UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                  to

Commission File No. 001-39652

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x   No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x   No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes x   No ¨

As of May 17, 2021, there were 21,525,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share, and 5,381,250 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share, issued and outstanding.

ACIES ACQUISITION CORP.

FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED MARCH 31, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACIES ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

ACIES ACQUISITION CORP.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2021 

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

ACIES ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY

THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

ACIES ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

ACIES ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO CONDENSED Consolidated FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2021

(Unaudited)

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Acies Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on August 14, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). On February 1, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with First Merger Sub, Second Merger Sub and PlayStudios, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, (“PlayStudios”) relating to a proposed Business Combination transaction between the Company and PlayStudios (the “Transaction”).

The Company has two subsidiaries, Catalyst Merger Sub I, Inc., a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company incorporated in Delaware on January 27, 2021 (“First Merger Sub”) and Catalyst Merger Sub II, LLC, a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company incorporated in Delaware on January 27, 2021 (“Second Merger Sub”) (see Note 8).

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity for the period August 14, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, identifying a target company for a Business Combination and activities in connection with the proposed acquisition of PlayStudios (see Note 9).

The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering became effective on October 22, 2020. On October 27, 2020, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $200,000,000 which is described in Note 3.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 4,333,333 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to Acies Acquisition, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $6,500,000, which is described in Note 4.

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on October 27, 2020, an amount of $200,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholders, as described below.

On November 9, 2020, the Company consummated the sale of an additional 1,525,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, and the sale of an additional 203,334 Private Placement Warrants, at $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, generating total gross proceeds of $15,555,000. A total of $15,250,000 of the net proceeds was deposited into the Trust Account, bringing the aggregate proceeds held in the Trust Account to $215,250,000.

Transaction costs amounted to $12,363,821, consisting of $4,305,000 of underwriting fees, $7,533,750 of deferred underwriting fees and $525,071 of other offering costs.

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward completing a Business Combination. The Company must complete its initial Business Combination with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding any deferred underwriting commissions held in the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to effect a Business Combination successfully.

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or don’t vote at all.

Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, (b) to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination by October 27, 2022 (or by January 27, 2023, if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for a Business Combination by October 27, 2022) (the “Combination Period”) and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

The Company will have until the end of the Combination Period to complete a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.00 per Public Share or (2) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

Going Concern Consideration

At March 31, 2021, we have $264,630 in its operating bank accounts, $215,289,800 in securities held in the Trust Account, to be for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its ordinary shares in connection therewith and working capital of $832,878.

Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company will be using the funds not held in the Trust Account for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to acquire, and structuring, negotiating, and consummating the Business Combination.

If the Business Combination is not consummated, the Company will need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, stockholders, officers, directors, or third parties. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through one year from the date of these financial statements if a Business Combination is not consummated. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation 

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X of the SEC. Certain information or footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes necessary for a complete presentation of financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of a normal recurring nature, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, operating results and cash flows for the periods presented.

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the period from August 14, 2020 (Inception) through December 31, 2020, as filed with the SEC on May 10, 2021, and amended on May 12, 2021. The interim results for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021 or for any future periods.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account

At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. Treasury Bills.

Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

The Company accounts for its Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A Ordinary Shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Ordinary Shares (including Ordinary Shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Ordinary Shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A Ordinary Shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheets.

Warrant Liability

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares and whether the warrant holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.

For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations. The fair value of the warrants was estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation approach (see Note 10).

Income Taxes

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.

The Company is considered an exempted Cayman Islands Company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.

Net Income per Ordinary Share

Net income per ordinary share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Public Offering and Private Placement to purchase an aggregate of 11,711,667 shares in the calculation of diluted income per share, since the exercise of the warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive.

The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of income per share for ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in a manner similar to the two-class method of income per share. Net income per ordinary share, basic and diluted, for ordinary shares subject to possible redemption is calculated by dividing the proportionate share of income or loss on marketable securities held by the Trust Account by the weighted average number of ordinary shares subject to possible redemption outstanding since original issuance.

