Brand Engagement Network Inc. quarterly report, Q2 FY2022

Business context and reporting period

Important entity mismatch: The supplied filing is DHC Acquisition Corp.’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, not a filing under the name Brand Engagement Network Inc. DHC was a blank-check company seeking a business combination; it reported no operating revenue through the period.

The unaudited filing was signed August 12, 2022. On July 25, 2022, after quarter-end, DHC agreed to combine with With Purpose, Inc. (d/b/a GloriFi, Inc.).

Financial results and condition

MetricThree months ended June 30Six months ended June 30
Operating and formation costs2022: $243,574; 2021: $752,5972022: $1,946,336; 2021: $912,613
Net income (loss)2022: $2,768,684; 2021: $(649,446)2022: $5,599,330; 2021: $(2,053,442)
Net income (loss) per share2022: $0.07; 2021: $(0.02)2022: $0.14; 2021: $(0.07)
  • Net income was driven primarily by noncash gains from remeasurement of warrant liabilities: $2.59 million for Q2 and $7.10 million for the first half. Trust-account interest was $417,862 and $448,071, respectively. These results do not reflect operating-business profitability; margins are not meaningful because revenue was zero.
  • At June 30, cash outside the trust was $405,645, versus $861,474 at year-end 2021. Trust investments totaled $309.90 million, primarily in money-market funds invested in U.S. Treasury securities.
  • First-half operating cash use was $455,829, compared with $1.57 million in the prior-year period. There were no investing or financing cash flows in the first half of 2022.
  • Total liabilities were $14.43 million, including $2.40 million of current payables and accrued expenses, $1.20 million of warrant liabilities, and a $10.83 million deferred underwriting fee payable if a business combination closes. The filing reports no long-term debt. Redeemable Class A shares of $309.90 million are presented as temporary equity, not liabilities.
  • Working capital deficit was $1.72 million. No working-capital loans were outstanding at June 30.

Changes versus the prior comparable period

For Q2, DHC moved from a $649,446 loss to $2.77 million of income, mainly because of a larger favorable warrant-liability remeasurement and trust interest. For the first half, it moved from a $2.05 million loss to $5.60 million of income for the same principal reasons, despite operating and formation costs increasing from $912,613 to $1.95 million. The trust balance rose by about $448,000 from year-end, reflecting interest and redemption-value accretion.

Outlook, risks and unusual items

  • Proposed transaction: The July 25 agreement provides for a merger with GloriFi, subject to shareholder, regulatory, listing, financing and other customary conditions. GloriFi must secure at least $60 million of unencumbered financing proceeds; a separate closing condition requires at least $30 million of specified cash and financing sources after redemptions.
  • Up to 40 million earnout shares may be issued to GloriFi holders if specified share-price conditions are met over a seven-year period after closing. Completion was not assured, and the filing provided no operating-company guidance.
  • DHC’s business-combination deadline was March 4, 2023. Management said failure to complete a transaction by then would require liquidation and disclosed substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management planned to complete a combination before the deadline.
  • A $2 million consulting fee became due upon announcement of the target and was payable at transaction closing. A separate agreement requires at least $500,000 to be paid to legal counsel within two business days if the business-combination agreement is terminated, in addition to other amounts due.
  • The filing cites possible effects of COVID-19, geopolitical conflict and market volatility on its ability to complete a transaction. It also warns that proposed SEC rules for SPAC transactions, if adopted, could increase costs and delay or impede completion.
  • Management reported disclosure controls as effective and stated that a previously identified material weakness involving complex financial-instrument accounting was remediated by June 30, 2022.

Key facts investors should verify

  1. Confirm the issuer: this is DHC Acquisition Corp.’s filing, not a Brand Engagement Network Inc. 10-Q.
  2. Check the status and final terms of the GloriFi transaction, including shareholder and regulatory approvals, the $60 million financing condition, and the minimum-cash condition.
  3. Assess cash available outside the trust, the $1.72 million working-capital deficit, and funding needs through the business-combination deadline.
  4. Review redemption levels and their effect on transaction cash, share issuance, dilution and the deferred underwriting fee.
  5. Distinguish reported net income from operating performance: DHC had no revenue, and results were materially affected by warrant fair-value changes.