes and Duties

No other Dutch taxes, including taxes of a documentary nature, such as capital tax, stamp or registration tax or duty, are payable by, or on behalf of, the holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants by reason only of the purchase, ownership and disposal of the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

Residency

A holder of PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants will not become a resident or deemed resident of the Netherlands by reason only of holding the PubCo Ordinary Shares or PubCo Warrants.

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Defined terms included below have the same meaning as terms defined and included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

Introduction

We are providing the following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information to aid you in your analysis of the financial aspects of the Business Combination. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes. The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X.

The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements present the combination of the financial information of Coincheck and Thunder Bridge, adjusted to give effect to the Business Combination.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of June 30, 2024 combines the historical unaudited balance sheet of Coincheck as of June 30, 2024 with the historical unaudited balance sheet of Thunder Bridge as of June 30, 2024, giving effect to the Business Combination as if it had been consummated on June 30, 2024.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2024 combines the historical unaudited statement of operations of Coincheck for the three months ended June 30, 2024 with the historical unaudited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the three months ended June 30, 2024.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended March 31, 2024 combines the historical audited statement of operations of Coincheck for the year ended March 31, 2024 with the results of Thunder Bridge for the year ended March 31, 2024. The results of Thunder Bridge for the year ended March 31, 2024 were calculated as (i) the historical audited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the year ended December 31, 2023; less (ii) the historical unaudited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the three months ended March 31, 2023; plus (iii) the historical unaudited statement of operations of Thunder Bridge for the three months ended March 31, 2024.

The unaudited pro forma statements of operations give effect to the Business Combination as if it had been consummated on April 1, 2023.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information was derived from and should be read in conjunction with the following historical financial statements and the accompanying notes, which are included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus:

        The historical audited financial statements of Coincheck as of and for the year ended March 31, 2024, and the historical unaudited financial statements of Coincheck as of and for the three months ended June 30, 2024; and

        The historical audited financial statements of Thunder Bridge as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023, and the historical unaudited financial statements of Thunder Bridge as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 and as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.

The historical financial statements of Coincheck have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB and in its presentation and reporting currency of Japanese yen (“JPY”). The historical financial statements of Thunder Bridge have been prepared in accordance with US GAAP and in its presentation and reporting currency of U.S. dollars (“USD”).

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information should also be read together with “Coincheck’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Thunder Bridge’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and other financial information included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus.

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Description of the Business Combination

Prior to the PubCo Subscription (defined below), Monex will advance a loan in the amount of EUR 1,225,876.16 (the “M1 GK Loan Amount”) to M1 GK (the “M1 GK Loan Advancement”). Following the M1 GK Loan Advancement and prior to the M1 GK Contribution (defined below), M1 GK will subscribe for, and PubCo will issue to M1 GK, a number of new PubCo Ordinary Shares equal to 122,587,616 (the “PubCo Exchange Shares”), in exchange for an aggregate subscription price payable to PubCo by M1 GK equal to USD 1,225,876,160 (the “Aggregate PubCo Share Consideration”), of which Aggregate PubCo Share Consideration (i) an amount equal to the M1 GK Loan Amount will be paid in cash to satisfy the payment obligation on the PubCo Exchange Shares (the “PubCo Subscription Cash Consideration”) and (ii) an amount equal to the Aggregate PubCo Share Consideration minus the M1 GK Loan Amount will remain outstanding in the form of a short-term note (the “PubCo Subscription Note Consideration”) (the “PubCo Subscription”).

Following the PubCo Subscription and prior to the PubCo Subscription Consideration Contribution (defined below), Monex will transfer all of the outstanding equity interests of M1 GK to PubCo as an in-kind contribution in respect of the one PubCo Ordinary Share held by it, whereby M1 GK will become a wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo (the “M1 GK Contribution”).

Following the M1 GK Contribution but prior to the M1 GK Loan Repayment (defined below), PubCo will contribute (i) the PubCo Subscription Cash Consideration to M1 GK in cash, and (ii) the PubCo Subscription Note Consideration to M1 GK as an in-kind contribution, in respect of all of the outstanding equity interests of M1 GK held by it (the “PubCo Subscription Consideration Contribution”, and together with the M1 GK Loan Advancement, the PubCo Subscription and the M1 GK Contribution, the “PubCo Restructuring”).

Following the PubCo Restructuring but prior to the Share Exchange Effective Time, M1 GK will repay the M1 GK Loan Amount to Monex (the “M1 GK Loan Repayment”).

At the Share Exchange Effective Time and on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Business Combination Agreement, Coincheck will, and PubCo will cause M1 GK to, implement a share exchange (kabushiki koukan) under and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, pursuant to which the ordinary shares of Coincheck outstanding immediately prior to the Share Exchange Effective Time will be exchanged for PubCo Ordinary Shares.