Net income per share, basic and diluted, for non-redeemable ordinary shares is calculated by dividing the net income, adjusted for income or loss on marketable securities attributable to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, by the weighted average number of non-redeemable ordinary shares outstanding for the period.

Non-redeemable ordinary shares includes Founder Shares and non-redeemable Class A shares as these shares do not have any redemption features. Non-redeemable ordinary shares participates in the income or loss on marketable securities based on Class A non-redeemable share’s proportionate interest.

The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying condensed balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:

• Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;

• Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and

• Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

Recent Accounting Standards

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying condensed financial statements.

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 21,525,000 Units, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit, inclusive of 1,525,000 Units sold to the underwriters on November 9, 2020 upon the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 8).

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,333,333 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. On November 9, 2020, in connection with the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option, the Company sold an additional 203,334 Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor, at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, generating gross proceeds of $305,000. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Founder Shares

On September 15, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 in consideration for 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”). On October 20, 2020, the Sponsor surrendered and the Company canceled 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares resulting in 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share cancellation. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor would collectively own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering). As a result of the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option on November 9, 2020, a total of 381,250 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture and 368,750 Founder Shares were forfeited, resulting in an aggregate of 5,381,250 Founder Shares issued and outstanding.

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination; and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, amalgamation, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

Administrative Support Agreement

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on October 22, 2020, to pay the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of the Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company incurred and paid $30,000 in fees for these services. Additionally, the Company has prepaid $20,000 as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 which is included in prepaid expenses which is included in the accompanying condensed balance sheets. 

Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.

The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Registration Rights

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on October 22, 2020, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. However, the registration and shareholder rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidating damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement 

The underwriter is entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7,533,750 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriter from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Legal Proceedings

On March 2, 2021, a lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, by a purported Acies stockholder in connection with the Business Combination: McCart v. Acies Acquisition Corp., et al., (Sup. Ct. L.A. County) (the “Complaint”). The Complaint names Acies and members of our Board of Directors as defendants. The Complaint alleges breach of fiduciary duty against members of our Board of Directors and aiding and abetting our Board of Directors’ breach of fiduciary duties against Acies. The Complaint also alleges that the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Acies containing the proxy statement / prospectus related to the Business Combination is materially deficient and omits and/or misrepresents material information including, among other things, certain financial information, details regarding Acies’ financial advisors, and other information relating to the background of the Business Combination. The Complaint generally seeks to enjoin the Business Combination or in the event that it is consummated, recover damages.

Another purported Acies stockholder sent a demand letter on February 19, 2021 (the “Demand”), making similar allegations to those made in the Complaint and demanding additional disclosure regarding the Business Combination.

Acies believes the allegations made in the Complaint and Demand are without merit and intends to defend these lawsuits; however, Acies cannot predict with certainty the ultimate resolution of any proceedings that may be brought in connection with these allegations.

NOTE 7. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of $0.0001 par value preferred shares. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding.

Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share. Holders of the Company’s ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there were 2,949,428 and 3,574,009 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding, excluding 18,575,572 and 17,950,991 Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption, respectively.

Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue up to 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share. Holders of the Company’s ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there were 5,381,250 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding.

Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, except as required by law.

The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of a Business Combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public Offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. 

NOTE 8. WARRANT LIABILITY

Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the consummation of a Business Combination or (b) one year from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years from the consummation of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elect, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $18.00 — Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:

If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if the Company is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $10.00 — Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:

The exercise price and number of ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the Public Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of ordinary shares at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their Public Warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such Public Warrants. Accordingly, the Public Warrants may expire worthless.

