EX-99.1 2 tm238717d1_ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

Sea Limited Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results

 

Singapore, March 7, 2023 – Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) (“Sea” or the “Company”) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2022.

 

“We are starting 2023 on a much stronger footing,” said Forrest Li, Sea’s Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer. “Our decisive pivot to focus on efficiency and profitability since late last year is already driving meaningful bottom line improvements. We delivered positive total net income in the fourth quarter, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our underlying business model and the execution capabilities of our teams. As we continue this transition and maintain our focus on sustainable growth, our approach is to do less but do it better as we serve our users across our digital ecosystem.”

 

“Given the macro uncertainty and our recent strong pivot, we are closely monitoring the market environment and we will continue to adjust our pace and fine-tune our operations accordingly. While there may be near-term fluctuations in our performance, we remain highly confident in the long-term growth potential of our markets and fully focused on capturing this opportunity.”

 

Fourth Quarter 2022 Highlights

 

 §Group
 oTotal GAAP revenue was US$3.5 billion, up 7.1% year-on-year.
 oTotal gross profit was US$1.7 billion, up 29.5% year-on-year.
 oTotal net income turned positive to US$422.8 million, as compared to US$(616.3) million for the fourth quarter of 2021. Total net income was:
 §negatively impacted by US$177.7 million impairment of goodwill related to certain historical investments for the digital entertainment business, and
 §positively impacted by US$199.7 million net gain on debt extinguishment as discussed below, and approximately US$130 million in reversal of previous accruals for certain expenses (“accruals reversal”). As we made the management decision to strongly pivot to a clear focus on cost efficiency, there were accruals reversed during the quarter resulting from changes in previous estimations of certain expenses.
oTotal adjusted EBITDA1 turned positive to US$495.7 million, as compared to US$(492.1) million for the fourth quarter of 2021. Total adjusted EBITDA was also positively impacted by approximately US$130 million of accruals reversal as mentioned above.
oAs of December 31, 2022, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were US$6.9 billion, representing a net change of US$(401.6) million from September 30, 2022. Excluding cash consideration used to repurchase our outstanding convertible bonds with a gain as discussed below, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments would have increased by US$209.8 million from September 30, 2022.

 

1

 

 

 oIn the fourth quarter, the Company repurchased US$817.2 million aggregate principal amount of the 0.25% convertible senior notes due 2026 (the “2026 CB”), for a cash consideration of US$611.3 million. This resulted in a US$199.7 million gain on debt extinguishment, inclusive of an accelerated deferred issuance cost of US$6.2 million, and US$7.7 million savings in future interest payments. As of the date hereof, approximately US$2.1 billion aggregate principal amount of the 2026 CB remained outstanding.

 

 §E-commerce
 oGAAP revenue was US$2.1 billion, up 31.8% year-on-year. Based on constant currency assumptions2, GAAP revenue was up 42.3% year-on-year.
 oGAAP revenue included US$1.8 billion of GAAP marketplace revenue, which consists of core marketplace revenue and value-added services revenue and increased by 43.5% year-on-year.
 ·Core marketplace revenue, mainly consisting of transaction-based fees and advertising revenues, was up 53.9% year-on-year to US$1.1 billion.
 ·Value-added services revenue, mainly consisting of revenues related to logistics services, was up 29.2% year-on-year to US$0.7 billion.
 oAdjusted EBITDA1 turned positive to US$196.1 million, as compared to US$(877.7) million for the fourth quarter of 2021. Adjusted EBITDA was positively impacted by approximately US$80 million of accruals reversal as described earlier.
 §Asia markets recorded adjusted EBITDA of US$320.0 million, as compared to US$(525.8) million for the fourth quarter of 2021.
 §Other markets recorded adjusted EBITDA of US$(123.9) million, as compared to US$(352.0) million for the fourth quarter of 2021. In Brazil, unit economics continued to improve significantly, with contribution margin loss per order improving 53.9% quarter-on-quarter to reach US$0.47.
 oGross orders were 1.7 billion, as compared to 2.0 billion for the fourth quarter of 2021. Gross merchandise value (“GMV”) was US$18.0 billion, as compared to US$18.2 billion for the fourth quarter of 2021. Based on constant currency assumptions2, GMV was up 7.7% year-on-year. Beginning 2023, we will transition from quarterly to annual disclosure of such operating metrics.

 

 §Digital Entertainment
 oGAAP revenue was US$948.9 million, as compared to US$892.9 million for the previous quarter.
 oBookings3 were US$543.6 million, as compared to US$664.7 million for the previous quarter.
 oAdjusted EBITDA1 was US$258.2 million, as compared to US$289.9 million for the previous quarter.
 oAdjusted EBITDA represented 47.5% of bookings for the fourth quarter of 2022, as compared to 43.6% for the previous quarter.
 oQuarterly active users were 485.5 million, as compared to 568.2 million for the previous quarter.
 oQuarterly paying users were 43.6 million, representing a paying user ratio of 9.0%, as compared to 9.1% for the previous quarter.
 oAverage bookings per user were US$1.1, as compared to US$1.2 for the previous quarter.

