Correspondence 0001493152-24-040519 from Magic Empire Global Ltd (MEGL) (CIK 0001881472) (MEGL)
Magic Empire Global Ltd (MEGL) (CIK 0001881472)
Date: Oct. 9, 2024 · CIK: 0001881472 · Accession: 0001493152-24-040519
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-41467
Referenced dates: September 26, 2024
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CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
October
9, 2024
Via
Edgar Transmission
Ms.
Jennifer O’Brien
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporation Finance
Office
of Energy & Transportation
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Re:
Magic
Empire Global Limited (the “Company”)
Form
20-F for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
Response
dated September 24, 2024
File
No. 001-41467
Dear
Ms. O’Brien:
As
counsel for the Company and on its behalf, this letter is being submitted in response to the letter dated September 26, 2024 from the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in which the staff of the Commission (the “Staff”)
commented on the above-referenced Form 20-F for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 (the “Form 20-F”).
For
the Staff’s convenience, the Staff’s comment has been stated below in its entirety, with the Company’s response set
out immediately underneath such comment.
Form
20-F for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
General
1.
The
Company’s response to prior comment 1 did not contain sufficient information and analysis
to permit the staff to evaluate the Company’s position. Accordingly, we reissue the
comment in its entirety. Please also note the following:
●
Please ensure that all information and data is provided as of the most recent fiscal quarter end;
●
Please ensure that your response addresses the Company’s subsidiaries;
●
Under “Nature of Present Assets” and “Sources of Company’s Income,” please provide data on a consolidated
basis and please also provide support for your calculations.
Response:
We respectfully advise the Staff that the Company believes that it is not an investment
company under any of Section 3(a)(1)(A), (B) or (C) of the U.S. Investment Company Act of
1940 (the “Act”) and therefore is not subject to the Act.
As
discussed below, the Company is not an “investment company” under Section 3(a)(1) of the Act because:
(1)
it is not and does not intend to hold itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of
investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities;
(2)
it does not and does not intend to engage or proposes to engage in the business of issuing face-amount certificates of the installment
type, or has been engaged in such business and has any such certificate outstanding; and
(3)
it does not and does not engage or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities,
and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40 per centum of the value of its total assets (exclusive
of Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
The
Company is not an Investment Company under Section 3(a)(1)(A)
The
Company is not an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act because it is not primarily engaged in the business of investing,
reinvesting or trading in securities. In determining whether or not an issuer is an investment company for purposes of Section 3(a)(1)(A),
the courts, Commission and Staff have considered the five factors developed by the Commission in the Matter of Tonopah Mining
Co. of Nevada (Investment Company Act Release No. 1084, 26 SEC 426 at 427, July 22, 1947) (“Tonopah”).
Under
Tonopah, the five factors used to determine the business in which an issuer is primarily engaged are:
(1)
the issuer’s historic development;
(2)
the issuer’s public representation of policy;
(3)
the activities of the issuer’s officers and directors;
(4)
the source of the issuer’s present income; and
(5)
the nature of the issuer’s present assets.
As
highlighted by case law, no one factor is dispositive in an analysis of an issuer’s primary business engagement and courts
look to each individual factor in determining whether a company is an investment company that is primarily engaged in the business
of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities.
The
Company does not believe it is primarily engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities based upon the
following analysis:
(1)
Historical Development.
The
Company was set up in 2016 and has since been, through the Company’s operating subsidiary, Giraffe Capital Limited (“GCL”),
a financial services provider in Hong Kong which principally engages in the provision of corporate finance advisory services. The
Company’s principal revenue stream since its establishment up to the latest financial quarter (being nine months ended September
30, 2024), has been derived and is deriving from the provision of corporate finance advisory services, including IPO sponsorship
services, financial advisory services, independent financial advisory services, compliance advisory services and underwriting services.
None of the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and
nor does any of them hold itself out as being engaged primarily in such business.
(2)
Public Representations of Policy.
As
at the date of this response, the Company has not represented that it is involved in any business other than the provision of corporate
finance services. The Company has consistently stated in its filings with the Commission, press releases, other public statements
and website that it is in the business of provision of corporate finance advisory services as described above. The Company does not
make public representations regarding its investment securities, and the Company has consistently emphasized operating results and
has never emphasized either its investment income or the possibility of significant appreciation from its investments as a material
factor in its business or future growth. In addition, investors and the investment media outlets do not evaluate the Company based
on its underlying investment securities positions. Instead, analysis of the Company focuses on its financial results from its ongoing
operations.
(3)
Activities of Officers and Directors.
The
Company’s officers and directors spend substantially all of their time managing the Company’s business of provision of
corporate finance advisory services. The directors spend a nominal amount of time managing the Company’s investment securities.
Further, the Company refers to the item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees of its annual report on Form 20-F for the year
ended December 31, 2023, and notes the activities of its officers and directors align with the operations and service offerings of
the Company as stated above.
(4) Nature
of Assets.
For
the purpose of Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act, “investment securities” having a value in excess of 40% of the
issuer’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. “investment
securities” includes all securities except (A) Government securities, (B) securities issued by employees’ securities
companies, and (C) securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries of the owner which (i) are not investment companies, and (ii)
are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company in paragraph (1) or (7) of subsection (c) of the
Act.