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of its Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable, except as described above, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

NOTE 9. BUSINESS COMBINATION

The Mergers

On February 1, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Catalyst Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of ours (“First Merger Sub”), Catalyst Merger Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of ours (“Second Merger Sub”), and PlayStudios, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“PlayStudios”). The Merger Agreement provides that, subject to the approval of Acies’ shareholders and upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, the following transactions will occur (together with the other agreements and transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Business Combination”):

(i) at the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the “Closing”) (x) in accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the “DGCL”), First Merger Sub will merge with and into PlayStudios and PlayStudios will be the surviving corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Acies (the “First Merger”) and (y) immediately following the First Merger, and as part of an integrated transaction with the First Merger, PlayStudios will merge with and into Second Merger Sub, with Second Merger Sub being the surviving entity of the Second Merger and a wholly owned subsidiary of Acies (the “Second Merger” and, together with the First Merger, the “Mergers”);

(ii) as a result of the Mergers, among other things, each outstanding share of common stock of PlayStudios (“PlayStudios Common Stock”) and each share of preferred stock of PlayStudios (“PlayStudios Preferred Stock”) issued and outstanding as of the effective time of the First Merger (the “Effective Time”) will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive the following:

(a)    if the holder of such share makes an election to receive cash (“Cash Electing Share”), an amount of cash, without interest, equal to the quotient of $1,041,000,000 divided by the sum of, as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, (x) the number of issued and outstanding shares of PlayStudios Common Stock (including, without duplication, the number of issued and outstanding shares of PlayStudios Preferred Stock on an as-converted basis); (y) the number of shares of PlayStudios Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding, vested and unexercised options to purchase shares of PlayStudios Common Stock; and (z) the shares of PlayStudios Common Stock underlying any issued and outstanding warrants of PlayStudios, in the case of (y) and (z) as determined on a net exercise basis (the “Per Share Merger Consideration Value”); provided, however, that (1) the aggregate amount of Cash Electing Shares available to each holder shall not exceed 15% of the shares of PlayStudios capital stock held by such holder; and (2) if the sum of the aggregate number of Dissenting Shares (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and the aggregate number of Cash Electing Shares multiplied by (y) the Per Share Merger Consideration Value (such product, the “Aggregate Cash Election Amount”), exceeds the Available Cash Consideration (as defined in the Merger Agreement, such Available Cash Consideration not to exceed $150,000,000), then each Cash Electing Share shall be converted into the right to receive (A) an amount in cash, without interest, equal to the product of (1) the Per Share Merger Consideration Value and (2) a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Available Cash Consideration and the denominator of which shall be the Aggregate Cash Election Amount (such fraction, the “Cash Fraction”) and (B) an amount of the stock consideration described in clause (b), below, multiplied by one minus the Cash Fraction;

(b)    if the holder of such share does not make a cash election, a number of validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock (as defined below) equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the Per Share Merger Consideration Value by (B) $10.00, except that if any such shares are owned by Andrew S. Pascal (the “Founder”), or any member of the Pascal Family Trust and their respective affiliates (collectively, the “Founder Group”), such share will instead receive a number of validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock par value $0.0001 per share (the “New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock”), equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the Per Share Merger Consideration Value by (B) $10.00. The shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock will have the same economic terms as the shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock, but the shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock will be entitled to one vote per share, and the shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock will be entitled to 20 votes per share. Any shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock that are transferred outside the Founder Group (except for certain permitted transfers) will automatically convert into shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock. In addition, the outstanding shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock will be subject to a “sunset” provision by which all outstanding shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock will automatically convert into shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock (i) if holders representing a majority of the New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock vote to convert the New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock into New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock, (ii) if the Founder Group and its permitted transferees collectively no longer beneficially own at least 20% of the number of shares of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock collectively held by the Founder Group as of the Effective Time, or (iii) on the nine-month anniversary of the Founder’s death or disability, unless such date is extended by a majority of independent directors;

(iii) as a result of the Mergers, each outstanding share of PlayStudios Common Stock and PlayStudios Preferred Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time as well as any outstanding unexercised vested options to purchase shares of PlayStudios Common Stock will also receive the contingent right to receive the applicable Earnout Pro Rata Portion (as defined in the Merger Agreement) of an aggregate of 15,000,000 additional shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock (the “Earnout Shares”), which right shall be contingent upon certain price milestones that are more fully set out in the Merger Agreement (the consideration described in the foregoing clauses (ii) and (iii), collectively, the “Merger Consideration”); and

(iv) as a result of the Mergers, each outstanding and unexercised option to purchase PlayStudios Common Stock, whether or not vested or exercisable, will be converted into an option to purchase a share of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock, except for any such option that is held by any member of the Founder Group, which will be converted into an option to purchase a share of New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock. 

