Item 4.01. Changes in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant.
On February 24, 2022, the Audit Committee of the board of directors of the Company approved management’s recommendation to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the Company’s fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 and to dismiss Marcum LLP (“Marcum”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective upon the Company’s filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and the fiscal period from February 11, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020, which consists only of the accounts of the pre-Business Combination special purpose acquisition company, Trebia.
On March 30, 2022, upon the submission of the form 10-K to the SEC, Marcum was dismissed as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
The report of Marcum on Trebia’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and the statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021, and for the period from February 11, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020, did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, and was not qualified or modified as to uncertainties, and audit scope or accounting principles.
During the period from February 11, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020, the year ended December 31, 2021 and through March 30, 2022, there were no disagreements between the Company and Marcum on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Marcum, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in its report on Trebia’s financial statements for such period.
During the period from February 11, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020, the year ended December 31, 2021, and subsequent interim period through March 30, 2022, there have been no “reportable events” (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K), other than the material weaknesses in Trebia’s internal controls identified by management related to complex financial instruments as set forth in Trebia’s form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2022, and which resulted in the restatement of Trebia’s financial statements as set forth in Trebia’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 as filed with the SEC on December 1, 2021 and Forms 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020 as filed with the SEC on August 14, 2020 and November 12, 2020, respectively.
The Company has provided Marcum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures and has requested that Marcum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the statements made by the Company set forth above. A copy of Marcum’s letter, dated April 4, 2022, is filed as Exhibit 16.1 to this Amendment No.3.
PwC served as independent registered public accounting firm of S1 Holdco prior to the Business Combination. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2021, and the subsequent interim period through March 30, 2022, neither the Company nor anyone on its behalf has consulted with PwC regarding (i) the application of accounting principles to a specific transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, where either a written report or oral advice was provided to the Company that PwC concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue, (ii) any matter that was the subject of a disagreement within the meaning of Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions to Item 304 of Regulation S-K or (iii) any reportable event within the meaning of Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.