At the Share Exchange Effective Time, the effect of the Share Exchange will be that, amongst others, Coincheck shareholders become holders of the PubCo Exchange Shares, and Coincheck will become a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of M1 GK, which, in turn, will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo.

Immediately following the Share Exchange Effective Time on the Closing Date, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Business Combination Agreement and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the laws of the Netherlands, PubCo will (a) convert its legal form, without ceasing to exist, from a private company with limited liability (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) to a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) and (b) amend and restate its governing documents, which, as so amended and restated, will be the governing documents of PubCo until thereafter amended in accordance with the terms thereof and applicable law.

Following the Share Exchange Effective Time, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Business Combination Agreement and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the DGCL, Thunder Bridge and Merger Sub will consummate the Merger, pursuant to which Merger Sub will be merged with and into Thunder Bridge, following which the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub will cease and Thunder Bridge will continue as the Surviving Corporation and, ultimately, as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo.

At the Merger Effective Time, the effect of the Merger will be that, amongst others: (a) each Thunder Bridge Common Share issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time will be exchanged for the right to receive one PubCo Ordinary Share, and (b) without any action on the part of any holder of Thunder Bridge Warrants, each Thunder Bridge Warrant that is outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time will, pursuant to and in accordance with the Warrant Agreement, automatically and irrevocably be modified to provide that such Thunder Bridge Warrant will no longer entitle the holder thereof to purchase the amount of Thunder Bridge Common Share(s) set forth therein and in substitution thereof such Thunder Bridge Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire such number of PubCo Ordinary Shares per Thunder Bridge Warrant, subject to adjustments as provided in the Warrant Agreement, that such holder was entitled to acquire pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Warrant Agreement if the Thunder Bridge Warrant was exercised prior to the Transactions.

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PubCo previously planned to issue 50,000,000 Earn-Out Shares to the equityholders of the Company; however the parties to the Business Combination have agreed that the Earn-Out Shares will no longer be issued as part of the Business Combination. As such, the historical financial information has not been adjusted to give pro forma effect to the Earn-Out Shares.

Anticipated Accounting Treatment

The Business Combination will be accounted for similar to a capital reorganization. Under this method of accounting, Thunder Bridge will be treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the Business Combination will be treated as the equivalent of Coincheck issuing shares at the Closing of the Business Combination for the net assets of Thunder Bridge as of the Closing Date, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of Thunder Bridge will be stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded.

This determination was primarily based on the expectation that the existing Coincheck stockholders have created and will control PubCo and its subsidiaries used to effect the Business Combination, will have a majority of the voting power of PubCo under the minimum and maximum redemption scenarios, and will comprise a majority of the governing body of PubCo.

The Business Combination is not within the scope of IFRS 3 since there is no change in control based on the continued control of PubCo by existing Coincheck stockholders and Thunder Bridge does not meet the definition of a business in accordance with IFRS 3; as such, the Business Combination is accounted for within the scope of IFRS 2. Any excess of fair value of Coincheck shares issued over the fair value of Thunder Bridge’s identifiable net assets acquired represents compensation for the service of a stock exchange listing for its shares and is expensed as incurred.

Basis of Pro Forma Presentation

The historical financial information has been adjusted to give pro forma effect to the transaction accounting required for the Business Combination as per the Business Combination Agreement. The adjustments in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information have been identified and presented to provide relevant information necessary for an accurate understanding of the combined entity upon the Closing.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the financial position and results of operations that would have been achieved had the Business Combination and related transactions occurred on the dates indicated. Further, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information may not be useful in predicting the future financial condition and results of operations of the PubCo. The actual financial position and results of operations may differ significantly from the pro forma amounts reflected herein due to a variety of factors. The unaudited pro forma adjustments represent management’s estimates based on information available as of the date of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements and are subject to change as additional information becomes available and analyses are performed. Coincheck and Thunder Bridge have not had any historical relationship prior to the Business Combination. Accordingly, no pro forma adjustments were required to eliminate activities between the companies.

The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared assuming two alternative levels of redemptions of Thunder Bridge Class A common stock into cash:

No Redemption Scenario.

        This presentation assumes that no holders of Thunder Bridge Class A common stock exercise their redemption rights upon the Closing.

Maximum Redemption Scenario.

        This presentation assumes the redemption of 2.9 million shares of Thunder Bridge Class A common stock, inclusive of interest earned on the Trust Account, resulting in a total aggregate redemption of ¥5,016 million from the Trust Account.

If the actual facts are different than these assumptions, then the amounts and shares outstanding in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information will be different.