The Board of Directors of Acies (the “Board”) has (i) approved and declared advisable the Merger Agreement, the Business Combination and the other transactions contemplated thereby and (ii) resolved to recommend approval of the Merger Agreement and related matters by the shareholders of Acies.

The Domestication

Prior to the Closing, subject to the approval of Acies’ shareholders, and in accordance with the DGCL, Cayman Islands Companies Law (2021 Revision) (the “CICL”) and Acies’ Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (as may be amended from time to time, the “Cayman Constitutional Documents”), Acies will effect a deregistration under the CICL and a domestication under Section 388 of the DGCL (by means of filing a certificate of domestication (the “Certificate of Domestication”) with the Secretary of State of Delaware), pursuant to which Acies’ jurisdiction of incorporation will be changed from the Cayman Islands to the State of Delaware (the “Domestication”).

In connection with the Domestication, (i) each of the then issued and outstanding Acies Class A Ordinary Shares will convert automatically, on a one-for-one basis, into a share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share of New PlayStudios (after its Domestication) (the “New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock”, and together with the New PlayStudios Class B Common Stock, the “New PlayStudios Common Stock”), (ii) each of the then issued and outstanding Acies Class B Ordinary Shares will convert automatically, on a one-for-one basis, into a share of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock, after giving effect to the forfeiture of certain Acies Class B Ordinary Shares held by the Sponsor pursuant to that certain Sponsor agreement by and among PlayStudios, Acies and the Sponsor (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”), (iii) each then issued and outstanding warrant of Acies will convert automatically, on a one-for-one basis, into a warrant to acquire one share of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock (“New PlayStudios Warrant”), on substantially the same terms and conditions as specified in the Warrant Agreement, dated October 22, 2020, between Acies and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, after giving effect to the forfeiture of certain warrants of Acies held by the Sponsor pursuant to the Sponsor Agreement.

Conditions to Closing

The Merger Agreement is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain customary closing conditions, including, among others, (i) approval of the Business Combination and related agreements and transactions by the respective shareholders of Acies and PlayStudios, (ii) effectiveness of the proxy statement / prospectus on Form S-4 filed by Acies in connection with the Business Combination, (iii) expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, (iv) receipt of approval for listing on Nasdaq of the shares of New PlayStudios Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Mergers, (v) that Acies shall not have redeemed Acies Class A Ordinary Shares that would cause Acies to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets upon Closing, and (vi) the absence of any injunctions or statute, rule or regulation prohibiting the transactions.

Other conditions to PlayStudios’ obligations to consummate the Mergers include, among others, that as of the Closing, the amount of cash available in (x) the Trust Account, after deducting the amount required to satisfy Acies’ obligations to its shareholders (if any) that exercise their rights to redeem their Acies Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Cayman Constitutional Documents (but prior to payment of (A) any deferred underwriting commissions being held in the Trust Account and (B) any transaction expenses of Acies or its affiliates) plus (y) the PIPE Investment (as defined below), is at least $200,000,000 minus qualified expenses related to the cost of filing fees and seeking governmental approval of the Mergers.

Covenants

The Merger Agreement contains additional covenants, including, among others, providing for (i) the parties to conduct their respective businesses in the ordinary course through the Closing, (ii) PlayStudios to prepare certain audited and unaudited consolidated financial statements of PlayStudios for inclusion in the proxy statement / prospectus on Form S-4 related to the Business Combination, (iii) Acies and PlayStudios to prepare and Acies file a proxy statement / prospectus on Form S-4 and take certain other actions to obtain the requisite approval of Acies shareholders of certain proposals regarding the Business Combination (including the Domestication), and (iv) the parties to use reasonable best efforts to obtain necessary approvals from governmental agencies.