 

2

 

 

§Digital Financial Services
oGAAP revenue was US$380.2 million, up 92.5% year-on-year.
oAdjusted EBITDA1 turned positive to US$75.6 million, as compared to US$(149.8) million for the fourth quarter of 2021.
oAs of the end of the fourth quarter of 2022, total loans receivable was US$2.1 billion, net of allowance for credit losses of US$238.8 million. Non-performing loans past due by more than 90 days as a percentage of our total gross loans receivable declined from less than 4% in the third quarter of 2022 to less than 2%. This was mainly due to the shortening of loan write-off period in a certain market from 180 days to 120 days in the fourth quarter based on our assessment of historical credit losses. Without this change in write-off period, the ratio would be about 5%.

 

Full Year 2022 Highlights

 

§Group
oTotal GAAP revenue was US$12.4 billion, up 25.1% year-on-year.
oTotal gross profit was US$5.2 billion, up 33.1% year-on-year.
oTotal net loss was US$1.7 billion, improving by 18.9% year-on-year.
oTotal adjusted EBITDA1 was US$(878.1) million, as compared to US$(593.6) million for the full year of 2021.

 

§E-commerce
oGAAP revenue was US$7.3 billion, up 42.3% year-on-year. Based on constant currency assumptions2, GAAP revenue was up 49.1% year-on-year.
oGAAP revenue included US$6.2 billion of GAAP marketplace revenue, which consists of core marketplace revenue and value-added services revenue and increased by 52.0% year-on-year.
oAdjusted EBITDA1 was US$(1.7) billion, improving by 33.8% as compared to US$(2.6) billion for the full year of 2021.
oGross orders totaled 7.6 billion, up 23.7% year-on-year.
oGMV was US$73.5 billion, up 17.6% year-on-year. Based on constant currency assumptions2, GMV was up 24.0% year-on-year.

 

§Digital Entertainment
oGAAP revenue was US$3.9 billion, as compared to US$4.3 billion for the full year of 2021.
oBookings3 were US$2.8 billion, as compared to US$4.6 billion for the full year of 2021.
oAdjusted EBITDA1 was US$1.3 billion, as compared to US$2.8 billion for the full year of 2021.
oAdjusted EBITDA represented 47.7% of bookings for the full year of 2022, as compared to 60.4% for the full year of 2021.

 

§Digital Financial Services
oGAAP revenue was US$1.2 billion, up 160.1% year-on-year.
oAdjusted EBITDA1 was US$(228.6) million, as compared to US$(616.9) million for the full year of 2021.

 

3

 

 

 

1 For a discussion of the use of non-GAAP financial measures, see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”.

2 Current and comparative prior period local currency amounts are converted into United States dollars using the same exchange rates, rather than the actual exchange rates during the respective periods.

3 GAAP revenue for the digital entertainment segment plus change in digital entertainment deferred revenue. This operating metric is used as an approximation of cash spent by our users in the applicable period that is attributable to our digital entertainment segment.

 

4

 

 

Unaudited Summary of Financial Results

 

(Amounts are expressed in thousands of US dollars “$” except for per share data)

 

   For the Three Months
ended December 31,
       For the Full Year
ended December 31,
     
   2021   2022       2021   2022     
   $   $   YOY%   $   $   YOY% 
Revenue                              
Service revenue                              
Digital Entertainment   1,415,044    948,857    (32.9)%   4,320,013    3,877,163    (10.3)%
E-commerce and other services   1,482,665    2,231,133    50.5%   4,564,617    7,463,173    63.5%
Sales of goods   324,405    271,594    (16.3)%   1,070,560    1,109,369    3.6%
    3,222,114    3,451,584    7.1%   9,955,190    12,449,705    25.1%
                               
