General form of registration statement for all companies including face-amount certificate companies

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
9 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
May 31, 2020
Aug. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]    
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and GAAP in the United States of America. The accompanying interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the Company’s opinion, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine months ended May 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year. While management of the Company believes that the disclosures presented herein are adequate and not misleading, these interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the footnotes thereto for the year ended August 31, 2019 contained in the Company’s Form 10-K filed on November 25, 2019.

 

Basis of Consolidation

 

The financial statements have been prepared on a consolidated basis, with the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Trinity Reliant Ventures Limited, Artelo Biosciences Limited and Artelo Biosciences Corporation.

 

Operating Leases

 

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception in accordance with ASC 842 - Leases. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, other current liabilities, and operating lease liabilities in our balance sheets. Finance leases are included in property and equipment, other current liabilities, and other long-term liabilities in our balance sheets. As all of the Company’s leases are month to month, no ROU nor operating lease liabilities have been recorded as of May 31, 2020. The new accounting standards related to ASC – 842 were effective for the Company on September 1, 2019. Adoption of the standard did not have any impact on the Company due to the month to month nature of the Company’s existing leases.

 

Loss per Share

 

Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock plus the effect of dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period using the treasury stock method and as if converted method. Dilutive potential common shares include outstanding stock options and warrants.

 

For the nine months ended May 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, the following common stock equivalents were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the result was anti-dilutive.

 

 

 

May 31,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

Stock options

 

 

281,834

 

 

 

50,000

 

Warrants

 

 

2,334,937

 

 

 

732,351

 

 

 

 

2,616,771

 

 

 

782,351

 

 

Covid 19

 

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving at this time and much of its impact remains unknown, the Company is not able to predict the impact it may have on the development of the its product candidates and business. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic could also negatively impact the Company’s access to its existing supply chain by delaying the delivery of key raw materials used in its product candidates and therefore delay the delivery of such products for use in its clinical trials. Any of these results could have a material adverse impact to our business.

 

Reclassification

 

Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior year financial statements to conform to the current period presentation. The reclassification had no impact on previously reported net loss or accumulated deficit.

NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The financial statements and related disclosures have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Financial Statements have been prepared using the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) of the United States.

 

Basis of Consolidation

 

The financial statements have been prepared on a consolidated basis, with the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Trinity Reliant Ventures Limited, and Trinity Research & Development Limited.

 

Property, plant and equipment

 

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed on the straight-line method. The depreciation and amortization methods are designed to amortize the cost of the assets over their estimated useful lives, in years, of the respective assets as follows:

 

Furniture and Fixtures

3 Years

 

Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Improvements of a major nature are capitalized. At the time of retirement or other disposition of property and equipment, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gains or losses are reflected in income.

The long-lived assets of the Company are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC No. 360, “Property, Plant and Equipment” (“ASC No. 360”), whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. During the year ended August 31, 2019, no impairment losses have been identified.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements 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 and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. The estimates and judgments will also affect the reported amounts for certain expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these good faith estimates and judgments.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in banks, money market funds, and certificates of term deposits with maturities of less than three months from inception, which are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which, in the opinion of management, are subject to an insignificant risk of loss in value. The Company had $4,423,965 and $337,424 in cash and cash equivalents at August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

Intangible Assets

 

The Company capitalizes certain costs to acquire intangible assets; if such assets are determined to have a finite useful life they are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life.

 

The Company tests its intangible assets for impairment at least annually and whenever events or circumstances change that indicate impairment may have occurred. A significant amount of judgment is involved in determining if an indicator of impairment has occurred. Such indicators may include, among others and without limitation: a significant decline in the Company’s expected future cash flows; a sustained, significant decline in the Company’s stock price and market capitalization; a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate of the Company’s segments; unanticipated competition; and slower growth rates.

 

Deferred Offering Costs

 

Deferred offering costs were capitalized and consisted of fees and expenses incurred directly in connection with the Company’s offering that was completed during the year ended August 31, 2019. At the time of the completion of the offering the amounts were transferred to additional paid in capital. Deferred offering costs included legal and accounting costs.