Representations and Warranties

The Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties by Acies, First Merger Sub, Second Merger Sub and PlayStudios. The representations and warranties of the respective parties to the Merger Agreement generally will not survive the Closing.

Termination

The Merger Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the Closing (i) by mutual written agreement of Acies and PlayStudios, (ii) by PlayStudios or Acies, if (a) Closing has not occurred on or before August 15, 2021, subject to requirements set forth in the Merger Agreement, (b) any Governmental Order (as defined in the Merger Agreement) shall have issued making consummation of the Mergers illegal or otherwise preventing or prohibiting consummation of the Mergers or (c) Acies shareholder approval is not obtained at an extraordinary general meeting of Acies shareholders, (iii) by Acies, if (a) the Company Support Agreements (as defined below) are not delivered to Acies within twenty-four (24) hours after the date of the Merger Agreement, (b) any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of PlayStudios set forth in the Merger Agreement, subject to the conditions and certain exceptions contained therein, or (c) PlayStudios stockholder approval of the Mergers is not obtained within forty-eight (48) hours of the time the Registration Statement becomes effective), or (iv) by PlayStudios, upon any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of Acies set forth in the Merger Agreement, subject to the conditions and certain exceptions contained therein.

Subscription Agreements

On February 1, 2021, Acies entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors (collectively, the “PIPE Investors”), pursuant to, and on the terms and subject to the conditions of which, the PIPE Investors have collectively subscribed for 25,000,000 shares of New PlayStudios Class A Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price equal to $250 million (the “PIPE Investment”). The PIPE Investment will be consummated substantially concurrently with the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, subject to the terms and conditions contemplated by the Subscription Agreements.

The Subscription Agreements for the PIPE Investors provide for certain registration rights. In particular, New PlayStudios will be required to, as soon as practicable but no later than 30 calendar days following the Closing, submit to or file with the SEC a registration statement registering the resale of such shares. Additionally, New PlayStudios will be required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, but no later than the earlier of (i) the 60th calendar day following the filing date thereof, (ii) the 90th calendar day following the filing date thereof if the SEC notifies New PlayStudios that it will “review” the registration statement and (iii) the 10th business day after the date New PlayStudios is notified in writing by the SEC that the registration statement will not be “reviewed” or will not be subject to further review. New PlayStudios must use reasonable best efforts to keep the registration statement effective until the earliest of: (i) the date on which all of the shares covered by the registration statement have been sold, (ii) with respect to shares held by a particular subscriber, the date all shares held by such subscriber may be sold without restriction under Rule 144 and (iii) three years from the date of effectiveness of the registration statement.

The Subscription Agreements will terminate with no further force and effect upon the earliest to occur of: (a) such date and time as the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms; (b) the mutual written agreement of the parties to such Subscription Agreement; (c) if any of the conditions to closing set forth in such Subscription Agreement are not satisfied on or prior to the Closing and, as a result thereof, the transactions contemplated by the Subscription Agreement fail to occur; and (d) August 16, 2021, if the Closing has not occurred by such date.

Sponsor Support Agreement

On February 1, 2021, Acies entered into a Sponsor Support Agreement, pursuant to which the Sponsor and each director of Acies agreed, among other things, (i) to vote in favor of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, (ii) that 900,000 Acies Class B Ordinary Shares held by the Sponsor shall become unvested and subject to forfeiture if certain earnout conditions described more fully in the Sponsor Support Agreement are not satisfied, (iii) to forfeit, for no consideration, 850,000 Acies Class B Ordinary Shares held by the Sponsor and 715,000 Acies Private Placement Warrants (as defined in the Sponsor Support Agreement), (iv) to forfeit additional Acies Class B Ordinary Shares conditioned on certain redemptions of Acies Class A Ordinary Shares that are more fully set forth in the Sponsor Support Agreement and (v) not to transfer any Acies Class B Ordinary Shares or Acies Private Placement Warrants (together, the “Sponsor Lockup Securities”) until the date that is 12 months after the Closing, except that on the date that is 180 days after the Closing, an amount of Sponsor Lockup Securities equal to the lesser of (A) 5% of the Sponsor Lockup Securities held by each holder of Sponsor Lockup Securities and (B) 50,000 Sponsor Lockup Securities held by each holder of Sponsor Lockup Securities, will no longer be subject to the transfer restrictions in each case, subject to the terms and conditions contemplated by the Sponsor Support Agreement.