Cost of revenue                              
Cost of service                              
Digital Entertainment   (374,783)   (242,470)   (35.3)%   (1,230,082)   (1,077,017)   (12.4)%
E-commerce and other services   (1,235,351)   (1,282,174)   3.8%   (3,825,826)   (5,194,065)   35.8%
Cost of goods sold   (301,252)   (229,627)   (23.8)%   (1,003,547)   (993,346)   (1.0)%
    (1,911,386)   (1,754,271)   (8.2)%   (6,059,455)   (7,264,428)   19.9%
Gross profit   1,310,728    1,697,313    29.5%   3,895,735    5,185,277    33.1%
Other operating income   72,294    68,453    (5.3)%   287,946    279,184    (3.0)%
Sales and marketing expenses   (1,219,858)   (473,620)   (61.2)%   (3,829,743)   (3,269,223)   (14.6)%
General and administrative expenses (3)   (284,065)   (352,321)   24.0%   (987,868)   (1,437,612)   45.5%
Provision for credit losses (3)   (34,532)   (175,103)   407.1%   (117,427)   (513,690)   337.5%
Research and development expenses   (286,642)   (244,195)   (14.8)%   (831,703)   (1,376,501)   65.5%
Impairment of goodwill   -    (177,663)   -    -    (354,943)   - 
Total operating expenses   (1,752,803)   (1,354,449)   (22.7)%   (5,478,795)   (6,672,785)   21.8%
Operating (loss) income   (442,075)   342,864    (177.6)%   (1,583,060)   (1,487,508)   (6.0)%
Non-operating (loss) income, net   (70,995)   34,973    (149.3)%   (132,124)   (13,025)   (90.1)%
Income tax (expense) credit   (105,609)   43,461    (141.2)%   (332,865)   (168,395)   (49.4)%
Share of results of equity investees   2,390    1,540    35.6%   5,019    11,156    122.3%
Net (loss) income   (616,289)   422,838    (168.6)%   (2,043,030)   (1,657,772)   (18.9)%
(Loss) Earnings per share attributable to Sea Limited’s ordinary shareholders:                              
Basic   (1.12)   0.76    (167.9)%   (3.84)   (2.96)   (22.9)%
Diluted   (1.12)   0.72    (164.3)%   (3.84)   (2.96)   (22.9)%
Change in deferred revenue of Digital Entertainment   (333,300)   (405,262)   21.6%   276,352    (1,125,294)   (507.2)%
Adjusted EBITDA for Digital Entertainment (1)   602,565    258,233    (57.1)%   2,775,957    1,313,091    (52.7)%
Adjusted EBITDA for E-commerce (1)   (877,737)   196,146    (122.3)%   (2,554,221)   (1,690,554)   (33.8)%
Adjusted EBITDA for Digital Financial Services (1)   (149,813)   75,601    (150.5)%   (616,924)   (228,560)   (63.0)%
Adjusted EBITDA for Other Services (1)   (56,859)   (25,437)   (55.3)%   (170,211)   (239,149)   40.5%
Unallocated expenses (2)   (10,296)   (8,887)   (13.7)%   (28,196)   (32,962)   16.9%
Total adjusted EBITDA (1)   (492,140)   495,656    (200.7)%   (593,595)   (878,134)   47.9%

 

(1) For a discussion of the use of non-GAAP financial measures, see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”.

(2) Unallocated expenses within total adjusted EBITDA are mainly related to general and corporate administrative costs such as professional fees and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to segments. These expenses are excluded from segment results as they are not reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) as part of segment performance.

(3) Provision for credit losses were previously recorded within general and administrative expenses.

 

5

 

 

Three Months Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Three Months Ended December 31, 2021

 

Revenue

 

Our total GAAP revenue increased by 7.1% to US$3.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$3.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Digital Entertainment: GAAP revenue was US$948.9 million compared to US$1.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, primarily attributable to the ongoing moderation in user engagement and monetization.

 

E-commerce and other services: GAAP revenue increased by 50.5% to US$2.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, primarily driven by the improved monetization in our e-commerce business and the growth of our credit business.

 

Sales of goods: GAAP revenue was US$271.6 million, as compared to US$324.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

Our total cost of revenue decreased by 8.2% to US$1.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$1.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Digital Entertainment: Cost of revenue decreased by 35.3% to US$242.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$374.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, which was largely in line with the decrease in digital entertainment revenue.

 

E-commerce and other services: Cost of revenue for our e-commerce and other services segment combined was US$1.3 billion, as compared to US$1.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021. Improvement in gross profit margins was mainly due to our better cost efficiencies.

 

Cost of goods sold: Cost of goods sold decreased by 23.8% to US$229.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$301.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Other Operating Income

 

Our other operating income was US$68.5 million and US$72.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 2021, respectively. Other operating income mainly consists of rebates from e-commerce related logistics services providers.

 

6

 

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Our total sales and marketing expenses decreased by 61.2% to US$473.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$1.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021. The table below sets forth the breakdown of the sales and marketing expenses of our major reporting segments. Amounts are expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”).

 

   For the Three Months
ended December 31,
     
   2021   2022   YOY% 
Sales and Marketing Expenses  $   $     
Digital Entertainment   109,625    43,262    (60.5)%
E-commerce   840,727    379,369    (54.9)%
Digital Financial Services   228,729    29,918    (86.9)%

 

The decrease in sales and marketing expenses across all major reporting segments were mainly attributable to our efforts to continue optimizing operating costs and achieving higher cost efficiencies.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

Our general and administrative expenses increased by 24.0% to US$352.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$284.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. The increase was primarily driven by impairment costs incurred due to the exits from non-core markets and certain divestments.

