UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 6-K

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of November 2021

 

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-38820

 

 

 

Futu Holdings Limited

 

11/F, Bangkok Bank Building

No. 18 Bonham Strand W, Sheung Wan

Hong Kong S.A.R., People’s Republic of China

+852 2523-3588

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F  x                    Form 40-F  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ¨

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

99.1   Press Release

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  FUTU HOLDINGS LIMITED
       
  By : /s/ Leaf Hua Li
  Name : Leaf Hua Li
  Title : Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

 

Date: November 24, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Futu Announces Third Quarter 2021 Unaudited Financial Results

 

HONG KONG, November 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Futu Holdings Limited (“Futu” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: FUTU), a leading tech-driven online brokerage and wealth management platform focusing on global investors, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

 

Third Quarter 2021 Operational Highlights

 

Total number of paying clients1 increased 179.2% year-over-year to 1,167,204.

 

Total number of registered clients2 increased 119.9% year-over-year to 2,580,002.

 

Total number of users3 increased 58.6% year-over-year to 16.6 million.

 

Total client assets increased 111.0% year-over-year to HK$423.9 billion.

 

Daily average client assets were HK$444.1 billion in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 146.3% from the same period in 2020.

 

Total trading volume increased 33.1% year-over-year to HK$1.4 trillion, in which trading volume for US stocks was HK$680.5 billion, trading volume for Hong Kong stocks was HK$605.8 billion, and trading volume for stocks under the Stock Connect was HK$62.6 billion.

 

Daily average revenue trades (DARTs)4 increased 52.2% year-over-year to 576,810.

 

Margin financing and securities lending balance increased 151.0% year-over-year to HK$31.7 billion.

 

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

 

Total revenues increased 83.0% year-over-year to HK$1,731.1 million (US$222.4 million).

 

Total gross profit increased 91.6% year-over-year to HK$1,463.8 million (US$188.0 million).

 

Net income increased 53.1% year-over-year to HK$615.2 million (US$79.0 million).

 

Non-GAAP adjusted net income5 increased 58.5% year-over-year to HK$646.1 million (US$83.0 million).

 

Mr. Leaf Hua Li, Futu’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Despite challenging macro environment, we recorded solid growth in paying clients and sequential improvement in financial metrics during the third quarter of 2021.

 

“We added approximately 166 thousand paying clients. As of quarter end, total paying clients reached about 1.2 million, representing 179.2% year-over-year growth. Organic growth continued to drive the bulk of our paying client addition – the third quarter of 2021 marked our seventh consecutive quarter of acquiring over half of our paying clients organically. Quarterly paying client retention rate slipped slightly to 97% due to weak market performance.”

 

 

1 The number of paying clients refers to the number of clients with assets in their trading accounts with Futu.

2 The number of registered clients refers to the number of users who open one or more trading accounts with Futu.

3 The number of users refers to the number of user accounts registered with Futu.

4 The number of Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) refers to the number of average trades per day that generate commissions or fees.

5 Non-GAAP adjusted net income is defined as net income excluding share-based compensation expenses.

 

 

 

 

“In Singapore, we continued to optimize our client acquisition strategy by iterating on different client incentives through various channels and tweaking our budget between brand and performance marketing. We have observed higher retention and robust asset inflow across cohorts, partially attributable to a growing portfolio of product offerings in Singapore, including U.S. IPO subscriptions, structured warrants, and fund products. In Hong Kong, we remained the top-of-mind retail broker, with the number of our Hong Kong users already constituted approximately one-third of the Hong Kong adult population. Our growth strategy in Hong Kong is to further penetrate into the young and tech-savvy population, and tap into the demographics that are currently not well represented in our client base through a series of targeted marketing initiatives.”

 

“As of quarter end, total client assets were HK$423.9 billion, representing a 111% year-over-year growth and 15.8% quarter-over-quarter decline. The sequential decline was due to sharp market depreciation, partially offset by healthy net asset inflow. Despite this challenging market backdrop, both total and average client assets in Singapore increased sequentially, up 52.4% and 11.5% respectively, thanks to robust asset inflow across client cohorts. Total trading volume was HK$1.4 trillion, up 33.1% year-over-year and 2.7% quarter-over-quarter.”

 

“As for our wealth management business, we started distributing fund products for six new fund houses, including Schroders and Carlyle, bringing our total asset management partners to 56. Despite a sequential decline in total client assets, assets in wealth management hit a record high of HK$17.7 billion, up 132.4% year-over-year and 28.5% quarter-over-quarter. Client assets in private funds jumped 135.0% quarter-over-quarter as we onboarded attractive alternative funds and launched online wealth management workshops for our high-net-worth clients in collaboration with leading fund houses. As of quarter end, over 115,000 clients, or about 10% of our total paying clients, held wealth management positions.”