Company Support Agreements

On February 2, 2021, Acies also entered into Voting and Support Agreements (the “Company Support Agreements”), by and among Acies, PlayStudios and certain stockholders of PlayStudios (the “Key Stockholders”). Under the Company Support Agreements, the Key Stockholders agreed, within forty-eight (48) hours following the SEC declaring effective the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the approval by Acies shareholders of the Business Combination, to execute and deliver a written consent with respect to the outstanding shares of PlayStudios Common Stock and PlayStudios Preferred Stock held by the Key Stockholders adopting the Merger Agreement and related transactions and approving the Business Combination. The shares of PlayStudios Common Stock and PlayStudios Preferred Stock that are owned by the Key Stockholders and subject to the Company Support Agreements represent (i) a majority of the outstanding voting power of PlayStudios Preferred Stock, voting as a separate class and (ii) a majority of the outstanding voting power of PlayStudios Common Stock and PlayStudios Preferred Stock (on an as converted basis), voting together as a single class.

Transfer Restrictions and Registration Rights

The Merger Agreement contemplates that, at the Closing, New PlayStudios, the Sponsor and certain of PlayStudios’ stockholders and certain of their respective affiliates will enter into an Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which New PlayStudios will agree to register for resale, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, certain shares of New PlayStudios Common Stock and other equity securities of New PlayStudios that are held by the parties thereto from time to time. Additionally, the Bylaws of New PlayStudios (the “Bylaws”) contain certain restrictions on transfer with respect to the shares of New PlayStudios Common Stock received as Merger Consideration immediately following Closing (the “PlayStudios Lockup Securities”). Such restrictions begin at Closing and end at the date that is 12 months after the Closing, except that on the date that is 180 days after the Closing, an amount of PlayStudios Lockup Securities equal to the lesser of (A) 5% of the PlayStudios Lockup Securities held by each holder of PlayStudios Lockup Securities and (B) 50,000 PlayStudios Lockup Securities held by each holder of PlayStudios Lockup Securities, will no longer be subject to the transfer restrictions.

The Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor Support Agreement and the Company Support Agreements have been included to provide investors with information regarding its terms. They are not intended to provide any other factual information about Acies or its affiliates. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained in the Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Company Support Agreements and the other documents related thereto were made only for purposes and as of the specific dates set forth therein, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor Support Agreement and the Company Support Agreements, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor Support Agreement or Company Support Agreements instead of establishing these matters as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors are not third-party beneficiaries under the Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor Support Agreement or the Company Support Agreements and should not rely on the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of the parties thereto or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of representations and warranties may change after the date of the Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor Support Agreements or the Company Support Agreements, as applicable, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in Acies’ public disclosures.

Initial Business Combination - Other

In the event Acies does not consummate its initial Business Combination with PlayStudios, it will continue to search for an appropriate target up until the Completion Window. Specific sectors that we may target span live events, family entertainment, casino gaming, destination hospitality, sports, sports betting and iGaming, and social and casual mobile games. We are pursuing both consumer-facing operators as well as the business-to-business platforms that support them. We are predominantly focused on the U.S.; however our search may expand to international markets.