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Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet
As of June 30, 2024
(in millions of yen)

 

Coincheck
(IFRS
Historical)

 

Thunder Bridge
(US GAAP
Historical As
Converted)

 

IFRS
Conversion

     

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming No
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming No
Redemptions

 

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

       

(A)

 

(A)

                           

ASSETS

                   

 

           

 

       

Current assets

                   

 

           

 

       

Cash and cash equivalents

 

11,510

 

         

5,016

 

 

(B)

 

6,596

 

(5,016

)

 

(J)

 

1,580

                   

(9,683

)

 

(D)

       

 

       
                   

(247

)

 

(H)

       

 

       

Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account – current

 

 

           

 

     

   

 

     

Cash segregated as deposits

 

56,778

 

           

 

     

56,778

   

 

     

56,778

Crypto assets held

 

40,791

 

           

 

     

40,791

   

 

     

40,791

Safeguard assets

 

656,999

 

           

 

     

656,999

   

 

     

656,999

Customer accounts receivable

 

809

 

           

 

     

809

   

 

     

809

Other financial assets

 

45

 

           

 

     

45

   

 

     

45

Other current assets

 

387

 

           

 

     

387

   

 

     

387

Assets held for sale

 

 

           

 

     

   

 

     

Prepaid expenses

 

 

6

 

 

     

 

 

     

6

 

 

 

     

6

Total current assets

 

767,319

 

6

 

     

(4,914

)

     

762,411

 

(5,016

)

     

757,395

                     

 

           

 

       

Non-current assets

                   

 

           

 

       

Property and equipment

 

2,188

 

           

 

     

2,188

   

 

     

2,188

Intangible assets

 

874

 

           

 

     

874

   

 

     

874

Crypto assets held

 

 

           

 

     

   

 

     

Other financial assets

 

578

 

           

 

     

578

   

 

     

578

Deferred tax assets

 

294

 

           

 

     

294

   

 

     

294

Other non-current assets

 

7

 

           

 

     

7

   

 

     

7

Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account

 

 

6,030

         

(5,016

)

 

(B)

 

   

 

     

   

 

 

 

 

 

     

(1,014

)

 

(I)

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

Total non-current assets

 

3,941

 

6,030

 

     

(6,030

)

     

3,941

 

 

     

3,941

Total assets

 

771,260

 

6,036

 

     

(10,944

)

     

766,352

 

(5,016

)

     

761,336

                     

 

           

 

       

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

                   

 

           

 

       

Liabilities

                   

 

           

 

       

Current liabilities

                   

 

           

 

       

Deposits received

 

57,429

 

           

 

     

57,429

   

 

     

57,429

Crypto asset borrowings

 

40,702

 

           

 

     

40,702

   

 

     

40,702

Safeguard liabilities

 

656,999

 

           

 

     

656,999

   

 

     

656,999

Other financial liabilities

 

1,367

 

           

 

     

1,367

   

 

     

1,367

Provisions

 

120

 

           

 

     

120

   

 

     

120

Income taxes payable

 

149

 

53

           

 

     

202

   

 

     

202

Excise taxes payable

 

 

343

           

 

     

343

   

 

     

343

Redemptions payable

 

 

1,014

         

(1,014

)

 

(I)

 

   

 

     

Other current liabilities

 

179

 

           

 

     

179

   

 

     

179

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

 

283

           

 

     

283

   

 

     

283

WCL Promissory Note payable – related party

 

 

144

           

 

     

144

   

 

     

144

2024 Promissory Note payable – related party

 

 

178

 

 

     

 

 

     

178

 

 

 

     

178

Total current liabilities

 

756,945

 

2,015

 

     

(1,014

)

     

757,946

 

 

     

757,946

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Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet — (Continued)
As of June 30, 2024
(in millions of yen)

 

Coincheck
(IFRS
Historical)

 

Thunder Bridge
(US GAAP
Historical As
Converted)

 

IFRS
Conversion

     

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming No
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming No
Redemptions

 

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

       

(A)

 

(A)

                           

Non-current liabilities

       

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

       

 

Other financial liabilities

 

1,183

 

 

   

 

       

 

     

1,183

 

   

 

     

1,183

 

Provisions

 

251

 

 

   

 

       

 

     

251

 

   

 

     

251

 

Warrant liability

 

 

133

 

   

 

       

 

     

133

 

   

 

     

133

 

Deferred underwriting fees
payable

 

 

1,330

 

   

 

     

(1,330

)

 

(D)

 

 

   

 

     

 

Class A common stock subject to possible redemption 3,517,087 shares at redemption value

 

 

 

 

5,004

 

 

(A)

 

(5,004

)

 

(C)

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

Total non-current liabilities

 

1,434

 

1,463

 

 

5,004

 

     

(6,334

)

     

1,567

 

 

 

     

1,567

 

Total liabilities

 

758,379

 

3,478

 

 

5,004

 

     

(7,348

)

     

759,513

 

 

 

     

759,513

 

         

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

       

 

Commitments

       

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

       

 