 

“Our enterprise business Futu I&E had 215 IPO and IR clients as well as 325 ESOP clients as of quarter end, up 165.4% and 157.9% year-over-year. In the third quarter, a number of leading new economy companies, including Pop Mart, BYD and JD Health, opened enterprise accounts in our social community to share business updates and interact with retail investors. As of quarter end, over 700 companies have joined our ecosystem, including over 150 listed companies with market capitalization north of ten billion Hong Kong dollars.”

 

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

 

Revenues

 

Total revenues were HK$1,731.1 million (US$222.4 million), an increase of 83.0% from HK$946.2 million in the third quarter of 2020.

 

Brokerage commission and handling charge income was HK$933.4 million (US$119.9 million), an increase of 65.8% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase was driven by the 33.1% year-over-year growth in total trading volume and a higher blended commission rate of 6.9 bps. Since most of our clients adopt the commission-per-share pricing model for U.S. stock trading, a decrease in the average share price of the stocks they trade results in a higher blended commission rate. Higher contributions from derivatives trading also supported commission rate expansion.

 

Interest income was HK$631.7 million (US$81.1 million), an increase of 128.5% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase in interest income was mainly driven by higher margin financing and securities lending income, partially offset by lower IPO financing interest income.

 

Other income was HK$166.0 million (US$21.3 million), an increase of 55.6% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to increases in enterprise public relationship service charge income and currency exchange service income.

 

 

 

 

Costs

 

Total costs were HK$267.2 million (US$34.3 million), an increase of 46.7% from HK$182.1 million in the third quarter of 2020.

 

Brokerage commission and handling charge expenses were HK$125.5 million (US$16.1 million), an increase of 24.1% from the third quarter of 2020. The expenses didn’t grow in tandem with brokerage commission and handling charges income due to an upgraded service package with our U.S. clearing house.

 

Interest expenses were HK$74.3 million (US$9.5 million), an increase of 56.8% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase was due to higher margin financing interest expenses and higher expenses associated with our securities borrowing and lending business. Interest expenses didn’t increase in line with interest income as we increasingly shifted our funding mix towards lower-cost funding sources.

 

Processing and servicing costs were HK$67.4 million (US$8.7 million), an increase of 100.6% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase in cloud service fees to process a higher number of concurrent trades.

 

Gross Profit

 

Total gross profit was HK$1,463.8 million (US$188.0 million), an increase of 91.6% from HK$764.1 million in the third quarter of 2020.

 

Gross margin was 84.6%, as compared to 80.8% in the third quarter of 2020.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Total operating expenses were HK$763.8 million (US$98.1 million), an increase of 136.6% from HK$322.8 million in the third quarter of 2020.

 

Research and development expenses were HK$223.9 million (US$28.8 million), an increase of 49.5% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase in research and development headcount to support new product offerings, build U.S. clearing capabilities, and provide more customized product experiences in international markets.

 

Selling and marketing expenses were HK$403.1 million (US$51.8 million), an increase of 262.5% from HK$111.2 million in the third quarter of 2020. The rising spending was driven by higher branding and marketing expenses, especially in Singapore and the U.S.

 

General and administrative expenses were HK$136.8 million (US$17.6 million), an increase of 121.7% from the third quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase in headcount for general and administrative personnel.

 

 

 

 

Net Income

 

Net income increased by 53.1% to HK$615.2 million (US$79.0 million) from HK$401.7 million in the third quarter of 2020. Net income margin for the third quarter of 2021 was 35.5%.

 

Non-GAAP adjusted net income increased by 58.5% to HK$646.1 million (US$83.0 million) from the third quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP adjusted net income is defined as net income excluding share-based compensation expenses. For further information, see "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" at the bottom of this press release.

 

Net Income per ADS

 

Basic net income per American Depositary Share (“ADS”) was HK$4.00 (US$0.51), compared with HK$3.09 in the third quarter of 2020. Diluted net income per ADS was HK$3.94 (US$0.50), compared with HK$3.04 in the third quarter of 2020. Each ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.

 

Conference Call and Webcast

 

Futu's management will hold an earnings conference call on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at 7:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time (8:30 PM on the same day, Beijing/Hong Kong Time).

 

Please note that all participants will need to pre-register for the conference call, using the link http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/4463569. It will automatically lead to the registration page of "Futu Holdings Ltd Third Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call", where details for RSVP are needed. When requested to submit a participant conference ID, please enter the number "4463569".

 

Upon registering, all participants will be provided in confirmation emails with participant dial-in numbers, Direct Event passcodes and unique registrant IDs to access the conference call. Please dial in 10 minutes prior to the call start time using the conference access information.