Experiential entertainment, consumed through live, location-based venues or played across mobile platforms, has become a prime pursuit of American consumers. Companies able to create unique or memorable experiences that foster communal connections through shared values have captured an increasing share of consumers’ entertainment time and budgets. In turn, the industry has become one of the most important drivers of the U.S. economy, led to the dynamic creation of new concepts, companies, and distribution channels, and attracted significant private growth capital. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, it is estimated that in excess of $1 trillion was spent on entertainment in the United States in 2019, approximately 4.5x that which was spent in 1990. Consumers’ entertainment expenditures grew almost 25% faster during this period than U.S. GDP, as consumers dedicated an increasing portion of their expenditures to entertainment. Our expertise strongly positions us to capitalize on what we believe to be newly created and actionable acquisition opportunities across this ecosystem.  

NOTE 10. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company follows the guidance in ASC Topic 820 for its financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at each reporting period, and non-financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually.

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value.

The Warrants were accounted for as liabilities in accordance with ASC 815-40 and are presented within warrant liabilities on the balance sheet. The warrant liabilities are measured at fair value at inception and on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value presented within change in fair value of warrant liabilities in the consolidated statement of operations.

The Private Warrants were initially valued using a Modified Black Scholes Option Pricing Model, which is considered to be a Level 3 fair value measurement. The Modified Black Scholes model’s primary unobservable input utilized in determining the fair value of the Private Warrants is the expected volatility of the ordinary shares. The expected volatility as of the IPO date was derived from observable public warrant pricing on comparable ‘blank-check’ companies without an identified target. The expected volatility as of subsequent valuation dates was implied from the Company’s own public warrant pricing. A Monte Carlo simulation methodology was used in estimating the fair value of the public warrants for periods where no observable traded price was available, using the same expected volatility as was used in measuring the fair value of the Private Warrants. For periods subsequent to the detachment of the warrants from the Units, the close price of the public warrant price was used as the fair value as of each relevant date.

The following table presents the changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities:

Level 3 financial liabilities consist of the Private Placement Warrant liability for which there is no current market for these securities such that the determination of fair value requires significant judgment or estimation. Changes in fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy are analyzed each period based on changes in estimates or assumptions and recorded as appropriate.

NOTE 11. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the condensed financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the condensed financial statements.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

References in this report (the “Quarterly Report”) to “we,” “us” or the “Company” refer to Acies Acquisition Corp. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, and references to the “Sponsor” refer to Acies Acquisition, LLC. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act that are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected and projected. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-Q including, without limitation, statements in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the completion of the Proposed Business Combination (as defined below), the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Words such as “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “seek” and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, but reflect management’s current beliefs, based on information currently available. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including that the conditions of the Proposed Business Combination are not satisfied. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A and final prospectus for its Initial Public Offering filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Company’s securities filings can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Overview

We are a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on August 14, 2020 formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar Business Combination with one or more businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash derived from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, shares and debt.

We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.

Results of Operations

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities through March 31, 2021 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for the Initial Public Offering, described below, and identifying a target company for a Business Combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we had a net income of $6,258,699, which consists of the change in fair value of warrant liability of $7,144,117, operating costs of $899,486, and an unrealized loss on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $3,558, offset by interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $17,626.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On October 27, 2020, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $200,000,000.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 4,333,333 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to Acies Acquisition, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $6,500,000.

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on October 27, 2020, an amount of $200,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a Trust Account (the “Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholders.

On November 9, 2020, the Company consummated the sale of an additional 1,525,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, and the sale of an additional 203,334 Private Placement Warrants, at $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, generating total gross proceeds of $15,555,000. A total of $15,250,000 of the net proceeds was deposited into the Trust Account, bringing the aggregate proceeds held in the Trust Account to $215,250,000.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $797,087. Net income of $6,258,699 was affected by interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $17,626, a non-cash charge derived from the change in fair value of the warrant liability of $7,144,117 and an unrealized loss on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $3,558. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $102,399 of cash for operating activities.  

As of March 31, 2021, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $215,289,800 consisting of U.S. Treasury Bills with a maturity of 185 days or less. We may withdraw interest from the Trust Account to pay taxes, if any. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our share capital or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

As of March 31, 2021, we had cash of $264,630. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of March 31, 2021. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.