 

Provision for Credit Losses

 

Our provision for credit losses increased by 407.1% to US$175.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, primarily driven by the growth in our loan book.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Our research and development expenses decreased by 14.8% to US$244.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from US$286.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, primarily due to the impact of the accruals reversal as described earlier.

 

Impairment of Goodwill

 

We recorded an impairment of goodwill of US$177.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to nil in the fourth quarter of 2021. The goodwill impairment was primarily due to our strategic decisions to dispose of or shut down certain historical investments for the digital entertainment business.

 

7

 

 

Non-operating Income or Losses, Net

 

Non-operating income or losses consist of interest income, interest expense, investment gain (loss), and foreign exchange gain (loss), and gain (loss) from debt extinguishment. We recorded a net non-operating income of US$35.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, as compared to a net non-operating loss of US$71.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. Our non-operating income in the fourth quarter of 2022 was mainly due to a US$199.7 million net gain from debt extinguishment, partially offset by investment losses recognized amid lower valuations in the broader market.

 

Income Tax Credit or Expenses

 

We had a net income tax credit of US$43.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, as compared to net income tax expense of US$105.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. The income tax credit was primarily due to recognition of deferred tax assets from carried forward losses for our e-commerce business, partially offset by income tax incurred by our digital entertainment business.

 

Net Income or Loss

 

As a result of the foregoing, we had net income of US$422.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, as compared to net loss of US$616.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Basic and Diluted Earnings or Loss Per Share Attributable to Sea Limited’s Ordinary Shareholders

 

Basic earnings per share attributable to Sea Limited’s ordinary shareholders was US$0.76 in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to basic loss per share attributable to Sea Limited’s ordinary shareholders of US$1.12 in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Diluted earnings per share attributable to Sea Limited’s ordinary shareholders was US$0.72 in the fourth quarter of 2022.

 

8

 

 

Full Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Full Year Ended December 31, 2021

 

Revenue

 

Our total GAAP revenue increased by 25.1% to US$12.4 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$10.0 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021.

 

Digital Entertainment: GAAP revenue was US$3.9 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$4.3 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021, primarily attributable to the ongoing moderation in user engagement and monetization.

 

E-commerce and other services: GAAP revenue increased by 63.5% to US$7.5 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$4.6 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by the improved monetization in our e-commerce business and the growth of our credit business.

 

Sales of goods: GAAP revenue was US$1.1 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022, relatively stable year-on-year.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

Our total cost of revenue increased by 19.9% to US$7.3 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$6.1 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021.

 

Digital Entertainment: Cost of revenue decreased by 12.4% to US$1.1 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$1.2 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021, which was largely in line with the decrease in digital entertainment revenue.

 

E-commerce and other services: Cost of revenue for our e-commerce and other services segment combined increased by 35.8% to US$5.2 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$3.8 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by higher costs of logistics from order growth and other costs related to the growth of e-commerce marketplace. Improvement in gross profit margins was mainly due to the growth of core marketplace revenue with higher gross profit margin.

 

Cost of goods sold: Cost of goods sold was US$1.0 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022.

 

Other Operating Income

 

Our other operating income was US$279.2 million for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$287.9 million for the full year ended December 31, 2021. Other operating income mainly consists of rebates from e-commerce related logistics services providers.

 

9

 

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Our total sales and marketing expenses decreased by 14.6% to US$3.3 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$3.8 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2021. The table below sets forth the breakdown of the sales and marketing expenses of our major reporting segments. Amounts are expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”).

 

  

For the Full Year

ended December 31,

     
   2021   2022   YOY% 
Sales and Marketing Expenses   $    $      
Digital Entertainment   357,106    268,061    (24.9)%
E-commerce   2,630,401    2,328,636    (11.5)%
Digital Financial Services   742,702    508,089    (31.6)%

 

The decrease in sales and marketing expenses across all major reporting segments was mainly attributable to our efforts to continue optimizing operating costs and achieving higher cost efficiencies.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

Our general and administrative expenses increased by 45.5% to US$1.4 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$987.9 million for the full year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to the higher staff cost from higher average staff headcount over the year, as well as higher office facilities and related expenses to support the headcount growth.

 

Provision for Credit Losses

 

Our provision for credit losses increased by 337.5% to US$513.7 million for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$117.4 million for the full year ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by the growth in our loan book.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Our research and development expenses increased by 65.5% to US$1.4 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 from US$831.7 million for the full year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the increase in research and development staff cost from higher average staff headcount over the year.

 

Impairment of Goodwill

 

We recorded an impairment of goodwill of US$354.9 million for the full year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to nil for the full year ended December 31, 2021. The goodwill impairment was primarily due to the change in carrying amount of goodwill associated with our prior acquisitions, mainly driven by the lower valuations amid the market uncertainties, and our strategic decision to dispose of or shut down certain historical investments for the digital entertainment business.