 

A telephone replay will be available after the conclusion of the conference call through 7:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time, December 1, 2021. The dial-in details are:

 

International: +61-2-8199-0299
US: +1-646-254-3697
Hong Kong: +852-3051-2780
Passcode: 4463569

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of this conference call will be available at https://ir.futuholdings.com/.

 

About Futu Holdings Limited

 

Futu Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: FUTU) is an advanced technology company transforming the investing experience by offering a fully digitized brokerage and wealth management platform. The Company primarily serves the emerging affluent population, pursuing a massive opportunity to facilitate a once-in-a-generation shift in the wealth management industry and build a digital gateway into broader financial services. The Company provides investing services through its proprietary digital platform, Futubull and moomoo, each a highly integrated application accessible through any mobile device, tablet or desktop. The Company's primary fee-generating services include trade execution and margin financing which allow its clients to trade securities, such as stocks, warrants, options, futures and exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, across different markets. Futu has also embedded social media tools to create a network centered around its users and provide connectivity to users, investors, companies, analysts, media and key opinion leaders.

 

 

 

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses non-GAAP adjusted net income, a non-GAAP measure, as a supplemental measure to review and assess its operating performance. The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company defines non-GAAP adjusted net income as net income excluding share-based compensation expenses. The Company presents the non-GAAP financial measure because it is used by the management to evaluate the operating performance and formulate business plans. Non-GAAP adjusted net income enables the management to assess the Company's operating results without considering the impact of share-based compensation expenses, which are non-cash charges. The Company also believes that the use of the non-GAAP measure facilitates investors' assessment of its operating performance.

 

Non-GAAP adjusted net income is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using non-GAAP adjusted net income is that it does not reflect all items of expense that affect the Company's operations. Share-based compensation expenses have been and may continue to be incurred in the business and is not reflected in the presentation of non-GAAP adjusted net income. Further, the non-GAAP measure may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.

 

The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measure to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance.

 

For more information on this non-GAAP financial measure, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of Non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

 

Exchange Rate Information

 

This announcement contains translations of certain HK dollars (“HK$”) amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from HK$ to US$ were made at the rate of HK$7.7850 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on September 30, 2021 in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the HK$ or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or HK$, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

 

 

 

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from the management team of the Company, contain forward-looking statements. Futu may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to 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. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Futu's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. 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: Futu's goal and strategies; Futu's expansion plans; Futu's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Futu's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its credit products; Futu's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with borrowers, institutional funding partners, merchandise suppliers and other parties it collaborate with; general economic and business conditions; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Futu'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 Futu does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

 

For investor inquiries, please contact:

 

Investor Relations

Futu Holdings Limited 

ir@futuholdings.com

 

 

 

 

FUTU HOLDINGS LIMITED

 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

   As of December 31   As of September 30 
   2020   2021   2021 
   HK$   HK$   US$ 
ASSETS            
Cash and cash equivalents   1,034,668    2,082,051    267,444 
Cash held on behalf of clients   42,487,090    60,311,093    7,747,090 
Term deposits   300,000    -    - 
Securities purchased under agreements to resell   -    10,000    1,285 
Loans and advances (net of allowance of HK$9,075 thousand and HK$11,890 thousand as of December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2021)   18,825,366    30,834,056    3,960,701 
Receivables:               
Clients   735,145    385,222    49,483 
Brokers   5,780,461    9,235,017    1,186,258 
Clearing organizations   1,243,928    1,127,726    144,859 
Fund management companies and fund distributors   297,622    130,555    16,770 
Interest   19,876    38,094    4,893 
Prepaid assets   11,422    23,534    3,023 
Operating lease right-of-use assets   208,863    238,514    30,638 
Other assets   393,326    563,192    72,341 
Total assets   71,337,767    104,979,054    13,484,785 
                
LIABILITIES               
Amounts due to related parties   87,169    37,728    4,846 
Payables:               
Clients   46,062,842    64,385,941    8,270,513 
Brokers   4,533,581    3,678,571    472,520 
Clearing organizations   324,266    661,937    85,027 
Fund management companies and fund distributors   127,442    54,270    6,971 
Interest   5,493    13,644    1,753 
Borrowings   5,482,818    7,942,243    1,020,198 
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase   5,453,037    4,911,507    630,894 
Operating lease liabilities   222,231    254,027    32,630 
Accrued expenses and other liabilities   731,198    1,463,404    187,977 
Total liabilities   63,030,077    83,403,272    10,713,329 

 

1 

 

 

 

FUTU HOLDINGS LIMITED

 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Continued)

 