Class A common stock subject to possible redemption 3,517,087 shares at redemption value

 

 

5,004

 

 

(5,004

)

 

(A)

   

 

     

 

   

 

     

 

         

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

       

 

Equity

       

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

       

 

Class A Common Stock

 

 

 

   

 

     

48

 

 

(C)

 

2,050

 

   

 

     

2,050

 

         

 

   

 

     

2,002

 

 

(E)

   

 

   

 

       

 

Coincheck – Common Stock

 

386

 

 

   

 

     

(386

)

 

(E)

 

 

   

 

     

 

Capital surplus

 

478

 

 

   

 

     

4,956

 

 

(C)

 

9,601

 

 

39

 

 

(F)

 

4,624

 

         

 

   

 

     

(1,616

)

 

(E)

   

 

 

(5,016

)

 

(K)

   

 

         

 

   

 

     

8,229

 

 

(F)

   

 

   

 

       

 

         

 

   

 

     

(2,446

)

 

(G)

   

 

   

 

       

 

Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)

 

12,017

 

(2,446

)

   

 

     

(8,353

)

 

(D)

 

(4,812

)

 

(39

)

 

(F)

 

(4,851

)

         

 

   

 

     

(8,229

)

 

(F)

   

 

   

 

       

 

         

 

   

 

     

2,446

 

 

(G)

   

 

   

 

       

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

(247

)

 

(H)

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

Total equity

 

12,881

 

(2,446

)

 

 

     

(3,596

)

     

6,839

 

 

(5,016

)

     

1,823

 

Total liabilities and equity

 

771,260

 

6,036

 

 

 

     

(10,944

)

     

766,352

 

 

(5,016

)

     

761,336

 

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Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statement of Operations
For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2024
(in millions of yen, except share and per share data)

 

Coincheck
(IFRS
Historical)

 

Thunder Bridge
(US GAAP
Historical As
Converted)

 

IFRS
Conversion

 

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming No
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming No
Redemptions

 

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

 

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

       

(AA)

 

(AA)

                   

Revenue

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Revenue

 

75,293

 

 

 

       

 

     

75,293

 

     

75,293

 

Other revenue

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

6

 

 

 

 

6

 

Total revenue

 

75,299

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

75,299

 

 

 

75,299

 

     

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Expenses

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Cost of sales

 

(72,182

)

 

 

       

 

     

(72,182

)

     

(72,182

)

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

(2,474

)

 

 

       

 

     

(2,474

)

     

(2,474

)

Formation costs and other operating expenses

 

 

 

(57

)

 

 

 

 

 

     

(57

)

 

 

 

(57

)

Operating profit

 

643

 

 

(57

)

 

 

 

     

586

 

 

 

586

 

     

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Other income (expenses)

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Other income

 

8

 

 

 

       

 

     

8

 

     

8

 

Other expenses

 

(6

)

 

 

       

 

     

(6

)

     

(6

)

Financial income

 

23

 

 

 

       

 

     

23

 

     

23

 

Financial expenses

 

(23

)

 

 

       

 

     

(23

)

     

(23

)

Change in fair value of warrant liability

 

 

 

(15

)

       

 

     

(15

)

     

(15

)

Interest income

 

 

 

60

 

 

 

 

(60

)

 

(BB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Profit (loss) before income taxes

 

645

 

 

(12

)

 

 

(60

)

     

573

 

 

 

573

 

Income tax expenses

 

(208

)

 

(8

)

 

 

 

 

 

     

(216

)

 

 

 

(216

)

Net profit (loss)

 

437

 

 

(20

)

 

 

(60

)

     

357

 

 

 

357

 

     

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Note: EPS included in Note 4 of Pro Formas.

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

     

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding, Class A ordinary shares

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Basic and diluted

 

2,021,967

 

 

3,517,087

 

       

 

     

129,708,074

 

     

126,783,589

 

Net income (loss) per Class A ordinary share

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Basic and diluted

 

215.82

 

 

14.05

 

       

 

     

2.75

 

     

2.82

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding, Class B ordinary shares

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Basic and diluted

   

 

 

6,561,252

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Net income (loss) per Class B ordinary share

   

 

   

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

Basic and diluted

   

 

 

(10.92

)

       

 

       

 

       

 

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Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statement of Operations
(in millions of yen, except share and per share data)

 

For the
Year Ended
March 31,
2024

 

For the Period
April 1, 2023
through
March 31, 2024

 

For the Year Ended March 31, 2024

   

Coincheck
(IFRS
Historical)

 

Thunder Bridge
(US GAAP
Historical As
Converted)

 

IFRS
Conversion

 

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming No
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming No
Redemptions

 

Pro Forma
Adjustments
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

     

Pro Forma
Combined
Assuming
Maximum
Redemptions

       

(AA)

 

(AA)

                       

Revenue