 

10

 

 

Non-operating Income or Losses, Net

 

Non-operating income or losses mainly consist of interest income, interest expense, investment gain (loss), and foreign exchange gain (loss), and gain (loss) on debt extinguishment. We recorded a net non-operating loss of US$13.0 million for the full year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to a net non-operating loss of US$132.1 million for the full year ended December 31, 2021.

 

Income Tax Expense

 

We had a net income tax expense of US$168.4 million and US$332.9 million for the full year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The lower income tax expense was primarily due to recognition of deferred tax assets from carried forward losses for our e-commerce business, as well as lower income tax expense incurred by our digital entertainment business.

 

Net Loss

 

As a result of the foregoing, we had net loss of US$1.7 billion and US$2.0 billion for the full year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

 

Basic and Diluted Loss Per Share Attributable to Sea Limited’s Ordinary Shareholders

 

Basic and diluted loss per share attributable to Sea Limited’s ordinary shareholders was US$2.96 for the full year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to US$3.84 for the full year ended December 31, 2021.

 

11

 

 

Webcast and Conference Call Information

 

The Company’s management will host a conference call today to review Sea’s business and financial performance.

 

Details of the conference call and webcast are as follows:

 

Date and time:

7:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time on March 7, 2023

8:30 PM Singapore / Hong Kong Time on March 7, 2023

 

Webcast link:

https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=xHK3DVEZ

 

Dial in numbers: US Toll Free: 1-888-317-6003 Hong Kong: 800-963-976
  International: 1-412-317-6061 Singapore: 800-120-5863
 

United Kingdom: 08-082-389-063

 

 
Passcode for Participants: 6144794  

 

A replay of the conference call will be available at the Company’s investor relations website (www.sea.com/investor/home). An archived webcast will be available at the same link above.

 

For enquiries, please contact:

 

Investors / analysts: ir@sea.com

Media: media@sea.com

 

About Sea Limited

 

Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) is a leading global consumer internet company founded in Singapore in 2009. Its mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology. Sea operates three core businesses across digital entertainment, e-commerce, as well as digital payments and financial services, known as Garena, Shopee and SeaMoney, respectively. Garena is a leading global online games developer and publisher. Shopee is the largest pan-regional e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. SeaMoney is a leading digital payments and financial services provider in Southeast Asia.

 

12

 

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “likely to,” “potential,” “confident,” “guidance,” and similar statements. Among other things, statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sea’s beliefs and expectations, the business, financial and market outlook, and projections from its management in this announcement, as well as Sea’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Sea may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases, and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors, or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Sea’s goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition, financial results, and results of operations; the expected growth in, and market size of, the digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services industries in the markets where it operates, including segments within those industries; expected changes or guidance in its revenue, costs or expenditures; its ability to continue to source, develop and offer new and attractive online games and to offer other engaging digital entertainment content; the expected growth of its digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services businesses; its expectations regarding growth in its user base, level of engagement, and monetization; its ability to continue to develop new technologies and/or upgrade its existing technologies; its expectations regarding the use of proceeds from its financing activities, including its follow-on equity offerings and convertible notes offerings; growth and trends of its markets and competition in its industries; government policies and regulations relating to its industries, including the effects of any government orders or actions on its businesses; general economic, political, social and business conditions in its markets; and the impact of widespread health developments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the responses thereto (such as voluntary and in some cases, mandatory quarantines as well as shut downs and other restrictions on travel and commercial, social and other activities, and the availability of effective vaccines or treatments) and the impact of economies reopening further to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Sea’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Sea undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

 

13

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we use the following non-GAAP financial measures to help evaluate our operating performance:

 

·“Adjusted EBITDA” for our digital entertainment segment represents operating income (loss) before share-based compensation and impairment of goodwill plus (a) depreciation and amortization expenses, and (b) the net effect of changes in deferred revenue and its related cost for our digital entertainment segment. We believe that the segment adjusted EBITDA helps to identify underlying trends in our operating results, enhancing their understanding of the past performance and future prospects.

 

·“Adjusted EBITDA” for our e-commerce segment, digital financial services segment and other services segment represents operating income (loss) before share-based compensation plus depreciation and amortization expenses. We believe that the segment adjusted EBITDA helps to identify underlying trends in our operating results, enhancing their understanding of the past performance and future prospects.

 

·“Total adjusted EBITDA” represents the sum of adjusted EBITDA of all our segments combined, plus unallocated expenses. We believe that the total adjusted EBITDA helps to identify underlying trends in our operating results, enhancing their understanding of the past performance and future prospects.

 

These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. None of the above financial measures should be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to revenue, net loss/income, or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to Sea’s data. We compensate for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to their nearest U.S. GAAP financial measures, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance. We encourage you to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.

 

14

 

 

The tables below present selected financial information of our reporting segments, the non-GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to GAAP financial measures, and the related reconciliations between the financial measures. Amounts are expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”) except for number of shares & per share data.