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

   As of December 31   As of September 30 
   2020   2021   2021 
   HK$   HK$   US$ 
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY               
Class A ordinary shares   47    58    7 
Class B ordinary shares   38    38    5 
Additional paid-in capital   6,960,369    17,892,965    2,298,390 
Accumulated other comprehensive income   4,974    29,058    3,733 
Retained earnings   1,342,262    3,653,663    469,321 
Total shareholders' equity   8,307,690    21,575,782    2,771,456 
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity   71,337,767    104,979,054    13,484,785 

  

2 

 

 

FUTU HOLDINGS LIMITED

 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

   For the Three Months Ended   For the Nine Months Ended 
  

September 30,

2020

  

September 30,

2021

  

September 30,

2021

  

September 30,

2020

  

September 30,

2021

  

September 30,

2021

 
   HK$   HK$   US$   HK$   HK$   US$ 
Revenues                        
Brokerage commission and handling charge income   563,109    933,412    119,899    1,271,804    3,056,091    392,561 
Interest income   276,359    631,668    81,139    628,692    1,900,608    244,137 
Other income   106,704    165,970    21,319    223,882    555,812    71,395 
Total revenues   946,172    1,731,050    222,357    2,124,378    5,512,511    708,093 
Costs                              
Brokerage commission and handling charge expenses   (101,146)   (125,460)   (16,116)   (228,320)   (484,462)   (62,230)
Interest expenses   (47,357)   (74,319)   (9,546)   (120,672)   (321,286)   (41,270)
Processing and servicing costs   (33,558)   (67,439)   (8,663)   (104,791)   (183,463)   (23,566)
Total costs   (182,061)   (267,218)   (34,325)   (453,783)   (989,211)   (127,066)
Total gross profit   764,111    1,463,832    188,032    1,670,595    4,523,300    581,027 
                               
Operating expenses                              
Research and development expenses   (149,842)   (223,905)   (28,761)   (351,178)   (534,692)   (68,682)
Selling and marketing expenses   (111,187)   (403,065)   (51,775)   (272,793)   (1,055,101)   (135,530)
General and administrative expenses   (61,741)   (136,782)   (17,570)   (159,496)   (311,147)   (39,968)
Total operating expenses   (322,770)   (763,752)   (98,106)   (783,467)   (1,900,940)   (244,180)
                               
Others, net   (6,763)   9,902    1,272    (15,125)   (9,691)   (1,245)
                               
Income before income tax expense   434,578    709,982    91,198    872,003    2,612,669    335,602 
                               
Income tax expense   (32,700)   (94,771)   (12,174)   (78,475)   (301,268)   (38,699)
Share of loss from equity method investment   (157)   -    -    (465)   -    - 
                               
Net income   401,721    615,211    79,024    793,063    2,311,401    296,903 
                               
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Company   401,721    615,211    79,024    793,063    2,311,401    296,903 

 

3 

 

 

 

FUTU HOLDINGS LIMITED

 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Continued)

 

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

   For the Three Months Ended   For the Nine Months Ended 
   September 30,
2020
   September 30,
2021
   September 30,
2021
   September 30,
2020
   September 30,
2021
   September30,
2021
 
   HK$   HK$   US$   HK$   HK$   US$ 
Net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Company                        
Basic   0.39    0.50    0.06    0.78    1.94    0.25 
Diluted   0.38    0.49    0.06    0.77    1.91    0.25 
                               
Net income per ADS                              
Basic   3.09    4.00    0.51    6.24    15.50    1.99 
Diluted   3.04    3.94    0.50    6.16    15.26    1.96 
                               
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing net income per share                              
Basic   1,041,524,160    1,229,645,101    1,229,645,101    1,016,459,235    1,192,527,761    1,192,527,761 
Diluted   1,056,692,991    1,247,110,187    1,247,110,187    1,029,682,530    1,212,191,974    1,212,191,974 
                               
Net income   401,721    615,211    79,024    793,063    2,311,401    296,903 
Other comprehensive income, net of Tax                              
Foreign currency translation adjustment   (784)   21,130    2,715    (5,080)   24,084    3,094 
Total comprehensive income   400,937    636,341    81,739    787,983    2,335,485    299,997 

 

4 

 

  

FUTU HOLDINGS LIMITED

 

UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP AND GAAP RESULTS

 

(In thousands)

 

   For the Three Months Ended   For the Nine Months Ended 
   September 30,
20
20
   September 30,
2021
   September 30,
2021
   September 30,
2020
   September 30,
2021
   September 30,
2021
 
   HK$   HK$   US$   HK$   HK$   US$ 
Net income   401,721    615,211    79,024    793,063    2,311,401    296,903 
Add: share-based compensation expenses   5,987    30,879    3,966    18,052    64,295    8,259 
Adjusted net income   407,708    646,090    82,990    811,115    2,375,696    305,162 

 

Non-GAAP to GAAP reconciling items have no income tax effect.

 

5