The
table below set out the breakdown of the total assets of Company and its subsidiaries as of September 30, 2024, on an unconsolidated
and consolidated basis:
As
of September 30, 2024 (unconsolidated basis)
Consolidated
MEGL
GFHL
GCL
GIL
MEIL
GCSL
Group
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
Property, plant
and equipments
1,441,010
1,441,010
Righ of use assets
236,912
236,912
Investment in subsidiary
10,000
10,000,300
Long term investment
8,500,000
-
8,500,000
Due from subsidiaries
105,589,080
-
Due from fellow subsidiaries
1,498,627
100
100
100
Accounts receivable
3,307,000
3,307,000
Other receivables
14,500,000
14,500,000
Deposits and prepayments
1,048,536
1,048,536
Cash
and bank balance
27,804,388
4,962,029
35,078,549
38,540,463
29,540
106,414,969
133,403,468
10,000,300
11,053,104
59,519,659
38,540,563
29,640
135,448,427
Note: Cash and bank balance includes time deposit with maturity not more than 3 months.
The table below set out an analysis of percentage of investment securities over total assets as of September 30, 2024:
As
of September 30, 2024 (unconsolidated basis)
Consolidated
MEGL
GFHL
GCL
GIL
MEIL
GCSL
Group
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
Property, plant
and equipments
-
-
-
1,441,010
-
-
1,441,010
Righ of use assets
-
-
236,912
-
-
-
236,912
Investment in subsidiary
10,000
10,000,300
-
-
-
-
-
Long term investment
-
-
-
8,500,000
-
-
8,500,000
Due from subsidiaries
105,589,080
-
-
-
-
-
-
Due from fellow subsidiaries
-
-
1,498,627
100
100
100
-
Accounts receivable
-
-
3,307,000
-
-
-
3,307,000
Other receivables
14,500,000
14,500,000
Deposits
and prepayments
-
-
1,048,536
-
-
-
1,048,536
Adjusted
total assets
105,599,080
10,000,300
6,091,075
24,441,110
100
100
29,033,458
Investment securities
-
-
-
8,500,000
-
-
8,500,000
% of total assets
0.0 %
0.0 %
0.0 %
34.8 %
0.0 %
0.0 %
29.3 %
As
set out in the calculation above, for the purpose of Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act, the value of “investment securities”
accounted for 0% of the Company’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
As of September 30, 2024, the “investment securities” accounted for less than 40% of the Group on a consolidated basis and
for each of the subsidiaries, on an unconsolidated basis.
(5)
Sources of Income.
Since
the incorporation of the Company, through its principal operating subsidiary GCL, the Company has been a financial services provider
in Hong Kong which principally engages in the provision of corporate finance advisory services. The Company’s principal revenue
stream has been derived from the provision of corporate finance advisory services.
The
table below set for the breakdown of sources of revenue of the Company and its subsidiaries, on an unconsolidated basis and for the Group
as a consolidated basis, for the nine months ended September 30, 2024:
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2024 (unconsolidated basis)
Consolidated
MEGL
GFHL
GCL
GIL
MEIL
GCSL
Group
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
HK$
Revenue
-
9,865,600
-
-
-
9,865,600
Other income
841,421
-
151,720
1,066,079
591,131
151
2,650,502
Income from investment
securities
-
-
-
-
1,105,998
-
1,105,998
Net profit/(loss) after
tax
(334,453 )
(5,205 )
(2,578,477 )
777,845
1,594,750
(5,504 )
(51,044 )
% of revenue from investment
securities
0.0 %
0.0 %
0.0 %
0.0 %
N/A
0.0 %
11.2 %
As
set out in the table above, 100% of the revenue of the Company were derived from its provision of corporate finance advisory services
for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The Company and its subsidiaries also recorded other income of which substantially were
bank interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. MEIL recorded investment income of HK$1,105,998 for the nine months
ended September 30, 2024. On a consolidated basis, the investment income only accounted to 11.2% of the Company’s total revenue,
for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
As
described in the above analysis, the Company is primarily engaged in the non-investment company business of provision of corporate finance
advisory services. As a result, the Company is not an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act.
The
Company is not an Investment Company under Section 3(a)(1)(B)
The
Company is not engaging, and has not engaged in, the business of issuing face-amount certificates of the installment type, and does not
propose to engage in such business, and does not have any such certificates outstanding. As a result, the Company is not an investment
company under Section 3(a)(1)(B) of the Act.
The
Company is not an Investment Company under Section 3(a)(1)(C)
Under
Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act, an issuer is an investment company if it is both (1) engaged or proposes to engage in the business of
investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities and (2) owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a
value exceeding 40% of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. The Company satisfies the
“objective test” of Section 3(a)(1)(C), as the Company does not own or propose to acquire investment securities having a
value exceeding 40% of the Company’s total assets (exclusive of cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Please refer to above for
detailed breakdown and calculation.
As
a result, the Company is not an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act.
Conclusion
As
set out in the detailed legal and factual analysis, in particular with reference to the Tonopah case, that the Company is not an
investment company under any of Section 3(a)(1)(A), (B) or (C) of the Act:
(1)
the issuer’s historic development – the Company has been a financial services provider principally engages in the provision
of corporate finance services;
(2)
the issuer’s public representation of policy – the Company has not represented that it is involved in any business other
than the provision of corporate finance services;
(3)
the activities of the issuer’s officers and directors – the activities of the officers and directors align with the Company’s
representation that it is not involved in any business other than the provision of corporate finance services;
(4)
the source of the issuer’s present income – 100% of the Company’s revenue were derived from the provision of corporate
finance services; and
(5)
the nature of the issuer’s present assets – the value of investment securities was less than 40% of the total assets
(exclusive of Government securities and cash items) for each of the Company and its subsidiaries as of September 30, 2024, both on
an unconsolidated and consolidated basis.
2.
The
Company’s response to prior comment 2 was cursory and did not contain sufficient information