 

   For the Three Months ended December 31, 2022 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Operating income (loss)   400,165    109,486    61,841    (28,714)   (199,914)   342,864 
Net effect of changes in deferred revenue and its related cost   (331,321)   -    -    -    -    (331,321)
Depreciation and Amortization   11,726    86,660    13,760    3,277    -    115,423 
Share-based compensation   -    -    -    -    191,027    191,027 
Impairment of goodwill   177,663    -    -    -    -    177,663 
Adjusted EBITDA   258,233    196,146    75,601    (25,437)   (8,887)   495,656 

 

   For the Three Months ended December 31, 2021 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Operating income (loss)   858,831    (941,028)   (157,647)   (59,138)   (143,093)   (442,075)
Net effect of changes in deferred revenue and its related cost   (266,399)   -    -    -    -    (266,399)
Depreciation and Amortization   10,133    63,291    7,834    2,279    -    83,537 
Share-based compensation   -    -    -    -    132,797    132,797 
Adjusted EBITDA   602,565    (877,737)   (149,813)   (56,859)   (10,296)   (492,140)

 

(1) A combination of multiple business activities that does not meet the quantitative thresholds to qualify as reportable segments are grouped together as “Other Services”.

(2) Unallocated expenses are mainly related to share-based compensation, impairment of goodwill of prior acquisitions that are not under our reportable segments, and general and corporate administrative costs such as professional fees and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to segments. These expenses are excluded from segment results as they are not reviewed by the CODM as part of segment performance.

 

15

 

 

   For the Full Year ended December 31, 2022 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Operating income (loss)   1,971,416    (2,013,360)   (277,264)   (252,162)   (916,138)   (1,487,508)
Net effect of changes in deferred revenue and its related cost   (879,809)   -    -    -    -    (879,809)
Depreciation and Amortization   43,821    322,806    48,704    13,013    -    428,344 
Share-based compensation   -    -    -    -    705,896    705,896 
Impairment of goodwill   177,663    -    -    -    177,280    354,943 
Adjusted EBITDA   1,313,091    (1,690,554)   (228,560)   (239,149)   (32,962)   (878,134)

 

   For the Full Year ended December 31, 2021 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Operating income (loss)   2,500,081    (2,766,566)   (640,422)   (177,633)   (498,520)   (1,583,060)
Net effect of changes in deferred revenue and its related cost   240,109    -    -    -    -    240,109 
Depreciation and Amortization   35,767    212,345    23,498    7,422    -    279,032 
Share-based compensation   -    -    -    -    470,324    470,324 
Adjusted EBITDA   2,775,957    (2,554,221)   (616,924)   (170,211)   (28,196)   (593,595)

 

(1) A combination of multiple business activities that does not meet the quantitative thresholds to qualify as reportable segments are grouped together as “Other Services”.

(2) Unallocated expenses are mainly related to share-based compensation, impairment of goodwill of prior acquisitions that are not under our reportable segments, and general and corporate administrative costs such as professional fees and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to segments. These expenses are excluded from segment results as they are not reviewed by the CODM as part of segment performance.

 

16

 

 

UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Amounts expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”) except for number of shares & per share data

 

    For the Three Months
ended December 31,
    For the Year
ended December 31,
 
    2021     2022     2021     2022  
    $     $     $     $  
Revenue                                
Service revenue                                
  Digital Entertainment     1,415,044       948,857       4,320,013       3,877,163  
  E-commerce and other services     1,482,665       2,231,133       4,564,617       7,463,173  
Sales of goods     324,405       271,594       1,070,560       1,109,369  
                                 
Total revenue     3,222,114       3,451,584       9,955,190       12,449,705  
                                 
Cost of revenue                                
Cost of service                                
  Digital Entertainment     (374,783 )     (242,470 )     (1,230,082 )     (1,077,017 )
  E-commerce and other services     (1,235,351 )     (1,282,174 )     (3,825,826 )     (5,194,065 )
Cost of goods sold     (301,252 )     (229,627 )     (1,003,547 )     (993,346 )
                                 
Total cost of revenue     (1,911,386 )     (1,754,271 )     (6,059,455 )     (7,264,428 )
                                 
Gross profit     1,310,728       1,697,313       3,895,735       5,185,277  
                                 
Operating income (expenses):                                
Other operating income     72,294       68,453       287,946       279,184  
Sales and marketing expenses     (1,219,858 )     (473,620 )     (3,829,743 )     (3,269,223 )
General and administrative expenses     (284,065 )     (352,321 )     (987,868 )     (1,437,612 )
Provision for credit losses     (34,532 )     (175,103 )     (117,427 )     (513,690 )
Research and development expenses     (286,642 )     (244,195 )     (831,703 )     (1,376,501 )
Impairment of goodwill           (177,663 )           (354,943 )
Total operating expenses     (1,752,803 )     (1,354,449 )     (5,478,795 )     (6,672,785 )
                                 