Contractual obligations

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay our sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We began incurring these fees on October 22, 2020 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination and our liquidation.

The underwriter is entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per unit, or $7,533,750 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of condensed financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:

Warrant Liability

We account for the warrants issued in connection with our Initial Public Offering in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40-15-7D under which the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment and must be recorded as liabilities. Accordingly, we classify the warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjust the warrants to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations.

Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

We account for our ordinary shares subject to possible conversion in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of our condensed balance sheets.

Net Income Per Ordinary Share

We apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Net income per ordinary share, basic and diluted for Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption is calculated by dividing the interest income earned on the Trust Account, net of applicable taxes, if any, by the weighted average number of shares of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption outstanding for the period. Net income per ordinary share, basic and diluted for and non-redeemable ordinary shares is calculated by dividing net loss less income attributable to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, by the weighted average number of shares of non-redeemable ordinary shares outstanding for the period presented.

Recent Accounting Standards

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our condensed financial statements.

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not required for a smaller reporting company.

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officers, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In connection with this filing, our management re-evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2021, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, solely due to the Company’s restatement of its financial statements to reclassify the Company’s warrants as described in the 10-K/A filed on May 10, 2021, as amended on May 12, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of March 31, 2021.

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. However, management did implement changes in internal control over financial reporting during second quarter of 2021 designed to remediate a material weakness solely related to the presentation of the Company’s warrants as equity instead of liability. We plan to enhance our processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements to better evaluate and understand the nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

On March 2, 2021, a lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, by a purported Acies stockholder in connection with the Business Combination: McCart v. Acies Acquisition Corp., et al., (Sup. Ct. L.A. County) (the “Complaint”). The Complaint names Acies and members of our Board of Directors as defendants. The Complaint alleges breach of fiduciary duty against members of our Board of Directors and aiding and abetting our Board of Directors’ breach of fiduciary duties against Acies. The Complaint also alleges that the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Acies containing the proxy statement / prospectus related to the Business Combination is materially deficient and omits and/or misrepresents material information including, among other things, certain financial information, details regarding Acies’ financial advisors, and other information relating to the background of the Business Combination. The Complaint generally seeks to enjoin the Business Combination or in the event that it is consummated, recover damages.

Another purported Acies stockholder sent a demand letter on February 19, 2021 (the “Demand”), making similar allegations to those made in the Complaint and demanding additional disclosure regarding the Business Combination.

Acies believes the allegations made in the Complaint and Demand are without merit and intends to defend these lawsuits; however, Acies cannot predict with certainty the ultimate resolution of any proceedings that may be brought in connection with these allegations 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in this report include the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A and final prospectus for its Initial Public Offering filed with the SEC. As of the date of this Report, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A and final prospectus for its Initial Public Offering filed with the SEC.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.

On October 27, 2020, we consummated our Initial Public Offering of 20,000,000 Units. On November 9, 2020, in connection with the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option, we sold an additional 1,525,000 Units. The Units sold in the Initial Public Offering and the partial exercise of over-allotment option sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $215,250,000. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc acted as the book-running managers. The securities sold in the offering were registered under the Securities Act on registration statements on Form S-1 (No. 333-249297). The registration statements became effective on October 22, 2020.

Simultaneously with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering and the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, we consummated a private placement of 4,536,667 Private Placement Warrants to our Sponsor at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, generating total proceeds of $6,805,000. Such securities were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants are not transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions.

Of the gross proceeds received from the Initial Public Offering including the over-allotment option, and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, $215,250,000 was placed in the Trust Account.

We paid a total of $4,305,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions and $525,071 for other costs and expenses related to the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the underwriter agreed to defer $7,533,750 in underwriting discounts and commissions.

For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our Initial Public Offering, see Part I, Item 2 of this Form 10-Q. 

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES.

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION.

None.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS.

SIGNATURES

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