 

Foreign Currency Transactions

 

Some of the Company’s planned operations are outside of the United States, which results in exposure to market risks from changes in foreign currency rates. The financial risk arise from the fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the degrees of volatility in these rates. Currently the Company does not use derivative instruments to reduce its exposure to foreign currency risk. Nonmonetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical rates and monetary assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at the end of the year. Revenues and expenses are translated at average rates for the year. Gains and losses from translation of foreign currency financial statements into U.S. dollars are included as other comprehensive income.

 

Financial Instruments

 

The Company follows ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, which defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs) and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

 

Level 1

 

Level 1 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2

 

Level 2 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.

 

Level 3

 

Level 3 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

 

Derivative Financial Instruments

 

The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of our financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. For stock-based derivative financial instruments, the Company used a Monte Carlo valuation model to value the derivative instruments at inception and on subsequent valuation dates. 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.

 

Concentrations of Credit Risk

 

The Company’s financial instruments that are exposed to concentrations of credit risk primarily consist of its cash and cash equivalents. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions of high credit worthiness. At times, its cash and cash equivalents with a particular financial institution may exceed any applicable government insurance limits. The Company’s management plans to assess the financial strength and credit worthiness of any parties to which it extends funds, and as such, it believes that any associated credit risk exposures are limited.

 

Share-based Expenses

 

ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation” prescribes accounting and reporting standards for all share-based payment transactions in which employee services are acquired. Transactions include incurring liabilities, or issuing or offering to issue shares, options, and other equity instruments such as employee stock ownership plans and stock appreciation rights. Share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, are recognized as compensation expense in the financial statements based on their fair values. That expense is recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award, known as the requisite service period (usually the vesting period).

 

The Company has recently adopted the guidance included under ASU 2018-07, stock-based compensation issued to non-employees and consultants. Equity-Based Payments to non-employees are measured at grant-date fair value of the equity instruments that the Company is obligated to issue when the service has been rendered and any other conditions necessary to earn the right to benefit from the instruments have been satisfied. Equity-classified nonemployee share based payment awards are measured at the grant date

 

There were $425,110 and $290,004 share-based expenses for the year ending August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

Deferred Income Taxes and Valuation Allowance

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 “Income Taxes.” Under the asset and liability method of ASC 740, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period the enactment occurs. A valuation allowance is provided for certain deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize tax assets through future operations. No deferred tax assets or liabilities were recognized as at August 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

Net Loss per Share of Common Stock

 

The Company has adopted ASC Topic 260, ”Earnings per Share,” (“EPS”) which requires presentation of basic EPS on the face of the income statement for all entities with complex capital structures and requires a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic EPS computation. In the accompanying financial statements, basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period.

 

For the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018, potentially dilutive instruments are as follows:

 

 

 

 

August 31,

2019

 

 

August 31,

2018

 

Warrants

 

 

2,334,937

 

 

 

495,306

 

Options

 

 

234,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

Total

 

 

2,568,937

 

 

 

545,306

 

 

 

Related Parties

 

The Company follows ASC 850, Related Party Disclosures, for the identification of related parties and disclosure of related party transactions.

 

Prepaid Expenses and Deposits

 

Prepaid expenses and deposits consist of security deposits paid.

 

Commitments and Contingencies

 

The Company follows ASC 450-20, “Loss Contingencies,” to report accounting for contingencies. Liabilities for loss contingencies arising from claims, assessments, litigation, fines and penalties and other sources are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the assessment can be reasonably estimated.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In July 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a two-part Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2017-11, I. Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments With Down Round Features and II. Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests With a Scope Exception (“ASU 2017-11”).ASU 2017-11 amends guidance in FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, FASB ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and FASB ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The amendments in Part I of ASU 2017-11 change the classification analysis of certain equity-linked financial instruments (or embedded features) with down round features. The amendments in Part II of ASU 2017-11 re-characterize the indefinite deferral of certain provisions of Topic 480 that now are presented as pending content in the Codification, to a scope exception. Those amendments do not have an accounting effect. ASU 2017-11 is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. We have early adopted this standard. Certain cash subscription agreements entered into by the Company contain embedded derivative features, which in accordance with the new guidance, do not give rise to an associated derivative liability.

 

The Company has considered all recent accounting pronouncements issued and determined that the adoption of these pronouncements would not have a material effect on the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of the Company.