Operating (loss) income     (442,075 )     342,864       (1,583,060 )     (1,487,508 )
Interest income     10,924       54,336       36,082       115,515  
Interest expense     (47,555 )     (10,809 )     (136,876 )     (45,396 )
Investment loss, net     (18,917 )     (123,004 )     (43,502 )     (207,331 )
Net (loss) gain on debt extinguishment     (4,737 )     199,697       (2,069 )     199,697  
Foreign exchange (loss) gain     (10,710 )     (85,247 )     14,241       (75,510 )
(Loss) Income before income tax and share of results of equity investees     (513,070 )     377,837       (1,715,184 )     (1,500,533 )
Income tax (expense) credit     (105,609 )     43,461       (332,865 )     (168,395 )
Share of results of equity investees     2,390       1,540       5,019       11,156  
Net (loss) income     (616,289 )     422,838       (2,043,030 )     (1,657,772 )
                                 
Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests     (1,319 )     3,960       (3,729 )     6,351  
Net (loss) income attributable to Sea Limited’s ordinary shareholders     (617,608 )     426,798       (2,046,759 )     (1,651,421 )
                                 
(Loss) Earnings per share:                                
    Basic     (1.12 )     0.76       (3.84 )     (2.96 )
    Diluted     (1.12 )     0.72       (3.84 )     (2.96 )
                                 
Weighted-average shares used in (loss) earnings per share computation:                                
    Basic     553,635,479       560,326,301       532,705,796       558,119,948  
    Diluted     553,635,479       611,938,691       532,705,796       558,119,948  

 

17

 

 

UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

Amounts expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”)

 

   As of December 31, 
   2021   2022 
   $   $ 
ASSETS          
Current assets          
Cash and cash equivalents   9,247,762    6,029,859 
Restricted cash   1,551,635    1,549,574 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $5,772 and $12,818, as of December 31, 2021 and 2022 respectively   388,308    268,814 
Prepaid expenses and other assets   1,401,863    1,798,651 
Loans receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $91,504 and $236,797, as of December 31, 2021 and 2022 respectively   1,500,954    2,053,767 
Inventories, net   117,499    109,668 
Short-term investments   911,281    864,258 
Amounts due from related parties   16,095    13,421 
Total current assets   15,135,397    12,688,012 
           
Non-current assets          
Property and equipment, net   1,029,963    1,387,895 
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net   649,680    957,840 
Intangible assets, net   52,517    65,019 
Long-term investments   1,052,861    1,253,593 
Prepaid expenses and other assets   124,521    135,616 
Loans receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $6,172 and $2,022, as of December 31, 2021 and 2022 respectively   28,964    21,663 
Restricted cash   38,743    17,724 
Deferred tax assets   103,755    245,226 
Goodwill   539,624    230,208 
Total non-current assets   3,620,628    4,314,784 
Total assets   18,756,025    17,002,796 

 

18

 

 

UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

Amounts expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”)

 

   As of December 31, 
   2021   2022 
   $   $ 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
Current liabilities          
Accounts payable   213,580    258,648 
Accrued expenses and other payables   1,519,938    1,396,613 
Deposits payable   465,850    1,316,395 
Escrow payables and advances from customers   1,789,973    1,862,325 
Amounts due to related parties   74,738    415 
Borrowings   100,000    88,410 
Operating lease liabilities   186,494    269,968 
Convertible notes (1)       31,237 
Deferred revenue   2,644,463    1,535,083 
Income tax payable   181,400    176,598 
Total current liabilities   7,176,436    6,935,692 
           
Non-current liabilities          
Accrued expenses and other payables   76,234    87,072 
Operating lease liabilities   491,313    756,818 
Deferred revenue   104,826    63,566 
Convertible notes (1)   3,475,708    3,338,750 
Deferred tax liabilities   6,992    9,967 
Unrecognized tax benefits   107    107 
Total non-current liabilities   4,155,180    4,256,280 
Total liabilities   11,331,616    11,191,972 

 

19

 

 

UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

Amounts expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”)

 

   As of December 31, 
   2021   2022 
   $   $ 
Shareholders’ equity           
Class A Ordinary shares   204    258 
Class B Ordinary shares   74    23 
Additional paid-in capital (1)   14,622,292    14,559,690 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (28,519)   (111,215)
Statutory reserves   6,144    12,490 
Accumulated deficit (1)   (7,201,498)   (8,745,541)
Total Sea Limited shareholders’ equity   7,398,697    5,715,705 
Non-controlling interests   25,712    95,119 
Total shareholders’ equity   7,424,409    5,810,824 
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   18,756,025    17,002,796 

 

(1) The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on January 1, 2022 using modified retrospective method and the cumulative effects have been adjusted via retained earnings opening balance. As a result of adoption, our Convertible Notes balances have increased and additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit have decreased accordingly.

