Remark Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARK), a diversified global technology company with leading artificial intelligence ("AI") solutions and digital media properties, today announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended September 30, 2020.

"The third quarter of 2020 was highlighted by a sequential quarter over quarter doubling of revenue from China as the country emerged from post-COVID-19 lock-downs. We were able to restart certain projects, including the conversion of bank and mobile retail outlets to smart stores, and smart school safety installations at primary schools in several Provinces of China. We anticipate another doubling of revenue from China in our fourth quarter," noted Kai-Shing Tao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remark Holdings. "In the United States, we focused on growing our distribution and channel partnerships for our AI platform, and we expect to close additional deals in the fourth quarter."

Third Quarter 2020 Business Highlights

• Smart kiosks were delivered to approximately 200 China Mobile stores. Software installations continued with the goal of having the software queue management system available in 5,000 stores by year's end, up from 2,000 at year end 2019. Additional development was done on a smart customer analysis program that will be delivered in 2021. We remain on track to fulfill the initial $50 million China Mobile contract by the end of 2021, and are pursuing additional opportunities with China Mobile's 220,000 affiliated retail outlets.
• Smart retail bank branch solutions were delivered to 80 Bank of China branches in Guangdong Province. Additionally, the Agriculture Bank of China and the Construction Bank of China began implementing Remark AI systems, which reflects the initial capture of the $2 billion annual upgrade budget market opportunity as 20,000 branches are scheduled to be upgraded each year.
• Remark AI was chosen by China Mobile to partner on implementing smart community solutions in the Sichuan Province. The initial phase of this project began in the fourth quarter and we expect to recognize revenue commensurately. There are over 10,000 residential complexes in Sichuan and over 160,000 throughout China, a $70 billion addressable market.
• Smart school solutions were delivered to approximately 120 new locations during the third quarter. Software upgrades were implemented to improve computer vision, time attendance system, epidemic prevention system and smart energy saving systems. Discussions are underway to expand our sales channel to additional regions in order to compete for the 160,000 schools in major cities.
• Remark AI's Thermal Kits were chosen by The Meadows School in Las Vegas, a leading private pre K-12 school in Las Vegas, to help safely welcome back students and the educational staff on campus for the 2020-2021 academic school year. The installations are the first in a United States school system for Remark AI.
• Remark AI won three out of five championships in the Visual Object Tracking category at the 16th European Conference on Computer Vision.

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results

• Revenue for the third quarter of 2020 totaled $2.6 million, up from $0.7 million during the third quarter of 2019.
  • Revenue in China more than tripled to $2.1 million as personnel in China were able to continue previously-stalled projects as the country emerged from COVID-19 quarantines which allowed for installations, testing and customization work on several projects.
  • Revenue from the US-based biosafety business totaled $0.4 million as thermal imaging products were delivered to casinos, a school, hotels, medical centers, office buildings, and customers in industries throughout the United States.
• The company recorded an operating loss of ($3.1) million in the third quarter 2020, an improvement from the operating loss of ($4.3) million in the third quarter of 2019. Headcount reductions, decreased spending in sales and marketing, and lower rent expense contributed to the improvement.
• Net Income totaled $4.4 million, or $0.04 per diluted share in the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, compared to a net loss of ($4.9) million, or ($0.11) per diluted share in the third quarter ended September 30, 2019. The bulk of the income is tied to the $5.6 million non-cash gain in the change in fair value of warrant liability compared to a ($0.2) million loss in the comparable period of 2019, as a result of fluctuations in the share price of Remark's common shares and the expiration of a substantial number of warrants during the quarter.
• At September 30, 2020, the cash and cash equivalents balance totaled $2.1 million, compared to a cash position of $0.3 million at December 31, 2019. Cash increased primarily due to $32.1 million in proceeds from common stock issuances, whose increase was partially offset by use of the proceeds to make debt principal repayments of $13.8 million, to make other liability payments, and to generally operate the business.

"Our business has gone through a major transformation. We spent the past five years building a robust AI platform that has been recognized as having superior commercial solutions in the areas of computer vision. We spent the past three years working to commercialize the technology with world-class companies such as China Mobile. Now, going into the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, we are poised to report significant revenue growth from China while simultaneously addressing large total addressable market opportunities, and signing up new channel partners. Finally, we are confident that we will have the opportunity to monetize our stake in Sharecare which will provide us with ample capital to execute all of our growth opportunities, potentially repurchase shares and maintain a rock-solid balance sheet," concluded Mr. Tao.