 

20

 

 

UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Amounts expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”)

 

    For the Three months ended
December 31,
    For the Year ended
December 31,
 
    2021     2022     2021     2022  
    $     $     $     $  
Net cash (used in) generated from operating activities     (304,824 )     319,691       208,649       (1,055,692 )
Net cash (used in) generated from investing activities     (1,775,510 )     51,522       (3,767,273 )     (2,428,809 )
Net cash generated from (used in) financing activities     385,993       (513,711 )     7,401,589       400,256  
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash     6,509       109,112       (58,218 )     (143,511 )
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash     (1,687,832 )     (33,386 )     3,784,747       (3,227,756 )
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the period     12,525,972       7,643,770       7,053,393       10,838,140  
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the period (1)     10,838,140       7,610,384       10,838,140       7,610,384  

 

(1) As of December 31, 2022, cash and cash equivalents of US$13,227 was included in assets held for sale within prepaid expenses and other assets.

 

Net cash generated from investing activities amounted to US$51.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022. This was primarily attributable to net receipt of US$123.4 million from time deposits and liquid investment products for better cash yield management, offset by purchase of property and equipment of US$152.2 million to support the existing operations. Net cash used in financing activities amounted to US$513.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022. This was primarily attributable to cash used in repurchase of convertible notes of US$611.3 million.

 

Net cash used in investing activities amounted to US$2.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. This was primarily attributable to an increase in loans receivable of US$1.2 billion and purchase of property and equipment of US$924.2 million to support the growth of our businesses, as well as net placement of US$65.2 million into time deposits and liquid investment products for better cash yield management. Net cash generated from financing activities amounted to US$400.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. This was primarily attributable to increase in deposits payable of US$942.6 million offset by the cash used in repurchase of convertible notes of US$611.3 million.

 

21

 

 

The Company has three reportable segments, namely digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services. The Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) reviews the performance of each segment based on revenue and certain key operating metrics of the operations and uses these results for the purposes of allocating resources to and evaluating the financial performance of each segment. Amounts are expressed in thousands of US dollars (“$”).

 

   For the Three Months ended December 31, 2022 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
    $    $    $    $    $    $ 
Revenue   948,857    2,102,740    380,172    19,815    -    3,451,584 
Operating income (loss)   400,165    109,486    61,841    (28,714)   (199,914)   342,864 
Non-operating income, net                            34,973 
Income tax credit                            43,461 
Share of results of equity investees                            1,540 
Net income                            422,838 

 

   For the Three Months ended December 31, 2021 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Revenue   1,415,044    1,595,075    197,531    14,464    -    3,222,114 
Operating income (loss)   858,831    (941,028)   (157,647)   (59,138)   (143,093)   (442,075)
Non-operating loss, net                            (70,995)
Income tax expense                            (105,609)
Share of results of equity investees                            2,390 
Net loss                            (616,289)

 

(1) A combination of multiple business activities that does not meet the quantitative thresholds to qualify as reportable segments are grouped together as “Other Services”.

(2) Unallocated expenses are mainly related to share-based compensation, impairment of goodwill of prior acquisitions that are not under our reportable segments, and general and corporate administrative costs such as professional fees and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to segments. These expenses are excluded from segment results as they are not reviewed by the CODM as part of segment performance.

 

22

 

 

   For the Year ended December 31, 2022 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Revenue   3,877,163    7,288,677    1,221,996    61,869    -    12,449,705 
Operating income (loss)   1,971,416    (2,013,360)   (277,264)   (252,162)   (916,138)   (1,487,508)
Non-operating loss, net                            (13,025)
Income tax expense                            (168,395)
Share of results of equity investees                            11,156 
Net loss                            (1,657,772)

 

   For the Year ended December 31, 2021 
   Digital
Entertainment
   E-commerce   Digital
Financial
Services
   Other
Services(1)
   Unallocated
expenses(2)
   Consolidated 
   $   $   $   $   $   $ 
Revenue   4,320,013    5,122,959    469,774    42,444    -    9,955,190 
Operating income (loss)   2,500,081    (2,766,566)   (640,422)   (177,633)   (498,520)   (1,583,060)
Non-operating loss, net                            (132,124)
Income tax expense                            (332,865)
Share of results of equity investees                            5,019 
Net loss                            (2,043,030)

 

(1) A combination of multiple business activities that does not meet the quantitative thresholds to qualify as reportable segments are grouped together as “Other Services”.

(2) Unallocated expenses are mainly related to share-based compensation, impairment of goodwill of prior acquisitions that are not under our reportable segments, and general and corporate administrative costs such as professional fees and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to segments. These expenses are excluded from segment results as they are not reviewed by the CODM as part of segment performance.

 

23